No preview available
HomeMy WebLinkAbout1978-08-28 TOWN OF LANSING PLANNING BOARD 0 DATE : 28 August 1978 PLACE : Town Hall TIME : 7 . 30 P . M . PRESENT : D . Hardie , V . Miller , B . Bement , P . Wells , H . Cogan ABSENT : J . Burke ( who has indicated her desire to resign ) I . Correspondence A . Letter of resignation from Lola. Winter . Mrs . Winter cited the increased demands upon her time as her main reason for wishing to resign . B . Letter and newspaper article entitled "Pyramids Don ' t Last Forever " from PB member Bill Bement . MOTION : It was moved , seconded and carried to include the article "Pyramids Don ' t Last Forever " in the minutes , to be followed by a PB statement of position . So moved by B . Bement , seconded by V . Miller , carried unanimously by the board . "Pyramids don ' t last forever " Part of the reason that people in Lansing were willing to accept construction of the Pyramid Mall there was that Pyramid officials persuaded them it would be a regional shopping center that would draw business from the entire area including parts of Seneca , Cayuga , Chemung , Tioga , and Cortland Counties . In fact , Pyramid Mall in Lansing has done that very thing . But now Pyramid - which , incidently also has a mall just outside Geneva - is planning two more shopping centers . And you need hardly guess where they are - in that same regional • shopping area that Pyramid Lansing was supposedly designed to serve . One is planned for Fisherville , near Horseheads and coincidentally right across the street from Arnot Mall , a locally built mall , which no doubt has already suffered some loss of business because of Pyramid in Lansing . The other is planned near Auburn . There is nothing illegal about Pyramid ' s plans . There does seem to be something unethical about them . It should be clear to any businessman that a region can support only so many malls . If nothing else , their business practices appear to be shortsighted . If there are eventually empty stores at Pyramids in Lansing , Fisherville , Auburn , and Geneva , it apparently won ' t matter to them . Yet in every case , they have sold the idea at least partially on the thesis that the mall would attract bus : mess and eliminate the competition . In a shopping mall trade magazine in 1976 , a Pyramid ad declared : "Leasing and construction control give Pyramid the ability to control the ' time frame of the projects ; and via the many savings this ability yields , Pyramid is able to build regional malls with all the amenities that super -regionals have - becoming the dominant shopping facility and pre - empting the marketplace without expecting to have another facility built down the street in a very short period of time . " ( emphasis ours ) Article "Pyramids don ' t last forever " continued To Pyramid officials , Horseheads and Auburn may not be just 411 down the street but for shopping purposes in this area , they are . There is no doubt but what Pyramid has brought people into this areato shop . But those same consumers who have been lured here by a variety of stores will now just as easily move to a similar mall that is closer to their own homes . The mall stores are not the kind to promote customer loyalty . What difference does it make if the David ' s or Penny ' s or Hill ' s you shop is the one here or in one of those other stores . The service , the merchandise and the decor is all alike . We don ' t blame the merchants who have moved into Pyramids . We do lose faith in a company that uses highly questionable means to sell a project and then turns on those who believe in it . Planning Board Statement : At the time the Pyramid Mall was planned and built in Lansing , it was the responsibility of the Planning Board to consider and examine the plan in the light of its legal and positive action for the community . The PB was and is aware that developers must be watched and made to follow thru that actions are made to correspond to words . II . Guide to the Planning & Zoning Laws Reading assignment - Pages 27 -31 Comments and discussion : Howard Cogan - Re : Page 31 , Note 2 - If the Town Board accepts and passes the Master Plan as an ordinance wouldn ' t it ( MP ) act as a • zoning ordinance ? Viola Miller - Master Plan becomes too cumbersome as a zoning ordinance . Bill Bement - Page 28 , Sec . 271 - Mr . Bement interpreted this as saying that an extra member or agricultural representative may be appointed to the PB , bringing the membership to 8 . ✓ . Miller - No board ever has an uneven number . ✓ . Miller 1 . The Master Plan need not necessarily be adopted by the Town Board , if it is adopted by the PB . 2 . A zoning ordinance spells out requirements in a shorter , more concise manner than the MP . 3 . Building permits are only permissable when they ' re a part of a zoning ordinance . D . Hardie - The Flood Plain area is a part of zoning and has building permits . ✓ . Miller 1 . There needs to be some assurance to the town that we have zoning . 2 . Zoning can ' t be discussed until it is decided what is best for the Town , the MP acting as the vehicle for this . 3 . The PB has all the necessary tools . ( Check OPS Legal Memorandum - Subdivision Regulations and enforce - ment . ) 4 . In 1967 the Town Board gave Subdivision administration authority • to the PB . - 2 - Guide to the Planning & Zoning Laws - discussion - continued ✓ . Miller - continued 5 . The present Ordinance Officer won ' t recognize the Subdivision Rules & regulations . Mrs . Miller recommends that the PB present the Town Board with a budget large enough to hire their own Subdivision enforcement officer . 6 . The County recognizes 4 acres as a subdivision . Lansing has a stricter requirement of 3 acres . 7 . Property owners must know that Lansing has Subdivision Rules & Regulations . Mrs . Miller suggested informing the TB that this information could be disseminated through the Town Clerk . P ete Wells - If you have a Subdivision Ordinance rather than Rules & Regulations , would you still have these problems ? ✓ . Miller - From a legal standpoint , no . Once Rules & Regs are adopted they become a legislative tool . B . Bement - Until we have town -wide zoning , Subdivision R & R ' s are u seless . Mr . Bement suggested that the PB accept the Master Plan as a guideline on which to base decisions , but not be bound to it as it is . Then the PB could go to the Town Board and say that they would like to prepare zoning for the unzoned portion of the town with everything but residential to be zoned on an individual basis , o r special permits for nonresidential areas . P . Wells - By going into enforcement it would be ensured . H . Cogan - If the Master Plan is 7 - 10 years old , it must need u p - dating . It must be made meaningful in today ' s terms . ✓ . Miller • MOTION : In view of the good working relationship that has been e stablished with the Cour* Planning Department , Mrs . Miller moved that the PB proceed for 2 or 3 more months with this review with an eye toward writing a new zoning ordinance to be presented to the Town Board in Jan . or Feb . of 1979 . Discussion . Motion withdrawn for lack of a second . H . Cogan 1 . Beneficent zoning could be included in the Master Plan . 2 . Explain to the Town Board all the reasons why we think it ' s important to have the Master Plan enacted into law . 3 . Try to get minimal zoning . 4 . Try to form a plan where changes are meaningful . ✓ . Miller - Much of Master Plan has to be cut to be relevant . B . Bement - This could involve more work than he ' s ready to tackle . H . Cogan - It ' s meaningless to take the MP to the Town Board as it is . Mr . Cogan suggested that the PB tell Mr . Missirian at the next meeting what parts need updating and what the PB expects of him ; ask him to report in 2 weeks time to be followed by another report 2 weeks later , in October . At that time the PB should be ready to approach the TB . B . Bement - Take the MP to Mr . Missirian , tell him to pull out the O irrelevant parts and make it relevant to the Town today . Then the PB would approve or disapprove these changes . - 3 - Guide to the Planning & Zoning Laws - Discussion - continued V . Miller - Ask Mr . Missirian to read the zoning ordinance also and tell us what should be done about it . Discussion followed on the past history and work of the Planning Board . Master Plan discussion resumed . B . Bement - Take the Master Plan to the Town Board and ask them to accept it as revised rather than enact it into law . III . MOTION : H . Cogan moved to commend the recording secretary for her preparation of the minutes of the last meeting . Seconded by B . Bement , carried unanimously . IV . MOTION : Since the resignation of J . Burke has left the Planning Board without a secretary , V . Miller moved to have B . Bement assume the office for the duration of the year . Seconded by H . Cogan , carried unanimously . V . Reading Assignment Master Plan sections on the Lake Shore and Agriculture districts . The Chairman entertained a motion for adjournement at 9 : 45 by H . Cogan , seconded by B . Bement and carried by a unanimous aye vote . 111 • - 4 -