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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2018-10-24 PAB Final Minutes1 PLANNING ADVISORY BOARD Wednesday, October 24, 2018 Legislature Chambers, Old Courthouse, 121 E. Court Street, Ithaca NY 14850 FINAL MEETING MINUTES Members Attending: Guests: John Czamanske, Lincoln Morse, C.J. Randall, and Audrey Wachs Call to Order: Chair Dave Herrick called the meeting to order at 9:03 a.m. Agenda Review/Changes: None Draft Minutes Approval: Martha Armstrong moved approval of the August 22, 2018, minutes. Motion carried with one correction: Kathy Schlather’s seat title was changed from Human Resources to Human Services. Tompkins County Comprehensive Plan Measures – Joan Jurkowich Joan Jurkowich reported to PAB on the Planning and Sustainability Department’s drafting of Comprehensive Plan Measures for the County. The group reviewed the document section by section, with members offering feedback on what is useful to report in terms of measuring impact of policy decisions in the long term. The report will also guide the Department in setting priorities for the new comprehensive plan. Martha suggested an appendix be added with citations, etc., for people interested in learning more about the data behind the suggested measures. Members can email further comments to Joan. Municipal Housing Affordability Matching Fund – David West The Planning and Sustainability Department is launching a one-year pilot to evaluate the feasibility of a Municipal Housing Affordability Matching Fund program to assist municipalities pursuing grants and small projects that can positively affect housing affordability. The program is still in the early stages of planning, and parameters will be flexible in this first year in order to learn what is most useful for municipalities. A total of $45,000 is available for the pilot, with most projects, such as hiring consultants to help with grant writing and zoning updates or infrastructure studies and improvements, estimated to cost between $2,000 and $10,000. Current thinking is that staff could approve grants of up to $5,000, with the Housing Committee/Legislature able to approve larger awards, perhaps up to $20,000. The program could prove to be helpful for municipalities wishing to apply for Community Development Block Grants and other funding. Applications will be reviewed quarterly until funds are committed and will be processed via the same online grant management system used by the County Tourism Program. While a 50/50 match (in-kind included) is desired, the County recognizes this may be difficult for some municipalities and is open to other forms of local support and as little Name  Representation Name  Representation Martha Armstrong P Econ. Development Kathy Schlather P Human Services Joe Bowes P Housing Rob Steuteville A Built Environment Design Sue Cosentini P Business Andy Zepp A Land Preservation/Public Land Management Fernando de Aragón P Transportation Dooley Kiefer P Associate Member David Herrick P Facilities/Infrastructure Others Present Rod Howe E Historical/Cultural Resources Katie Borgella P Commissioner David Kay P Local Planning (urban) Joan Jurkowich P Planning Administrator Anna Kelles P PDEQ Darby Kiley P Associate Planner Susan Mann P Energy Kristin McCarthy P Administrative Assistant Gay Nicholson P At-Large Megan McDonald P Deputy Commissioner Marcus Riehl P Natural Environment David West P Senior Housing Planner Monika Roth P Agriculture Leslie Schill E Education 2 as a 10% match. Preference will be given to projects supporting County and local comprehensive plans and affordable housing. Outreach will include hosting a workshop on the pilot for municipalities, likely in January. Fall 2018 Board Member Recruitment/Applications – Katie Borgella PAB has applicants for seven seats: Monika Roth (Agriculture), Kathy Schlather (Human Services), and Gay Nicholson (At-Large) are renewals, while Tim Carey (Education), Yamila Fournier (Built Environment), Lincoln Morse (Business) and C.J. Randall (Local Planning, non-urban) are new to the Board. An eighth seat (At-Large) remains open, though guest John Czamanske might apply. Katie plans to recommend all the candidates for appointment by the County Legislature. Commissioner’s Report – Katie Borgella • The Ludlowville Stormwater Control Project, a multi-year, cross-agency endeavor, should be wrapping up in the next month or two. • The RFQ for consultant assistance with the County’s Energy Strategy update received 11 responses. • The 2019 budget is winding its way through the Legislature’s approval process. There was one last- minute addition to the Department’s budget: a request for $50,000 to help towns and villages improve their parks and trails systems. Each municipality could apply for up to $5,000 in funding. Martha suggested the County hold a ribbon-cutting ceremony to celebrate the completion of the Ludlowville project. She also asked to connect with County staff about possible partnerships between new towns and villages trails and parks grant opportunity and the Tourism Capital Grant program. Member Announcements • Anna Kelles reported on the latest PDEQ Committee activities. The discussion of the Cayuga Power Plant will be held at an upcoming special meeting. Irene Weiser submitted a resolution to oppose the transition from coal power to natural gas, and another resolution was just presented to amend it to have NYSDEC complete a full Environmental Impact Statement. • PDEQ members are also in conversations with the County Department of Health regarding the monitoring of septic systems along Cayuga Lake. • Gay Nicholson spoke at length about the Lansing Rod and Gun Club continuing to fire lead shot into Salmon Creek despite an EPA stop work consent order. Concerned citizens have contacted the EPA to request the Agency enforce its own consent order but have received no response. PAB members had many questions and inquired about what sort of outreach efforts have been undertaken. • The Oct. 11-12th Community and Regional Development Institute Conference, which focused on flooding risk and community resiliency, was very well attended. Recordings of all the presentations will soon be uploaded to the Institute’s website. • Tompkins was one of five counties to receive a New York State resiliency grant. The funding helps counties develop resiliency plans to better prepare for and recover from extreme weather events. The County also recently earned silver certification from NYSDEC as a Climate Smart Community. • Gay is hosting conversations on HABs and what can be done in the agricultural sector to decrease nutrient loading. In particular, she has been connecting with people in the dairy sector to talk about possibly using some of the HABs funding to help dairy farmers convert to silvo-pasturing. • The invasive spotted lanternfly poses a threat to the health of forests and agricultural lands and may be on the rise in New York. Sightings can be reported to NYSDEC or through the iMapInvasives app. • Ithaca Tompkins County Transportation Council is updating its long-range transportation plan. Adjournment: Chair Dave Herrick declared the meeting adjourned at 10:26 am.