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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2010-03-25 Danby Town and Planning Board Planning Meeting Minutes March 25, 2010 Present: Supervisor: Ric Dietrich Councilpersons: Leslie Connors,Kathy Halton,Dan Klein Planning Board: Ann Klingensmith, Steve Selin,Naomi Strichartz,Robert Roe Town Clerk Pamela Goddard Code Enforcement Susan Beeners Members of the Public: Joel Gagnon, Ronda Roaring, Gary Bortz Supervisor Dietrich called the meeting to order at 7:00pm. BZA Appointment: The Town Board interviewed Gary Bortz for a vacant position on the Board of Zoning Appeals. Bortz has worked as a real property appraiser for the Tompkins County Assessment office since 1992. In that capacity he has worked with local zoning laws and regulations. Members of the Town and Planning Board asked a variety of questions of the applicant. There was also a discussion about required training for members of the BZA.A decision for appointment will be made at the April Town Board meeting. Grant Announcements: Dan Klein announced that Danby was awarded two grants in relation to energy conservation.A grant of$267,000 for a biomass boiler at the Town Highway Barns and funds for an Energy Educator and Environmental Consultant.The Energy Educator will be shared between a group of towns and will work up to one day a week for Danby for up to a year. Planning Discussion Members of the Town Board and Planning Boards met to discuss and prioritize the"to do"lists generated during the joint meeting on February 22,regarding objectives for 2010. There was a suggestion to prioritize items in levels of importance and long-term and short-term goals. It was further suggested that specific people be identified to work on particular topics. Each board member had an opportunity to express their interests and concerns and to ask questions of each other.An effort was made to arrive at a level of consensus between Town Board and Planning Board members as to areas of interest. In addition to the topics on the February 22 list,tourism awareness/promotion was added to the list for discussion. Councilman Klein suggested that a consultant or temporary employee next year be hired to handle some of the work involved with these topics. He suggested that temporary staff be hired for very specific jobs and goals. Supervisory Dietrich said that the bookkeeper is looking over the budget to see if any money could be made available for this purpose during this year. Money might be available in the Planning Board budget for this work on the Comprehensive Plan. It was agreed that four general topics should be pursued further research and planning: Zoning,Housing,Hamlet Study, and Energy initiatives. There was also a general discussion about the structure of the Planning Board and how it operates in relation to the Code Enforcement Office and the Town Board. The Planning Board is encouraged to be Page 1 of 3 more proactive in its work. Suggestions and concerns included: subcommittees/working groups to tackle long and short term projects,work with consultants, looking at the process of communication including neighborhood notification of upcoming projects. Members of the PB have expressed a desire for increased,tangible projects and more involvement with development process at earlier stages.A scoping session for the Planning Board, following a re-read of the current Zoning ordinance, may be the next step. Planning List: This is a rough draft of items from the list which might fit in these general categories. Other groupings and addition work items are possible. The order of items within each section does not imply any level of priority. Zoning: Neighbor notification in relation to proposed development and special use permits (Whenever a building permit has been issued?) Open Space conservation needs-non-regulatory approaches to protection and tax abatement Difference between Open Space and Sense of Open Space Critical Environmental Areas study Reinvigorate the Comprehensive Planning Task Force Proposal for Conservation Advisory Council "How to Keep Your Land"forum/education-brochure and web site Follow up the Right to Farm Law-zoning questions Better mapping for Zoning-visual guide, comparison between current and proposed Owning the data to generate maps Zoning to maximize rural character of Danby;rules not rigid and could be modified (examples might include; Increase lot size, setbacks, incentives to protect view-shed,revisiting what constitutes Home Occupation.Note that in the minutes of the February 22 meeting this short list, presented by Dan Klein, included the phrase "introduce elements of invisibility."It should be noted that Leslie Connors disagrees with that goal and wants the Town to look toward preserving/creating true open space, not just "a sense of it.") Tourism initiatives: eg. B&Bs and trails Hamlet Study: Hamlet Goals (housing rehabilitation, appropriate zoning) What is appropriate to be done and how can it be accomplished? Is there political will to promote nodal development? Revisit White Hawk development(also mentioned in the area of housing) Infrastructure/services; re-establish a store mixed use area/cottage industry(Olivia's land in the area behind the church) Municipal Water(?) Beautification and the removal/remediaton of"eyesores"at major intersections Housing Initiatives: Housing Rehabilitation/energy conservation Retrofitting/weatherizing old housing stock Possible grant/support money for building/improving new housing at this time Investigate closely the range of options available including energy programs, structural programs,housing improvements Educational efforts, including a manual of applications and information for Home Owners Page 2 of 3 Senior Housing- Question of feasiblity,positioning Danby for future HUD grants Neighborhood development/community development ("What will fill the infrastructure?"Activities and quality of life.) Energy Initiatives: (some of these are already underway) Taking the community pulse via the Listening Project Sustainable energy education(for residents) and initiatives Support/enhance Public Transportation Localization of energy and food production Land-bank/grass pellet project/Highway Biomass Boiler project community gardens Gas Drilling Issues Wind energy/alternative energy-Wind Power Legislation Base-line energy survey of the Town to promote efficiency Adjournment The Meeting was adjourned at 9:00pm. Pamela S Goddard,Town Clerk Page 3 of 3