HomeMy WebLinkAbout1971-02-08 • Minutes
• LANSING PLANNING BOARD
February 8 , 1971 : Town Hall
Regular Meeting
PRESENT : Mr . Peter H . Craig , Chairman ; Miss Louise Barr , Mrs . Viola Miller ;
Messrs . Samuel Baughman , Frederick Edmondson , and Stephen Farkas
Also : Mr . James Showacre
ABSENT : Mr . Paul Barron
The meeting was called to order at 8 : 15 by the Chairman .
Minutes of the regular meeting of January 11 , 1971 , and of the MINUTES
special meeting of January 25 , 1971 , were approved as presented .
Miller Reported on a meeting held in her home February 4 , 1971 , at REPORTS OF
which Mr . Harris Dates was present to discuss the general as - STANDING
pects of the County Sewer Agency , especially as it affects the COMMITTEES
proposed sewer districts in Lansing . Sewer Districts 1 and 2 ,
and a possible District 3 were discussed and opinions pre - Public
sented . In general , people accepted the County Sewer Agency , Relations
and the fact that eventually Lansing will have to have sewers ,
41/ but the feeling was emphasized that in the absence of zoning , SEWER
or land use control , they do not want sewers . Although they DISTRICT
realize that sewers will be a necessity as the Town develops ,
and they are willing to give up the concept of country living
(which had been their original purpose in moving into Lansing ) ,
the lack of any land use control makes them unwilling to accept
possible District 3 at this time . Moreover , they felt strongly
that some formula for financing should be carefully worked out ,
in order to prevent any financial crisis for the future in con -
nection with sewer installation .
Craig Probably the basic function served by the meeting was to let Mr .
Dates know how people feel about the possibility of a local sewer
district .
The Town Board had an executive session on February 5 , to which
Mr . Craig had been invited , to work on plans concerning the proposed
sewer districts . The general trend of thought on the part of the
Town Board now is a conservative one , and it has become obvious
to the members that if they have a sewer district extending as
far as Gulf Creek that area will become a prime development dis -
trict . At that Town Board meeting Mr . Charles Howell made an im-
passioned plea for land use controls before any sewer lines are
installed . As to the permissive referendum which has been men -
tioned at previous Planning Board meetings , this would not be
• limited to Lansing voters only , but would include all areas to
be included in the County Sewer District . On February 26 there
will be a public meeting called by the Town Board in connection
with the sewer district .
Minutes , LANSING PLANNING BOARD , February 8 , 1971 , Town Hall , Regular Meeting , page 2
• Craig Mr . Niederkorn is presently completely reviewing his ideas of MASTER PLAN
a zoning ordinance for Lansing , inasmuch as he now feels that
the concept of zoning for Lansing must be more extensive . He
also wishes to know where the Planning Board feels the sewer
line should go .
Craig Had presented the trailer ordinance plus the suggestions al - TRAILER
ready discussed , at the Town Board meeting held February 5 . ORDINANCE
The Town Board members had listened to the suggestions and
considered them good . They are to meet again on February 12
and present throughts of their own , and at that time the whole
project will be put together . The Town Board is extremely eager
to get a restrictive ordinance to present at public meetings ,
for quick passage .
Craig It is important for the Planning Board to agree on plans for SEWER
the sewer districts . Mr . Niederkorn has not come up with any - DISTRICT
thing specific to present at a public meeting , so the plan for LOCATION
an early public meeting will have to be deferred . There could
be a number of neighborhood meetings , at which all ideas here -
tofore presented by residents of Lansing as well as by the
Planning Board could be presented .
Farkas There has been a revision of the Sanitary Code , but Mr . Farkas SANITARY
feels that any good lawyer could tear it to pieces , and that as CODE
• a matter of fact practically anyone could shoot it down .
Craig The article is so broadly drawn that any county health board
administrator could interpret it to suit the needs or wishes
of builders .
The use of sand filters has been outlawed .
Farkas Will ascertain February 9 , 1971 , whether the revised article
has been accepted .
Craig Requested that Planning Board members present their opinions SEWER
as to the location of the sewer district boundaries . DISTRICT
LOCATION
Edmondson Does not feel that he has enough concrete information on which
to base an opinion . Believes that it will take many public
hearings before a final decision can be reached . One should
start out with the engineering equations and then the economic
rationale . It is then possible to move from that into projected
reality . The planning expert pulls all the information together
and makes his deductions from this . It is a professional problem .
Showacre It is possible to propose a master plan in the absence of sewers ,
to see what shape it would take with no sewer lines . Then you
run sewer lines out in this district , knowing where they must
• originate . It is then possible to see how the lines might
change the original plan .
Minutes , LANSING PLANNING BOARD , February 8 , 1971 , Town Hall , Regular Meeting , page 3
•
Craig Niederkorn has asked us where the sewers should go .
Baughman Whenever you run the sewout before there is population concentration ,
you open up the district for development .
Miller Mr . Niederkorn showed us where he thought the development would
occur in the future , and now we should try to pinpoint where
commercial development should take place . If we were willing to
make a master plan first , then we could see where sewers should
go without opening up new territory for development .
Farkas Feels that the answer will come from the politican arena rather
than from the planning and factual arena .
Craig Our experience with engineers and other professionals is that
they make no engineering recommendations .
An outline of the district as now being considered by the Town
Board is too limited .
Edmondson There should be a large district . The logic of watershed must be
presented to the Town Board as a basis for expanding the bounds
of the district .
Miller From the point of view of pollution , the Town Board must be pre -
sented with the fact that the people who already live in the
district will have to have sewers .
Craig Probably everyone on the Town Board feels that if they make a
large sewer district they will force development in the north end
of the Town . If some of the outlying districts are going to have
to have sewers within the next ten years it will save them money
to have a district now . One of the problems now is that the
first and second sewer districts were formed as an expediency .
Miller The assumption is that there will be additional population ; and
if you have a larger district , development can go into the new
district . Some developers are putting a house on one lot , and
the septic field on the next lot .
Whether or not you wish development , it will come , and sewers will
become a necessity which people will be forced to pay for .
Farkas Has a feeling that the big district will go out to Fulf Creek
Road . If this occurs , there is the question of whether people
out that far will have sewers within the next twenty years . He
does not feel that Tom Miller will set up a master sewer plan .
Edmondson His impression is that Mr . Miller was going to do only the engi -
neering feasibilities , not the engineering designing .
•
Minutes , LANSING PLANNING BOARD , February 8 , 1971 , Town Hall , Regular Meeting , page 4
• Craig After the sewer district is formed , Tom Miller will then be asked
by the Town Board to make a sewer plan . The outline of the big
district has been based upon a plan for a long interceptor line ;
and if that is not put in , the people of the remote area will not
have sewers in fifty years . The long line at the present time
would entitle us to State aid .
Showacre There may be enough actual and potential industrial and commer -
cial development to justify the long sewer line .
Craig A fair system ofapportionment is something not yet discussed .
He has been working on one , but not the the point of knowing how
much the cost will be to individuals . Everything would be based
upon assessed evaluation . People who receive service would pay
at one level ; people in the district whose homes are not yet at -
tached but will be in the near future would pay at a lesser rate ;
and the lowest rate would be paid by those who are not in a sewer
district . The only unsatisfactory aspect is that the people in
District 1 would have to help pay for the interceptor , at a time
when their own district is practically paid off .
Miller Suggested that Dick West , James Showacre , and Peter Craig formu -
late the costs .
Craig We must have a mobile home ordinance for the Town Board very TRAILER
• shortly . Asked whether the Planning Board members wish to go ORDINANCE
through the ordinance , and a special meeting for this purpose
was set up for Monday , February 15 , at 8 : 30 p . m .
Miller Called the attention of the members of the Planning Board to ROUTE 13 -
the high number of accidents at the intersection of Route 13 TRIPHAMMER
and North Triphammer Road . These seem to stem from the fact INTERSECTION
that cars coming from the easterly direction mistake the sig- ACCIDENTS
nal lights for automobile tail lights .
Craig Appointed Mrs . Miller to formulate a resolution to the State
Board telling them the situation and asking for a warning sig -
nal to be placed well ahead of the signal lights at the inter -
section .
The meeting was adjourned at 9 : 40 p . m .
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