Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAboutCB 2026-04-13 CB 2026-04-13 1 CONSERVATION BOARD SPECIAL MEETING April 13, 2026 Hybrid Present: Anne Clark (co-chair), Jeanne Grace (co-chair), *Steve Bissen, Gian Dodici, *Andrew Miller, Nancy Munkenbeck, Craig Schutt, *Tim Woods Absent: Kate McKee, Naomi Cator-Szymanski (alternate) Liaisons: Spring Buck (Town Board) Staff: Loren Sparling (Deputy Town Clerk) Guest(s): *Crystal Buck (Farmland Protection Educator, Cornell Cooperative Extension – Tompkins County) “*” denotes attendance via Zoom The meeting was called to order at 6:30 p.m. Presentation on Grant Application to Secure NYS Open Space Conservation Funding for Land Purchase on Lower Creek Road C Buck informed the Board of a joint effort with 4-H Acres Primitive Pursuits programming to purchase land that has been on the market for years. Cornell Cooperative Extension (CCE) has used the property for the past 20 years with the permission of the landowner. The project involves the acquisition of 73.5 acres of a 78-acre parcel and would protect the land in perpetuity. Approximately half of the land will be dedicated to Primitive Pursuits, more than doubling their current operational space. The remaining half is intended for agroforestry education land access programming. The landowner intends to retain approximately five acres at the corner of Rte 13 and Lower Creek Rd for potential commercial development. (As the grant process would take a few years before CCE could close on the property, both parties agreed this to be the best way for the landowner to recoup some of the costs upfront.) The purchase is contingent on a NYSDEC Open Space Conservation Grant, which would cover 100% of the purchase price for qualifying buyers and properties. The application deadline is April 15, and a letter of municipal support is a critical component of the application. The property has been identified as a high-quality conservation area due to several features. Most notably, it contains a Unique Natural Area (UNA-107) which includes the Schwan wetland, a Class II NYS freshwater wetland on the National Wetlands Inventory that consists of shrub swamp, sedge meadow, and emergent marshes. A protected perennial headwater stream on the site flows directly into Fall Creek, a primary drinking water supply. The wetlands provide essential flood mitigation and water quality protection for the downstream corridor. The site connects to the broader Airport Ponds wetland complex (approximately 450 acres) that is situated near the Cornell-owned Monkey Run Natural Area. G Dodici advised that the letter would be stronger if the UNA’s unique features were elaborated on. As the project closely aligns with the Town’s land conservation goals, the Board voted to provide a letter of support for the grant application, with A Clark authorized to draft and finalize the specific descriptive language regarding the unique natural features of the site and CB 2026-04-13 2 its role in flood mitigation and water quality for the Fall Creek corridor. As Board co-chairs, A Clark and J Grace will sign the letter and inform the Town Board of the action. RESOLUTION #5 (2026) – DRAFTING A LETTER OF SUPPORT FOR CORNELL COOPERATIVE EXTENSION’S OPEN SPACE CONSERVATION GRANT APPLICATION A Clark offered the following resolution and asked for its adoption: RESOLVED, that this Conservation Board hereby authorizes Anne Clark, as Co-Chair of the Conservation Board, to draft a letter of support on its behalf for Cornell Cooperative Extension’s application to secure a New York State Department of Environmental Conservation Open Space Conservation Grant. 2nd N Munkenbeck Roll Call Vote A Clark Yes J Grace Yes S Bissen Yes G Dodici Yes A Miller Yes N Munkenbeck Yes C Schutt Yes T Woods Yes A Clark hopes to have the draft completed late tonight, so that C Buck will receive it by April 15. Discussion of Trillium Woods Farm Development Sketch Plan Proposal The Board conducted a detailed review of the Trillium Woods development sketch plan, a proposal by New York Land & Lakes for a major subdivision (approximately 16 lots) on a 237- acre tract currently utilized for agriculture. Although the sale is not yet complete due to a contingency, Alan Lord (New York Land & Lakes) stated that the contingency is about to expire, so they will close on the property soon. All of the lots have the requisite 25 feet of road frontage. The sketch plan, the first official step of the process, currently suggests using flag lots and shared driveways to avoid building new internal roads, though Board members noted that some of the long driveways would need to cross wet areas, requiring fill or culverts and potentially damaging cattail marsh ecosystems. Development is restricted to designated building envelopes (2-3 acres) to preserve buffer zones, although their exact placement remains flexible during the sketch phase. Board members expressed concern over the loss of prime agricultural soils and the potential impact of a major subdivision on agricultural lands. There was debate regarding the protection of agricultural soils versus forested ecosystems. Some members noted: “You can plant more trees but you need a major geological event to come up with good soils. … Once those soils are built on, you’re never going to get them back.” S Buck advocated for a broader moratorium to protect all sensitive ecosystems rather than just agricultural land; she does not want the Town to enter into something that might encourage unwanted behavior in other ways. The Town Board will render a decision on a proposed 18-month moratorium on major subdivisions on Prime Soils and/or Soils of Statewide Importance next week. The possibility of the moratorium being lifted as soon as the zoning section that deals with conservation subdivisions is updated and fully in place is also being considered by some Town Board members. CB 2026-04-13 3 Only about 82 of the 237 acres are currently being leased for farming. Two 30-acre lots will be sold as agricultural land, amounting to about three-quarters of what is now being utilized for agriculture. Ten acres of Trillium Woods, characterized by unique soil-water combinations and rare wildflowers, is slated for preservation. However, the proposed subdivision reduces the extent of Trillium Woods by half, from 20 acres currently to 10 acres. In their discussions about the Trillium Woods lots (each 5.1 acres), particularly Lot 7, the Board suggested that larger wooded areas should be fully preserved rather than being divided into private lots with building envelopes. Their aim is to prevent those buffer zones from being logged or having four-wheelers run rampant through them. A Lord informed the Board that the sizing of these lots is strategic, as NYS Health Department regulations impose more stringent requirements (specific septic designs and well water testing) for subdivisions with more than four lots under five acres. To offset a reduction in size of the Trillium Woods lots, he could increase the size of some of the other small lots elsewhere on the property. The shift from a single large parcel to multiple residential lots will likely end hunting on the property due to safety buffers around dwellings. This is expected to increase deer populations, leading to the eradication of understory growth in Trillium Woods. Recommendations were made to encourage deer fencing for the preserved woods, though current zoning laws restrict fence heights to six feet without a permit. The Board’s assessment of the overall plan is characterized by a “directionally correct” acknowledgement of the developer’s efforts, tempered by deep skepticism regarding the Town’s capacity to monitor and enforce conservation easements and deed restrictions. Members argued that the Town lacks the knowledgeable staff (e.g., individuals who can identify wetland boundaries or distinguish tree species) to monitor easements; monitoring requires personnel knowledgeable in ecology, not just standard building inspectors. Members also cited past failures in other conservation subdivisions where building occurred outside of designated envelopes or unauthorized tree clearing took place. Reference was made to a conservation subdivision on Dryden Lake where a house was built outside its permitted boundary and trees were cleared in restricted areas without consequence. Without active management and teeth in the regulations, conservation easements are just fantasies that fail to protect the land. Why keep granting easements that we know we can’t currently manage? S Bissen suggested that the explicit restriction of no logging outside of the building envelope be included in the conservation easement to further protect the integrity of Trillium Woods. G Dodici added that the easement could be written with a list of compatible uses, akin to what the USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service does. A Lord stated that his company has adjusted its plans for the property multiple times in the hopes of approval by the Planning Board. He tries to look for what the Town is asking for. The sketch plan stage in Dryden is much more in-depth than in other municipalities. Because of this, the project is essentially ahead of the game. G Dodici wondered how the conservation easements associated with the Mill Creek development (along Caswell Rd) were working out, considering that New York Land & Lakes was responsible for that subdivision. No one had heard of any issues there. For the issue at hand, he summarized that the language of the conservation easements needed to be figured out so that it meets the intent of the Board and protects the lots from unauthorized development. Concerns were raised about the potential pressure to pave and widen the seasonal portion of Hile School Rd due to increased traffic from the addition of eight houses (and approximately 16 new vehicles) along that road. N Munkenbeck added that there is a higher CB 2026-04-13 4 likelihood of the road getting paved if school buses have to pick up kids there. Paving would increase impervious surfaces, potentially directing nutrient-rich stormwater runoff into the fragile marshlands, which would have negative repercussions. Members fear paving would also turn the quiet road into a raceway for commuters heading toward Ithaca or Rte 38. RESOLUTION #6 (2026) – DRAFTING A LETTER OF COMMENT TO THE PLANNING BOARD REGARDING THE PROPOSED CONSERVATION SUBDVISION AT 172 ED HILL RD A Clark offered the following resolution and asked for its adoption: RESOLVED, that this Conservation Board hereby authorizes Anne Clark, as Co-Chair of the Conservation Board, to draft a formal letter of comment on its behalf to the Planning Board that will acknowledge the Trillium Woods project’s improvements in maintaining agricultural possibilities, but will also explicitly state the need for strict, enforceable language in the conservation easements to preserve the woodlots, and express the Board’s deep reservations regarding the Town’s capacity to manage easements as well as the integrity of the marshlands against development pressure and potential roadway improvements. 2nd G Dodici Roll Call Vote A Clark Yes J Grace Yes S Bissen Yes G Dodici Yes A Miller Yes C Schutt Yes T Woods Yes A Clark plans to attend the upcoming Planning Board meeting (on April 23) to read the letter of comment into the official record and take questions. A Lord expressed that he will take the suggestions that he has heard tonight under advisement to see how the sketch plan can be further adjusted. Board members thanked him for his willingness to work with the Board through this. Members expressed ongoing frustration with the Town Board’s perceived tendency to ignore resolutions and input from advisory committees. Both the Conservation Board and Agriculture Advisory Committee had submitted resolutions regarding a building moratorium on agricultural land that failed to appear on Town Board agendas for months or receive official responses. Board members feel their expertise as volunteer resources is being underutilized, having received little feedback on any recommendations they have made in the past (e.g., an ad-hoc committee drawing members from various boards to improve cross-communication on complex development projects before decisions are finalized). They noted that they have not been asked to perform site visits or provide ground-level data on UNAs or other sensitive areas in recent years. S Buck will look to make things better. There being no further business, the meeting was adjourned at 8:12 p.m. Respectfully submitted, Loren Sparling Deputy Town Clerk