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HomeMy WebLinkAboutTB 2024-05-16TB 5-16-24 Page 1 of 6 TOWN OF DRYDEN TOWN BOARD MEETING May 16, 2024 Zoom Hybrid Present: Supervisor Jason Leifer, Cl Daniel Lamb, Cl Leonardo Vargas- Mendez, Cl Christina Dravis, Cl Spring Buck Elected Officials: Bambi L. Avery, Town Clerk Other Town Staff: *Cassie Byrnes, Secretary to the Supervisor Ray Burger, Director of Planning Chris O’Connor, Fire Coordinator *Indicates attendance via Zoom Supv Leifer opened the meeting at 6:05 p.m. Board members and audience recited the pledge of allegiance. TOWN CLERK RESOLUTION #103 (2024) – APPROVE MINUTES Supv Leifer offered the following resolution and asked for its adoption: RESOLVED, that this Town Board hereby approves the meeting minutes of April 11,2024, April 18, 2024, and April 24, 2024. 2nd Cl Lamb Roll Call Vote Cl Vargas-Mendez Yes Cl Buck Yes Cl Dravis Yes Cl Lamb Yes Supv Leifer Yes PLANNING DEPARTMENT The department’s monthly report is on the website. Ray Burger said that last month the board approved a memorandum of agreement with the four partnering towns for the South Hill Rec Way extension and that is in place. The easement from NYSEG has been signed and that will take a few months to get through the PSC and be countersigned. They are now pursuing funding. There is a transportation grant opportunity. The town of Caroline is preparing the application and taking the lead. It would be nice if the town would submit a letter of support for the project. RESOLUTION #104 (2024) – LETTER OF SUPPORT FOR GRANT APPLICATION – SOUTH HILL RECREATION WAY EXTENSION Cl Lamb offered the following resolution and asked for its adoption: RESOLVED, that this Town Board hereby authorizes the Town Supervisor to draft a letter in support of a transportation grant opportunity for the extension of the South Hill Recreation Way. TB 5-16-24 Page 2 of 6 2nd Cl Vargas-Mendez Roll Call Vote Cl Vargas-Mendez Yes Cl Buck Yes Cl Dravis Yes Cl Lamb Yes Supv Leifer Yes There is a company looking at various sites in the state for battery storage. They have looked at one in the Pinckney Road/Lower Creek Road area near the NYSEG substation, but not connected to it. The company would basically create a substation and connect to the transmission line at the site. That would be the proposal, but a stand-alone battery storage unit is not an allowable use in our use table currently. There has been talk about putting something in code regarding battery storage. It will need enabling legislation. FIRE COORDINATOR Chris O’Connor said he has kept the board informed on recent activity via email. There was discussion about the frequency of ISO evaluations and how those evaluations affect ratings for purposes of homeowners insurance for our residents. C O’Connor will try to arrange for a presentation for the board and companies on the subject. There are proposed new OSHA standards that will apply to fire departments and enforcement is expected to begin next year. C O’Connor asked for comments on the presentation by Mike Wilbur of the Emergency Vehicle Response Company at the Varna Fire Department. Supv Leifer said there was no discussion of financing options or grants for his recommendations. He didn’t seem to understand the relationship between the departments and the town. Doing a fleet evaluation for the town seems to be necessary in order to figure out how to choose what to buy because different areas may have different needs. With mutual aid, you may not need to buy something. Unless the departments are looking for other sources of revenue, it comes back to the town. Cl Dravis said she didn’t think it was in the scope of his work to talk about finances. The board could look into having him do a town-wide report. Cl Lamb would like a more practical assessment done in a way that tells us what may be hard to meet in terms of costs and that offers ideas of how to meet them. He essentially said that all Varna’s vehicles are insufficient. Mason Jager said the financing wasn’t really in the scope. M Wilbur was offering his technical expertise and the details of what the department needs for its district and also to meet NFPA requirements. The financial aspect is so variable from town to town and state to state, that it is probably not something that would fall under his business model. He is sticking mostly to the vehicles themselves and how they are structured and what purpose they serve. He agrees that he would like to hear about options in terms of financing, and perhaps there is a consultant that deals with that side of things. Varna does have a pretty decent reserve so they can at least get things started in purchasing apparatus. He isn’t surprised the consultant didn’t talk about financing. TB 5-16-24 Page 3 of 6 C O’Connor reminded everyone that next Wednesday at the Varna Fire Department there will be two people from NYS Department of Labor/PESH who will give a presentation on the rules that all departments are supposed to operate by. There is a lot of misunderstanding about what the actual laws and regulations are. He is hoping for a good turnout. They will also touch a bit on the new proposed OSHA regulations. DISCUSSION/ACTION ITEMS Pro-Housing Communities Pledge – R Burger said the town has our application in and it is under evaluation to prove we’ve had our one percent growth within the last three years. We made the one percent benchmark despite the Covid years. Having this resolution in place will expedite the process and put us in a more favorable position when applying for grant funding. As defined by HUD, affordable housing is defined as housing on which the occupant is paying no more than 30 percent of gross income for housing costs, including utilities. RESOLUTION #105 (2024) - Pro-Housing Communities Pledge Cl Vargas-Mendez offered the following resolution and asked for its adoption: WHEREAS, the Town of Dryden believes that the lack of housing for New York residents of all ages and income levels negatively impacts the future of New York State’s economic growth and community well-being; WHEREAS, the housing crisis has negative effects at regional and local levels, we believe that every community must do their part to contribute to housing growth and benefit from the positive impacts a healthy housing market brings to communities; WHEREAS, we believe that supporting housing production of all kinds in our community will bring multiple benefits, including increasing housing access and choices for current and future residents, providing integrated accessible housing options that meet the needs of people with sensory and mobility disabilities, bringing economic opportunities and vitality to our communities, and allowing workers at all levels to improve their quality of life through living closer to their employment opportunities; WHEREAS, we believe that evidence showing that infill development that reduces sprawl and supports walkable communities has significant environmental and public health benefits; and WHEREAS, we believe that affirmatively furthering fair housing and reducing segregation is not only required by law, but is essential for keeping our community strong and vibrant; NOW, THEREFORE, IT IS HEREBY RESOLVED that Town of Dryden, in order to take positive steps to alleviate the housing crisis, adopts the Pro- Housing Communities pledge, which will have us endeavor to take the following important steps: 1. Streamlining permitting for multifamily housing, affordable housing, accessible housing, accessory dwelling units, and supportive housing. 2. Adopting policies that affirmatively further fair housing. 3. Incorporating regional housing needs into planning decisions. 4. Increasing development capacity for residential uses. 5. Enacting policies that encourage a broad range of housing development, including multifamily housing, affordable housing, accessible housing, accessory dwelling units, and supportive housing. 2nd Cl Dravis TB 5-16-24 Page 4 of 6 Roll Call Vote Cl Vargas-Mendez Yes Cl Buck Yes Cl Dravis Yes Cl Lamb Yes Supv Leifer Yes Amendment for Special Use Permit at 465 North Road – R Burger said this SUP was approved a few months ago when The Second Knob relocated. The owner of the property, Nancy Bell, also operates a global reuse clothing business at the same location. They would like to amend the site plan to allow for a flea market two Saturdays a month. The Planning Board has made recommendations that are incorporated in the proposed resolution preserving emergency access to the site. Board members reviewed the site amendment and recommended conditions. RESOLUTION #106 (2024) - APPROVING SITE PLAN AMENDMENT FOR A RETAIL BUSINESS AT 465 NORTH ROAD, TAX PARCEL 27.-1-27.2 Cl Buck offered the following resolution and asked for its adoption: WHEREAS, A. Nancy Bell and Shana Karn applied for approval of a site plan amendment at the retail business located at 465 North Road, Tax parcel 27.-1-27.2. The application included a sketch plan and letter describing an area to be used for a flea market and the use of the western half of the main building for merchandise storage, and B. The Town Planning Department considers the application complete and in conformance with the requirements of the Code of the Town of Dryden (Code) §270-11, and C. The Tompkins County Planning Department has reviewed the application pursuant §239 –l, -m, and –n of the New York State General Municipal Law, and D. In a letter dated April 24, 2024, the Tompkins County Planning Department determined that the proposed action will have no significant county-wide or inter-community impact, and E. Pursuant to the New York State Environmental Quality Review Act (“SEQRA”) and its implementing regulations at 6 NYCRR Part 617, the Town Board of the Town of Dryden has, on May 16, 2024, determined the project is a type II action per 6 CRR-NY 617.5(18), which states, reuse of a residential or commercial structure, or of a structure containing mixed residential and commercial uses, where the residential or commercial use is a permitted use under the applicable zoning law or ordinance, including permitted by special use permit, and the action does not meet or exceeds any of the thresholds in section 617.4 of this Part. F. The Town Board has reviewed this application relative to the considerations and standards found in Code §270-11 for site plan review. NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED AS FOLLOWS: 1. The Town Board approves the sketch plan documents, submitted with the application, as an amendment to the site plan for 465 North Road, conditioned on the following: a. There shall be no parking between the large main building and the red-roofed building to preserve emergency vehicle access. This area to be posted and enforced. TB 5-16-24 Page 5 of 6 b. The applicant shall mark all parking spaces with 4x4 posts, curb stops or similar method. c. The applicant shall work with the fire department to address any safety-related concerns that arise. d.The Town of Dryden Standard Conditions of Approval as amended August 14, 2008. 2nd Cl Dravis Roll Call Vote Cl Vargas-Mendez Yes Cl Buck Yes Cl Dravis Yes Cl Lamb Yes Supv Leifer Yes The following public hearings were set for the June 20, 2024, meeting: 6:05 p.m. - Accepting Rail Trail Easements from the Villages of Dryden and Freeville 6:10 p.m. – Special Use Permit for a contractor yard on Quarry Road 6:15 p.m. – Special Use Permit for a drive-through facility at 2207 Dryden Road Recreation Partnership – The Rec Partnership is preparing its 2025 budget. They have prepared a maintenance of effort budget and one that is maintenance of effort plus two percent. They have been advised that the county is not recommending a COLA increase for their 2025 county contracts. They would like towns to let them know prior to June 11 whether the town will increase its contribution. Cl Lamb said we can’t make a decision until we know what the county does. After discussion, the message at this point to the Recreation Partnership is to plan for a four percent decrease. ADVISORY BOARD UPDATES Workforce & Affordable Housing – The only action taken at the last meeting had to do with asking Ray Burger to move the pro-housing resolution forward. The rest was continuing conversations on issues. Conservation Board – Cl Buck said she did not attend the meeting. The synopsis is they primarily discussed the RFP that is going out regarding town lands being assessed for space use. She understood they would draft a feedback document but she has not seen that. They thought initial discussions were about outdoor open space, and they have concerns about adding housing as an intended use. Climate Smart Communities Task Force – They are still trying to get the DPW building weatherized and insulated. They have found ten new heat pump installations, making the town eligible for a $10,000 NYSERDA grant. They now have a pathway for additional points and a $75,000 grant. The CCE Tiny Powerhouse will be at Dryden Dairy Day. Planning Board – INHS & Holt presented information about the Freese Road project. It will have a special use component due to the size of one building. Article 7 of our zoning law contains a provision that buildings over 5,000 sq ft need a special use permit (SUP). It will come to the town board for SUP approval with recommendations from the Planning Board. The Planning Board wants to advance this project as it is the type of project we want. They will have town homes and multifamily homes. TB 5-16-24 Page 6 of 6 The Planning Board also heard more about the proposed solar farm off Morris Road, adding 5 MW more to the solar energy generated in town and more revenue for the town in terms of PILOT money. That will also require a special use permit from the town board. Rail Trail Task Force – The work done by the trail along Pinckney Road and Hall Woods Road looks good. It allowed the town to spend the County Tourism Parks grant from last year, and having moved that project along the town was awarded another $5,000 from the county for the coming year for stone dust for the trail. The county likes this project, and good projects get funded. Bob Beck spoke about the easements with the two Villages for the trail. He said Freeville wanted to restrict what the town might do on the trail in the Village of Freeville. The Village of Dryden may modify it to get assurance that the town will do more. It may be that there will be some modifications to the easements when they are presented to the town. Ag Advisory Committee – They sent around their recommendations for the zoning law update and those recommendations should be going to the consultant. Broadband Committee – They are meeting tomorrow with the ConnectAll office about the MIP application, so there will be some news on that. This grant will help bring service to unserved and underserved addresses. The service map on the Dryden Fiber website is helpful for people wanting to know when they may get service. One of the challenges they face is that if a potential customer is a renter, permission is needed from the landlord to install service. Recreation & Youth Commission – The draft RFP for potential development of the lands behind town hall went to the Affordable Housing Committee and Conservation Board. Comments from them should go directly to the DRYC Chair. CITIZENS PRIVILEGE Tim Arnold said there is interest from the fire departments in attending the meeting with the board and ISO representative. R Burger said the Safe Street for All group will be looking for public engagement opportunities this summer to set up a table and talk about safety issues in the town. Supv Leifer suggested the music series in town might be good. There being no further business, the meeting was adjourned at 7:30 p.m. Respectfully submitted, Bambi L. Avery Town Clerk