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HomeMy WebLinkAbout01-28-19 APPROVED PLANNING BOARD MINUTES APPROVED Town of Lansing PLANNING BOARD MEETING Monday, January 28, 2019 6:30 PM Present Absent Jerry Caward, Chair Deborah Trumbull Sandra Dennis Conlon *Norman (Lin) Davidson *Al Fiorille, Vice-Chair *Larry Sharpsteen Dean Shea *Thomas Butler Alternate Dale Baker, Second Alternate Other Staff *Mike Long, AICP *Lynn Day, Zoning Officer Guy Krogh, Town Attorney *Joe Wetmore, Town Board Member Public Present (26) that signed in Dan Veaner Bill Kerry Erin Lovejoy Cindy Howell Ron Howell Allison Trdan Kurt Martin Cathy Barron Curt Gwilliam Nancy Gwilliam Rich VanEvery Rachael Muli John Howell Marlo Weaver John Stevens Amy Christopher Aziza Benson Brenda Mikula Eric Johnson Kathryn McKay Jay Dietershagen Eric VanEvery Tricia VanEvery Laura Huizinga John Dietershagen Kim Hardy-Edwards 5:00pm the Zoning Ordinance Update Subcommittee reviewed Schedule I &II as well as the Land Use Map. Continued review is needed. Attendees are designated above with an asterisk in front of their names including other staff members. Chair,Jerry Caward called the Planning Board Meeting to order at 6:30 pm. Chair,Jerry Caward enacted Dale Baker due to an absent member. Motion to approve the planning board minutes for January 14, 2019 meeting Larry Sharpsteen made a motion to approve the January 14,2019 as amended. Sandy Conlon seconded the motion. All in Favor - 6 (Lin Davidson-Abstained he wasn't present at that meeting). Opposed - 0 Floor is open for any comments or concerns other than what is on the Agenda No public comments Page 1 of 7 APPROVED Motion to Open the PUBLIC HEARING to hear and consider a SEQRA & Site Plan Application filed by Kurt Martin agent for Osmica - Spring Trail Farm, LLC requesting a B&B and to Host Events at 59 Emmons Road, Lansing Tax Parcel # 23.-1-6.32. Lin Davidson made a motion to Open the PUBLIC HEARING for Osmica- Spring Trail Farm, LLC at 6:34 pm. Larry Sharpsteen Seconded the motion. All in Favor - 7 Opposed - 0 Kurt Martin and Allison Trdar were asked to approach the Planning Board table. The Chair asked for a Summary update of the requested changes from the Planning Boards last meeting. They; • Included a row of natural trees as a buffer on the East side of the parking area on the site plan to buffer the neighbors to the East. • Changed the wording on the tent sites from"proposed" to "temporary" to indicate that the tents will be put up per event then taken down. (Clarification that the tent site location will depend on which side of the barn renovation they are working on. The Event tent would be located on the side of the barn not under renovation). • Added a small note under the Solar Array and the Event Tent sites, stating that there will be grass below. (The Event Tent by the main parking area would be used while working on the Barn Renovations between 2019 -2020). • Added Designated Handicap parking area in front of the barn. • Changed the wording on the "guest house", that is close to the road, to "barn". It is too close to the road and, when the decision to make it a useable building it would require a Variance through the Zoning Board. • Made a notation on site plan where the path comes from the parking area towards the house that there will be ground lighting along that path. Also added two dark sky compliant lights and a note about the light at the end of the barn and for the proposed parking area"if needed". • Changed the wording for the sign to be illuminated with dark sky compliant lighting. (It may or may not be illuminated. Adding it now to avoid coming back through site plan later. The sign will not be a digital with letters rotating through the sign). • The calculation for the total disturbed area will be 35,526 square feet, which is less than an acre (.82 of an acre). • Event Tent sites would have a temporary dance floor that will be removed after each event. Summary of the Public Comments - Several neighbors feel the Short Environmental Assessment Form is inadequate and insufficient. Specifically question #6 on the SERF, which states, "Is the proposed action consistent with the predominant character of the existing built or natural landscape?" Some areas considering it an exploitation of all the neighboring properties Page 2 of 7 APPROVED peaceful enjoyment of our front and back yards. The safety of our quiet country Emmons Road, and jeopardizes the surrounding habitat that supports both our wild and domestic animal life as well as negatively affecting the property values. Four neighbors strongly ask the Board to require the applicant to use the long form of the Environmental Assessment Form. - A public comment with a concern about water drainage and concerned with fireworks. - Several neighbors are concerned with safety, noise and lighting from the proposed venue and what effect this will have on the farm animals and the wildlife. Requests that the Board look further into this before you make your final decision. - Another comment from a person with a proposed Event Center on Ridge Road is wondering what type of standards is this project being held to as the buildings are currently existing and theirs is not. - Concerned citizen thinks that this land is under represented. Her fear is the Board is not taking the public seriously. She would like professionals to evaluate the Environmental Impact instead of nonprofessional people. - A request that the Planning Board consider neighbors further than the 600' parcel who will hear the music, see the lights and impacted by traffic. Would like to see a traffic study done. Has there been a wildlife study to see if there are any endangered species. - Several concerns of water supplies and water pressure issues. What if a fire happened and the Fire Company needs to use the water. How will that affect the current residence? - Supervisor LaVigne requested, the Planning Board to keep the Public Hearing open and let everyone absorb the information and make sure that everyone is heard. - A request to have the police conduct sobriety tests on drivers after an event. - Concern with the tents being left up more than a weekend. Is that really temporary? Is the tent able to handle the high winds that happen on Emmons Road? Safety is an issue. - A Town Board member would like the 600' parcel notice to be increased. He will bring this up to the Town Board. Page 3 of 7 APPROVED - Concerns with people wandering off the Event area and illegally entering neighboring homes. - Are there any limitations on how the business can be run? In the (RA) Rural Agriculture District. The Planning Chair reminded everyone that the mailed notices went out to the properties with in a 600' parcel area. All the comments brought up tonight and written comments sent to tolcodes@lansing.com or dropped off to the Lansing Town Hall Planning/Code Office at 29 Auburn Road, Lansing, NY will be considered and discussed. All of the Planning Board Members are long term Lansing residents and understand your concerns and not interested in ruining our Town. We have rules that we have to live by and rules that were set up before this board was in place. We are in the process right now of changing some of the Zoning Ordinance rules. We also have to let people run their businesses as the zoning currently allows. The Board will take into account and will try to mitigate all of your concerns. I would like to thank you all for being here tonight and wish that all our meetings were this well attended. The Public Hearing will be kept Open and the public is encouraged to continue to send in written comments to the above email or drop your comments off at the Lansing Town Hall Planning/Code Office. Discussion on the Proposed NYS DOT Highway Facility Project off Warren Road to send the Planning Board Recommendation to the Town Board. Guy Krogh states that as the Planning Board with Subdivision Review Authority would determine if the NYS DOT application meets the County of Monroe Standards. The Town Planning Board should determine whether they are entitled for an approval in which case The Board will issue a ministerial approval like the Planning Board did with the NYSEG Tower and like the Board did with the Town Center Road Way or whether you are going to exercise the Board's right to disagree with the County of Monroe Standards. The Letter below sums up what the Planning Board and the Town Board discussions that they would like to see from the NYS DOT. The Town of Lansing wishes to make comments on the SEQRA/NEPA documents as prepared for the proposed Tompkins County Subresidency at Ithaca Airport. While this would be a beneficial to the entire community, there are several concerns that have been expressed by local residents, neighbors, Town of Lansing Planning Board and Lansing Town Board Members. I will try to highlight the various concerns that have been expressed and possible alternatives for consideration as the proposed project moves forward. We recognize that the FAA as "Lead Agency" will primarily consider the NEPA / FONSI criteria, the majority of the Town's questions will be more applicable to the SEQRA review that looks in greater detail at probable impacts and attempts to mitigate these impacts. The graphic materials that we have to make comments and review these impacts are graphic illustrations and not full scale engineering drawings. It is difficult to make complete response based on the level of information that has been provided to date. Page 4 of 7 APPROVED • Location — The proposed 15 +/- acre parcel is in very close proximity to several residential structures. It has been recommended several times,that the NYS DOT parcel be moved further to the South to reduce the impact on the adjoining neighbors. It has been recommended by the Planning Board members, several community members and residents to move a minimum of 1000 feet further south on Warren Road or possibly south of Cherry Street where more similar uses are located. • Alternates sites investigated— The alternate sites included within the Environmental Record only identify 3 potential sites. The proposed location probably most likely is the best of those, however superior sites locations south on Warren Road and closer to the airport complex should also have been included within the discussion of alternate sites. Tompkins County / Airport current controls nearly 90 acres in that general vicinity and the 15 acres site selected impacts the neighbors much more that the other land available. Recommend reconsideration OTHER ATERNATE LOCATIONS closer to the airport south of Cherry Road. • Future Airport Expansion — it has been recommended that in the future, should the airport runway need to be expanded, the only possible location is to expand to the northwest where this proposed site is located. It has also been noted that this area is where the "Aerial Fuel Drop" occurs when a distressed plane needs to make an emergency landing before it hits the runway. • Sewer District Expansion — The Town of Lansing contracts with the Village of Lansing (transportation)and the Village of Cayuga Heights(transportation and treatment)of the sewer district Waste Water treatment. This three party municipal agreement should also be reflective of the approval of all these municipal governments as"Involved Agencies"as they also must agree to revise the existing sewer agreement. All three agencies will also need to complete a SEQRA review process to expand the existing Warren Road Sewer District and the other organization should also be included within the discussion of this environmental review. As only a portion of the Tompkins County parcel area has limited ability to connect to the existing sewer,the existing sewer agreement must be revised to include the proposed NYS DOT facility. • Subdivision - The proposal includes approximately 15+/- acre parcel taken from two (2) existing tax parcels. To date, we have not receive a proper completed subdivision application and survey map that clearly identifies the extent of the formal parcel and the residual Tompkins County land(s). Based on the conceptual drawings provided to date, this proposal is "not compliance with the Town of Lansing Subdivision Ordinance" due to the limited roadway frontage and potential future connecting roadway as currently drawn. The intent is to plan for the future development of the remaining undeveloped parcel which is a good thing. The Planning Board ultimately required to review and approve the final subdivision map before it is filed. The final subdivision map should wait until the final location of the 15+/- acres to be conveyed is determined. Should the connection to the sewer district not be completed,the site plan footprint will need to change in order to accommodate an"on-site septic engineered septic system". Page 5 of 7 APPROVED • Limited Road Frontage—The proposed location is wedged behind a triangular parcel and has limited roadway access. The recommendation is to relocate the entrance driveway to the south to provide adequate visibility along Warren Road with the number to heavy trucks and vehicles that would enter and exit into the proposed DOT complex. • Fuel Station—it is highly recommended that the fueling station be removed from this site and relocated as a "joint facility" with Tompkins County, The Airport Operations and NYS DOT in a central site within the existing campus to the airport. The safety factor of plans flying overhead and potential emergency landing would have a devastating effect should an accident occur at the DOT site. Mike Hall of the Tompkins County Airport has also recommended this approach which would be a consolidation of services, saving all the participating organizations time and budget in both the short-term and long term. • Neighborhood Traffic Concerns — the Warren Road was constructed for heavier vehicle usage. Hillcrest Road does not have adequate roadway shoulders and is not safe for current residents that may walk or bicycle in the area. The Planning Board's recommendation is to limit the NYS DOT trucks to Warren Road and exclude heavy truck and vehicles from using Hillcrest Road. This roadway is also a short cut to the airport and the airport business park which has a high volume of residents and currently safety is a growing concern. The location of the NYS DOT facility will impact the local residents with additional traffic on Hillcrest Road. See attached emails, etc. • NYS State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO) Issues — The neighbors at 8 Hillcrest — Warren B. Arnold House(c. 1865) and 16 Hillcrest—Thomas Bishop House(c. 1815)are both considered "Eligible for the National Register of Historic Places". While the current environmental documents do include very cursory and limited information about these historic sites. There is not enough discussion of the potential impacts and the proposed solutions to reduce the negative impacts. There was very limited discussion with the affected neighbor parties and the buffering as currently proposed. • Historic Thomas Bishop Barn — on the current site plan, there is not any proposed action other than letting it continue to deteriorate and fall down. The SHPO 106 review does declare that this is a`National Register of Historic Places Eligible historic structure",however there is not an adequate description of proposed actions. One option would be to stabilize and restore this barn and area as this is one of the earliest remaining barns in the entire Town of Lansing. The barn was subdivided from the original farm house located at 16 Hillcrest road. Insufficient information was provided. • Noise Impacts—The "back-up beepers"that are required for the trucks and heavy equipment will have an impact on the proximity to neighbors. The 2 dB listed in the environmental document only includes the increase in noise level for the current NYS DOT downtown Ithaca location — and does not indicate the difference between the current readings which would be negligible. The noise impacts are much larger that stated in the environmental reports. Page 6 of 7 APPROVED • Proposed Elevated Berm Area Inadequate-The current plan indicated a berm and planting area along a portion of the property line to partially shield the historic Thomas Bishop House (c. 1815)from the proposed DOT operation. The options would be to relocate the DOT facility to the south and expand the distance between uses. Should the DOT determine the fate of the related Historic Thomas Bishop Barn - should the barn be disassembled and salvaged the historic components (barn beams, siding, etc.), then the Planning Board would highly recommend the continuation of the berm and landscaping area the entire length of the property line to provide adequate visual separation for the entire site. • Berm Design Revised - The Planning Board highly recommends a taller and heavier berm that would be a minimum of 15 feet high of compacted materials (to reduce settlement) that is 20 foot minimum wide across the highest elevations that would be heavily planted with alternating rows of conifers a minimum of 6 feet tall planted - spaced tightly say 10 feet on center. This may also include a solid fence to assist in reducing the sound issues. The berm must also be located the entire property boundary to reduce potential impacts of both the neighboring historic residential structures. • Natural Gas - NYSEG currently has a Natural Gas Moratorium. It would be beneficial to provide adequate natural gas to the Town of Lansing area. We assume that backup electrical generator will be required. What will be the fuel source of Propane or Natural Gas? • Pathways - the Planning Board always includes the consideration of public pathways in the proposed development projects. The Tompkins County balance of lands should also include an overall plan to allow public access to future pathways. While the Town of Lansing believes that the proposed NYS DOT Facility will be a positive influence to the community, there have been several serious issues that have been identified through this limited public review process. We anticipate that should serious consideration be given to these comments above, there will be changes to the proposed sketch plans currently being reviewed. We have promised to assist in expediting the process to adhere as close as possible to the current timeframe. These recommendations and changes have been submitted for inclusion to make this a better project for everyone involved. We are available to assist with further dialog and input. Planning Update from Michael Long-Town of Lansing Planner "Osmica" Project Mike will discuss the Full Environmental Assessment Form with the owners, even though the land disturbance area does not require a Full SEQRA Review. Noted by Mike the Town Planner. Nexamp is requesting from the Town Board to adopt a Pilot Program for them. The Town of Lansing Supervisor is asking the Town of Lansing Planning Board if they would support that or not. The Planning Board will look into how the Town will benefit and discuss in the next meeting. Planning Board Chair asked if there is anything else to be discussed. Adjourned Meeting Meeting adjourned at the call of the Planning Board Chair at 9:30 pm. Minutes executed by Sue Munson. Page 7 of 7