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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2011-09-13 Proposal to Town Board from the Lansing Recreational Pathways Committee (LRPC) September 13 , 2010 Submitted by the Lansing Recreational Pathways Committee : Maureen Cowen, Chair, Dale Baker, Lawrence Cathles , Marcia Herrick, Ruth Hopkins, Roger Hopkins , Reenie Sunsted, Linda Westlake, members. We want to thank the Town Board for approving the initial plans for our group and supporting our group as a Lansing citizen committee. We have been working hard to prepare and prioritize the tasks required to help the town move forward with pathways . During the past months we have continued to gather citizen input by talking with folks around the town and by talking with folks at Harbor Fest and several Lansing public markets. We ' ve learned that trails are highly desired, that most citizens appreciate the value they bring to the community and recognize the urgency of planning and securing access rights for non-motorized transportation and recreation use trails as the town develops . We ' ve learned that towns across the country are recognizing the importance and value of footpaths and multi use trails and are moving quickly to develop them . In fact, we ' ve learned from other towns that trails increase quality of life within the community and when quality of life improves, so do property values ! We ' ve talked about the meaning of trails, paved multi use trials, nature trails, trails for skateboards bikes, and walkers. . . all non-motorized mechanisms of transportation . Within our committee we ' ve defined pathways to mean human powered transportation or recreational use routes of two primary types : those that are simply footpaths and those that are more multi use trails, sometimes paved . We have also spent many hours researching potential pathway routes, worked with the County Transportation Council to prepare concept pathway maps, attended Transportation Council meetings to strengthen our ties to future transportation funding possibilities, represented Lansing in the National Trail Day events, and met with potential grant makers as we continue to gain information on funding possibilities . Based on what we ' ve learned, we believe trails need to be a priority part of the town ' s planning process so that our community can reap the benefits of trails in the future. We believe that trails need to be factored into the town designs, and trail access and rights of way need to be part of the town planning and permitting process. So, how do we do this? 1 . We need to include trails in the land use planning and development permitting processes . 2 . We need to evolve over time a CONNECTING set of trails and footpaths for transportation both by working within the planning process and by working with willing landowners. We are here this evening to ask that the Lansing Town Board take the following actions. 1 . We ask the Town Board to agree that it is desirable to develop a conceptual trail network that can guide and prioritize the acquisition of trail rights of way in the discussions the town will have with landowners and developers who seek to develop land, and we ask that the Town Board charge the LRPC to develop such a conceptual plan and modify it on a continuing basis as rights of way are secured. 2 . We ask the Town Board to authorize the LRPC to have initial discussions with willing landowners when the LRPC submits specific trails to the Town Board and the Town Board agrees that these trails are desirable. a. We request at this time that the Town Board endorse two trails so the LRPC can proceed to identify and begin discussions with willing landowners . These are I . a trail to connect the Town Center West to the schools and Myers Park and East toward XtraMart and on to the Jensen development, and 2 . a trail to connect the Town Center South to the Skate Park, the Village, and the City of Ithaca and North to town lands . b. We ask the Town Board agree to be proactive in working with LRPC in conjunction with landowners on such easements, and to supportively address future issues of liability and maintenance should the town decide to construct the trails. 3 . We ask that the Town Board be proactive in obtaining access and rights of ways to pathways in all new subdivisions ( or greater), developments, and PDA ' s. We ask the Town to do this by including trail consideration early in the town planning review and permitting processes. Specifically, we ask that the LRPC is solicited for recommendations for pathways in each development that comes before the town for permitting. If the development/subdivision lies near a major connecting route we ask that a meeting between the developer and the LRPC be required in order to outline the possible locations of easements for future trail development. 4 . We ask the town to continue their support for grant funding when grants become available to develop the Town Center trailhead from the Town Hall to Woodsedge, the project begun by Steve Colt two years ago. To facilitate the above proposals we request that the Town Board : a) Assign a representative from the Town Board to serve as a liaison to LRPC and to facilitate committee efforts. b) Instruct the town Planning Office to notify LRPC of all Planning Board packets and to make copies of packets available to LRPC upon request. c) Create any necessary resolutions for Town Board approval that will foster pathways in Lansing. LOCAL LAWS 1991 No. 1 Veterans Exemption for the Town of Lansing No. 2 Amendment to Local Law No. 2 of 1979 - Annual Dog License Fees 1992 No. 1 Amendment to Local Law No. 1 of 1988 - A Local Law Regulating Solid Waste Management Facilities No. 2 Amendment to Local Law No. 2 of 1979 - Annual Dog License Fees 1993 No. 1 Amendment to Local Law No. 1 of 1988 — A Local Law Regulating Solid Waste Management Facilities 1994 None 1995 No. 1 Electing a targeted retirement incentive program as authorized by Chapter 12 of 1995 for the eligible employees of the Town of Lansing No. 2 Amendment to Local Law No. 2 of 1992 — Entitled Amendment to Local Law No. 2 of the year 1979 — annual Dog License Fees No. 3 Amendment to Local Law No. 1 of 1988 — A Local Law Regulating Solid Waste Management Facilities No. 4 Amendment to Local Law No. 2 of 1988 — Entitled Amendment to Local Law. No. 1 of the Year 1979 1996 None 1997 No. 1 Amendment to Local Law No. 1 of 1991 — Veteran's Exemption No. 2 Right to Farm .1998 — 1999 — 2000 — 2001 None 2002 No. 1 Property Tax Exemption for Living Quarters for Parents and Grandparents Age 62 or older, and for individuals who are Considered Disabled and Receiving Social Security Disability Benefits No. 2 Amending the Term of the Town Supervisor of the Town of Lansing pursuant to Section 24-a of the Town Law No. 3 Amending the Term of the Town Clerk of the Town of Lansing pursuant to Section 24-a of the Town Law No. 4 Amending the Term of the Town Highway Superintendent of the Town of Lansing Pursuant to Section 24-a of the Town Law No. 5 Providing for the Automatic Renewal of the Senior Citizens and Persons with Disabilities Real Property Tax Exemption 2003 No. 1 Amendment to Local Law No. 2 of 1985 — Electrical Code 2004 No. 1 Subdivision , Permit, Land Use and Inspection Fee Schedules No. 2 Excavation and Construction in Town Roadways and Rights-of-Way No. 3 Parks & Recreation User Fee Schedule No. 4 Public Access to Records of the Town of Lansing No. 5 Unsafe Buildings No. 6 Town of Lansing Prior Notice Law — Notice of Defects to Town Property No. 7 Outdoor Business Inventory Storage 2005 No. 1 Stormwater and Erosion Control No. 2 Health Insurance and Health Insurance Retirement Benefits No. 3 Subdivision Rules and Regulations of the Town of Lansing No. 4 Dog Control 2006 No. 1 Regulation of Private Information No. 2 Regulation of Movement and Presence of Sex Offenders No. 3 Motorcades, Parades and Public Assemblies No. 4 Rapid Access Lock Boxes No. 5 Dog License Local Law No. 5 No. 6 Provide for Administration and Enforcement of the New York State Uniform Fire Prevention and Building Code. 2007 No. 1 Workplace Violence No. 2 Rules and Regulations for Conduct and other activities in the parks of the Town of Lansing. No. 3 Construction and Installation of Swimming Pools No. 4 Amendment of Code Enforcement Local Law No. 5 Senior and Disables Citizens Real Property Tax Exemption No. 6 Law to Prohibit and Regulate Illicit Discharges, Activities and Conditions to the Separate Storm Sewer System . 2008 No. 1 Cold War Veterans Exemption No. 2 Subdivision Rules and Regulations of the Town of Lansing 2009 No. 1 Town of Lansing Ethic's Law No. 2 Senior and Disabled Citizens Tax Exemptions No. 3 Amendment to Dog Control Local Law No. 4 Amendment to Pool Construction Local Law No. 5 Amendments to Lock Box Local Law No. 6 Storm Water and Erosion Control No. 7 Repeal of Local Law Number 2 of 2005 Health Insurance and Health Insurance Retirement Benefits No. 8 Amendments to Code Enforcement Local Law No. 9 Law Prohibiting Smoking upon certain Town-Owned Lands Town of Mamakating Zoning Code Sec . 199- 5 C . : " In all cases where a district boundary divides a lot in one ownership , the lot is five acres or less and more than 50 % of the area of such lot lies in the less restricted district, the regulations prescribed in this chapter for the less restricted district may apply to such portion of the more restricted portion of said lot upon the discretion of the property owner. For purposes of this subsection , the " more restricted district" shall be the district which is subject to regulations which prohibit the use intended to be made of the lot or which regulations are more restrictive with respect to lot area , development coverage , landscaping requirements , etc . For lots that are more than five acres in size , each portion of the lot shall conform to the applicable district in which it is located . A district boundary shall not be construed to subdivide a property . "