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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2000-11-16 RFCFIVF ® DEC 1 1 2000 TOWN Ur gnu i viv TOWN OF GROTON PLANNING BOARD TOWN CLERK Minutes/Transcript of Regular Meeting - Thursday, 16 November 2000 - 7 : 30 PM Members , Groton Planning Board (*Absent) Others Present Monica Carey, Acting Chair Joan Fitch , Recording Secretary George Van Slyke Tyke Randall, Town Councilman Van Travis Barbara Clark Tom Guihan Mark Baxendell Brad Albro Applicants & Public Present Duane Tillotson, Applicant; Mahlon Perkins, Attorney for Mr. Tillotson The meeting was called to order at 7 * 30 p .m. by Acting Chair Monica Carey. M. Carey: Let's get started. It's 7 : 30 and we have a quorum. Approval of Minutes - 19 October 2000 Regular Meeting M. Carey: Okay, the first thing on the Agenda tonight is to approve the minutes of the last meeting. I think where it says Male Board Member, that was Mark Baxendell , But I'm not completely sure. V. Travis: I'll move their approval, as submitted . B. Clark: I'll second the motion . M. Carey: All in favor? (All members present indicated in the affirmative . ) Passed . This becomes Action # 1 of this meeting. Duane Tillotson , RO - LaFayette Road - TM # 29- 1 - 15 - Rural Subdivision M. Carey: Hi . Just in time . Good timing. M. Perkins: I was here earlier this fall on another subdivision for Tillotson. I hope this one is simpler. M. Carey: Well, it gave us good discussion . M. Perkins: This is what is left of the parcel owned by Duane Tillotson. The original parcel, 29- 1 - 15 which goes around there , around 50 acres or so is owned by Duane . This is a subdivision that you previously approved. It's a three-acre parcel with a former house on it, and that has been conveyed . That was approved by you last fall . That left the remaining parcel here that is now proposed to be further divided into only two parcels. The large parcel surrounds the existing now-Fenner property on two sides and constitutes about 41 . 4 acres , and then another parcel to the north of the Fenner parcel and south of the property of Kevin Tillotson of about 7 . 5 acres . That' s all there is to it. G. Van Slyke : Okay. 41 guess my question is we're talking about where the original homestead is on? M. Perkins : That was the previous one which you approved that has a house on it . Page 1 of 7 (T) Groton Planning Board Regular Meeting Transcript 16 November 2000 G. Van Slyke : It has a house and a little sap house where they used to sell crafts and arts out op. M. Perkins : No, that's farther up the road . That' s not involved in this one . This is Duane Tillotson's house . The next one would have been George Tillotson's property. And you approved a sale of about 8 acres out of that, 8. 1 acres, which was going to be sold to Converse . And that has been accomplished . Converse joins on the north . I've got a better map; let me get that out. It shows the relationship with the rest of this . This is the previous subdivision up here which you approved . This is the line right here between Duane Tillotson and Kevin Tillotson. You approved the sale of a 3-acre parcel and this parcel to Converse. This has been accomplished. This is the common property line between Duane and Kevin . What we're talking about now is this 7-acre parcel here, and this 41 acre parcel here . M. Carey: So basically that will totally take care of that piece of property; I mean we've got all the road frontage sold off. M. Perkins: That's correct. All the road frontage is sold off. We took 50 acres and divided it into three parcels, a 3-acre, a 7-acre, and a 41 acre . M. Carey: Okay, G. Van Slyke : Duane did not own this whole -- M. Perkins : No . G. Van Slyke : It was under two different ones, am I to understand that? M. Perkins : Right. Kevin and Katherine own this parcel. Duane owns this parcel. Duane and Kevin own this parcel . G. Van Slyke : We were going nuts . We didn' t know who owned what. M. Perkins: Well, it took me a long time to get it straight. Believe me . G. Van Slyke : Okay. So we're talking - - what I was referring to , this is the old homestead here, right? M. Perkins : Right, G. Van Slyke: And this is the barn . And this is the small house across the road . So we're down the next property down. Okay. Now I know what we're talking about. M. Perkins : And this has been just sold and conveyed to Munson . G. Van Slyke: Yes . Okay. So we're just taking this one parcel here and dividing it into three , right? M. Perkins : Well, actually we're dividing it in two ; you already approved this. This sale has gone through . G. Van Slyke: Okay, M. Perkins: September 21 st we did that. G. Van Slyke : Yes , Right, T. Guiliano. On this one here . What is this? Page 2 of 7 .ti (T) Groton Planning Board Regular Meeting Transcript 16 November 2000 M. Perkins : Oh , I knew somebody was going to ask that. We don't really know. I can tell you what I do know, which isn't much . But I asked the local abstract company to prepare an abstract of this parcel. And they wrote back to me and said there's no record of any evidence anywhere about who owns this . It appears as an exception in all of the deeds way back to the early part of the nineteenth century -- as an exception going around that parcel, 29- 1 - 16 , They did say they checked with the Assessment Office and they, for some reason, had a record that said it belonged to the heirs of Samuel Crittenden, at least in 1833 , M. Carey: Who pays the taxes on it? M. Perkins: There's no tax bill . M. Carey: There's no tax bill on it? M. Perkins : It's not on the tax list anywhere . It has a parcel number, but you can't come in here and pay the taxes on it. I tried . It just doesn't exist. It's an anomaly . The Tillotsons have been using it for a lot of years and probably are going to convey it by Quit Claim Deed . And if you're on "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire , " and you win a lot of money, I'd be glad to take up that cause for you to determine the real owner. It would be an expensive proposition . M. Carey: Are there more questions? This is kind of cut and dried than the last time . V. Travis: I'm ready to do the SEAR Review if the rest of the Board is ready. M. Carey: Anybody else have questions? (No questions.) Board Member Van Travis then read aloud Part H of the Short Environmental Assessment Form . Negative responses were obtained to all questions in Part H. Therefore, it was determined by the Planning Board, upon the motion made by Member Van Slyke , seconded by Member Travis, with all members present voting in favor, that the action, based on the information submitted, will not cause any significant adverse environmental impact, resulting in a negative declaration , This becomes Action # 2 of this meeting. M. Carey: Any more questions? Would somebody like to make a motion? V. Travis: I so move that we approve the subdivision without a public hearing. B. Clark: I second the motion . M. Carey: All in favor? (All members present indicated in the affirmative . ) Carried . This becomes Action # 3 of this meeting. Continuation of Comprehensive Plan Review M. Carey: We'll continue with our discussion of the Comprehensive Plan . It's in the Minutes of the meeting, but I guess I wasn't there when they faxed my Agenda. Brad and Tom, you probably -- did you guys read most of it? T. Guiliano, You told us to read from six to the end , right? M. Carey: Right. Did you read the start of it? Page 3 of 7 (T) Groton Planning Board Regular Meeting Transcript 16 November 2000 B. Albro: I started it. M. Carey: I know it's good material to give you a nap . The only thing I can see in Chapter 6 is a lot of these figures are going to change once they have the Census reviewed and back out to us. So there isn't a lot we can do right there just because of the Census change that will come . V. Travis: Well, my view on the entire Plan is that first of all, because it is so highly dependent upon Census data, that until you have the 2000 Census population and whatever the most recent census of agriculture is, it's pretty difficult to update the facts and figures. The other thing is that a lot of this is stuff that doesn't change . I mean, you know, the grass is green, the sky is blue, and water runs downhill . That's going to be true forever, and the question then becomes about the whole thing in terms of kind of a planning tool . And the thing that I hope will happen is that the Town Board will , rather than have three or four groups all working in a vacuum that there will be a committee appointed by the Town Board that consists of, let's say, two members from the Board, two members from the ZBA, two members from here, and whatever else needs to be -- I guess two from the citizens at large is not unusual, and that you get a work group then that dives into the thing, then carried it back to each of the boards for comment and suggestions and work it through that way. I just don' t feel that it's very useful to be sitting here one , without the latest Census data and, two , without having an idea of where various people are coming from so that you have some guidance as to where we ought to be going with this thing. M. Carey: Well, I feel about the same way you do. Really, without the Census, we can't tell if a lot has changed . I don't think probably much has changed in Groton . V. Travis: I'm sure the number of farms has changed . I know Monica Roth real well who wrote the agricultural section, and I expect -- which was primarily factual information that she drew out of the census of agriculture -- and she'd probably be willing to do it again -- I mean I can get a commitment from her. But that's not even my role . But those sorts of things are pretty much factual , and then you get into the question should we update the Mission Statement and the Vision Statement and some of that sort of stuff which is what I think which is what I think should be done by the group . M. Carey: I think they are just looking for suggestions to put before this work group . Glenn has said they are going to appoint people from all the boards and people from the Town also . V. Travis: I think some of the graphics need some improvement, and some of the keys are difficult to follow. Sometimes it's not clear unless you're a native which direction north is in and some of those sorts of things. But that's all, you know, graphics work that's done at the end to dress it up . I mean it's concise and it' s to the point, and the other thing is , I guess , is it's not due to be revised until 2002 or 3 . G. Van Slyke: Three . V. Travis: Which is a long ways away. I've spoken T. Guihan: Which is a long ways away. When you are old , it's right around the corner. M. Carey: Brad, would you like to make any comments? Because you have read some of it? B. Albro: Well, I didn't understand a lot of it. M. Carey: Right. It's pretty intense. V. Albro: It's certainly new to me . M. Carey: Right. But as time goes on , you'll understand a little bit more about it. Being new, it's going to be a little bit intense . There's no getting around it. T. Guihan: The one portion on McLean - - that would be a high -density area? Page 4 of 7 (T) Groton Planning Board Regular Meeting Transcript 16 November 2000 M. Carey: I think we did that because of the close houses and the businesses right there in the square, and I think that's why we designated that. V. Travis: Well, it is an M- 1 area in zoning, and right downtown there , from the Peruville Road down School Street to basically the Elm Tree Inn , and then down Gulf Hill Road, and the other way, Stevens Road and Church Street, that's, you know, the houses are right cheek to jowl through there . T. Guihan: Do you think that'll ever develop into a business area? V. Travis: Well, it is. T. Guihan: Well, accordingly it's supposed to increase . V. Travis: Well, owning a business there, in terms of increasing, people will have to do something with the properties that are presently residential. Either convert them to a commercial use or demolish them and build something different. M. Carey: I think when the gas station went in that increased a lot of the traffic flow and brought additional business to the square area. V. Travis: And that is an example of demolishing an existing structure which was residential before that. I don't know if you can expect a lot of economic development in McLean . T. Guihan: It has a good traffic flow from Ithaca to Cortland . V. Travis: Yes, it does . T. Guihan: The gas station helped . V. Travis: Although I think the gas station went there because there was the good flow over the Peruville Road from the Lansing salt mines, which is one reason they put in a diesel truck facility there . And then the Ithaca to what is really Route 366 -- but we are , in fact, right now - - in fact we have it for a preliminary review before the Tompkins County Planning Department -- we , in McLean have just drafted a business center revitalization strategic plan so that we can qualify for the grants. M. Baxendell: There's a lot of them out there . V. Travis: And it means money for both public and private . M. Baxendell: Yes, sir, and it's either low interest or purely grant money. There's a couple of different categories you could get into . It just depends on how much you want to write . There's a lot of stuff out there . V. Travis: Most of the grants -- first of all, the pool of money that they have is , for the most part, not being completely utilized . The second thing is the grants do have a maximum amount of, I believe , $7500. There's a lot of two and three-thousand dollar grants - - the most typical thing. Well , the Village of Groton has obtained a lot of money - - the Groton Hotel has obtained some money. In terms of private businesses like the hotel facade , it's a big item . They will not build you a new parking lot or those types of things. But for villages, or hamlets like McLean , they assist with street trees, and the waste buckets on Main Street here were obtained through grants . M. Baxendell: Like a beautification system. They want to see it. V. Travis: That's right. M. Baxendell: They want to see it. They don't want it hidden. Page 5 of 7 • r . (T) Groton Planning Board Regular Meeting Transcript 16 November 2000 V. Travis: And no interior work. There have been people who have said we want this building to have a new foyer and a beautiful chandelier and etcetera, and we'd like to restore it to its former historic self, and those they turn down every single time . M. Baxendell: They are looking for the exterior, the appearance, to see what the money went to . V. Travis: That particular strategic plan will be coming to the Town Board. I will be running it through Glenn who knows about it and ask for Town Board endorsement of it through a formal motion . And then we're also going to seek George Totman's signature as County Legislator from the area, and the McLean Community Council who is the one that initiated the efforts of the strategic plan. So we are doing that. M. Carey: They're supposed to be rebuilding the road, right? V. Travis: Yes. They were supposed to do it this past year, they were supposed to do it this year, 2000, M. Baxendell: Who is they? V. Travis: The County Highway Department. And they have a couple of problems. The biggest is they don't have enough money to do the job . That project got into a lot more money than what was originally budgeted. One thing, the planning started in 1993 and, of course , the road has continued deteriorating since. And then, additionally, what was not included in the original estimate was a complete rebuilding of the bridge; the present bridge in McLean is designed to handle a five-year flood which is why downtown McLean floods all the time . The bridge should be designed for a 50-year flood which is going to mean taking it out much longer, completely redoing the stream bed, all kinds of things. M. Baxendell: It's a long, drawn-out process . V. Travis: And the road at the top of the hill, to the Cortland County line -- that, up there, the engineers have come through and said its a much more extensive project than what was originally planned . It really calls for ripping the road out entirely and starting as if it were a brand new road . They did patch it up . Actually, a fairly good job , but it's in tough shape . It's floating on kind of like a bed of quicksand. M. Carey: Well , does anybody else have any comments or any questions to bring up about this? B. Clark: I agree with Van. I think it would be a waste of time to get into it, and we should wait until we get the Census data. M. Carey: Sounds good to me . Anybody else have any other business to come before the Board? M. Baxendell: All done. Wrap it up . G. Van Slyke: Approve it the way it is. M. Carey: So does anybody else have anything they'd like to bring before the Board, or any comments, questions? Page 6 of 7 (T) Groton Planning Board Regular Meeting Transcript 16 November 2000 Adjournment G. Van Slyke: I move we adjourn the meeting. V. Travis: I'll second it. M. Carey: All in favor? (All members present indicated in the affirmative . ) Okay. The meeting was adjourned at 8 p.m . 5 Jo E . Fitch Recording Secretary 12 / 4/00 Page 7 of 7