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HomeMy WebLinkAboutMN-PLED-2015-10-14Approved at the December 9, 2015 PEDC Meeting City of Ithaca Planning & Economic Development Committee Wednesday, October 14, 2015 – 6:00 p.m. Common Council Chambers, City Hall, 108 East Green Street Minutes Committee Members Attending: Joseph (Seph) Murtagh, Chair; Graham Kerslick, Ellen McCollister, Cynthia Brock, and Josephine Martell Committee Members Absent: None Other Elected Officials Attending: Alderperson George McGonigal Staff Attending: JoAnn Cornish, Director, Department of Planning, Building, Zoning, and Economic Development; Megan Wilson, Senior Planner; Jennifer Kusznir, Senior Planner; Julie Holcomb, City Clerk; Ari Lavine, City Attorney; Tim Logue, Engineering, and Mike Niechwiadowicz, Building Division Others Attending: Brian Eden, HeatSmart Tompkins Chair Seph Murtagh called the meeting to order at 6:00 p.m. 1) Call to Order/Agenda Review Public Comment will take place first, then the energy presentation 2) Special Order of Business a) Presentation – Energy Efficiency in Newly Constructed Commercial Buildings 3) Public Comment and Response from Committee Members Thomas Shelley, 118 East Court Street, stated he is in favor of backyard chickens and the reduction in Exterior Property Maintenance Ordinance (EPMO) fines. Bert Scholl, 912 North Cayuga Street, spoke in opposition of the proposed bike lanes on Cayuga Street. Approved at the December 9, 2015 PEDC Meeting Robert Boothroyd, 807 North Cayuga Street, spoke in opposition of the proposed bike lanes on Cayuga Street. Brian Eden, 147 North Sunset Drive, spoke concerning the Energy Action Plan and the County’s Energy Road Map. Sean Gannon, 114 South Plain Street, is running as an independent in the second ward and provide general remarks for his political pitch. Fay Gougakis, 171 East State Street, spoke in opposition of Harold Square and the development downtown. Sara Cummings, 1106 North Cayuga Street, stated her concerns on the loss of parking and increased speed on Cayuga Street as well as the lane shifts near Lincoln Street neighborhood. Larry Beck, 138 Linn Street, Chair of RHAC, spoke regarding the proposed exterio r property maintenance ordinance fines. Sheryl Swink, 321 North Albany Street, spoke in favor of the proposed bike lanes on Cayuga Street. David West, 225 Cleveland Avenue, spoke in favor of the proposed bikes lanes on Cayuga Street. Committee Members Announcements/Responses Cornish stated that Harold Square has not applied for a building permit and will not likely start construction this winter. Alderperson Brock stated a moratorium is not legal for the sake of no development for developments sake, but she understands Gougakis’ concerns. 4) Announcements, Updates, and Reports a) CIITAP Revision – Alderperson McCollister provided a brief update on the revisions that have been made to the CIITAP process. Affordable housing, living wage, and job creatio n are a few items that have been discussed. Local labor is defined as those living in Tompkins County as well as the six contiguous counties. Labor should not only be union labor but all labor. Only certified living wage employers will be considered for this program. Approved at the December 9, 2015 PEDC Meeting b) Bike Lane – North Cayuga Street Tim Logue reported that a media release was sent out in early March announcing the proposed bike lane on North Cayuga Street. The purchase of speed bumps to slow traffic down is being looked at. Logue further stated they will look at the lane shift to see if it’s dangerous. He suggested opening up spots on Falls Street and reserved spaces for people with disabilities is possible which is currently available. The question whether the City is required to notify residents of changes to streets was asked. The answer is the City is not required, however there was an issue with the elimination of parking for a bike lane on Ithaca Road. There needs to be more public outreach. Notification needs to be handled better. Other suggestions/thoughts were stated. Could bike lanes be seasonal? Were mitigations evaluated prior to the inclusion of the bike lane? Should speed counts be done to access parking demand? Common Council requests a communication plan from the Board of Public Works. 5) Discussion a) Comprehensive Plan: Phase II Megan Wilson updated the Committee as to the Planning Board’s recommendations. The Board would like the Southside neighborhood plan and the housing strategy be the first items looked at before the Waterfront/Inlet Island and West Hill neighborhoods. Wilson further stated that there is a graduate class from Cornell who worked along with us on Phase I that will continue for Phase II. This group will help gathering data. Alderpersons Brock and Kerslick both stated that they feel the West Hill neighborhood should be made a priority. b) Changes to Exterior Property Maintenance Ordinance Larry Beck and Mike Niechwiadowicz both agreed that the new notification system is working. Any change to reset the policy is now a six month reset. Approved at the December 9, 2015 PEDC Meeting 6) Action Items – Approval to Circulate a) Taxi Legislation – Alderperson Kerslick moved to circulate; seconded by Alderperson McCollister. Passed unanimously. b) Street Level Active Use – The Commons Alderperson Kerslick move to circulate; seconded by Alderperson McCollister. Passed unanimously. 7) Action Items – Voting to Send onto Council a) Backyard Chickens Alderperson McCollister is opposed, Alderperson Brock questioned how it will be enforced, and Alderperson Kerslick would like to explore it more – enforcement and public health issues. There has to be clear instruction and guidelines. Chair Murtagh and Alderperson Martell agreed to talk to Cornell Cooperative Extension and any formed chicken groups and bring this back to committee at a later date. 8) Review and Approval of Minutes a) September 2015 Moved by Alderperson Brock; seconded by Alderperson Kerslick. Passed Unanimously. 9) Adjournment Moved by Alderperson Kerslick; seconded by Alderperson Martell. All agreed to adjourn at 9:30 p.m.