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HomeMy WebLinkAbout01-28-13 PB Minutes - Approved.docx Town of Lansing Monday, January 28, 2013 7:15 PM PLANNING BOARD PLANNING BOARD MEMBERS (*Denotes present) *Tom Ellis *Larry Sharpsteen *Lin Davidson, Chairman *David Hatfield*Gerald Caward, Jr. *Richard Prybyl*Raymond Farkas, Alternate *Al Fiorille *Jonathan Kanter, AICP, Town Planning Consultant Lorraine Moynihan Schmitt, Esq. *Kathy Miller, TB Liaison Public Present Ed LaVigne, Town Board Lynn Day, Code Enforcement Officer General Business Lin Davidson, Chairperson called the Planning Board Meeting to order at 7:15 PM. Mr. Davidson inquired if there were any questions or concerns from the Public that is not related to the Agenda. There were none. Mr. Davidson indicated that he had received a call from Cargill, who want to give an informal presentation to the Planning Board regarding their plans to install a new shaft for providing additional ventilation and access for employees at the north end of their existing salt mine. Jonathan Kanter added that he has also been contacted by Cargill, and they had asked to be on the February 11, 2013 Planning Board agenda for a presentation. Supervisor Kathy Miller introduced Jonathan Kanter, the Town’s Planning Consultant, who has been working for the Town since the middle of 2012. Ms. Miller added that the Town Board decided to reorganize the planning function in the Town recognizing that the Town needs a professional planner, and has asked Mr. Kanter to provide assistance to the Planning Board in addition to providing other planning assistance. Mr. Kanter has been working with the Comprehensive Plan Update Committee and the Sewer Committee for the past several months. Mr. Kanter added that he retired two years ago from the Town of Ithaca as Planning Director after having been in that position for seventeen years, working for a total of over 32 years as a professional planner. David Hatfield stated that Jeff Overstrom had done a great job during his time with the Town of Lansing. Discussion Regarding Planning Board Procedures Planning Board Training: Mr. Kanter mentioned the upcoming New York Planning Federation Conference to be held in Saratoga Springs on April 21 -23, 2013 and indicated that the conference is an excellent opportunity for Board members to obtain the required annual training. Registration forms for the conference were distributed. Several members expressed interest in attending and will fill out the form. Ms. Miller added that the Town can arrange for other training opportunities, such as in-house training, on-line courses, etc. Development Reviews: Mr. Kanter discussed some of the procedural ideas he has been thinking about, including coordinating with Lorraine Moynihan Schmitt on Planning Board resolutions (i.e., allowing her to spend less time on drafting resolutions), bringing some applications to the Planning Board at the earliest stage for informal or sketch plan reviews, and providing the Board with development project status updates. Mr. Kanter also mentioned that he has seen the draft Planning Board bylaws and procedures document that had been prepared a couple of years ago. Larry Sharpsteen suggested that the draft bylaws were never adopted and perhaps should come back to the Planning Board for review and discussion in the near future. Meeting Dates: Mr. Kanter indicated that he would like to attend as many Planning Board meetings as possible, but that he has a conflict with the first meeting of the month, (i.e., the second Monday of each month). He is on the Village of Lansing Planning Board, which meets that same evening. Mr. Kanter asked the Board if it would be possible to either change Board meeting dates to the first and third Monday of each month or switch the order of the action and working meetings, so that instead of the action meeting being on the first meeting of the month, it would be at the second meeting of the month, and the working meeting would be on the first monthly meeting. Mr. Sharpsteen indicated that it would be preferable to keep the meeting dates the same and that it would be more important for the Planner to be at the working meeting. Tom Ellis thought that in many cases, the action meeting would be the more important meeting for the Planner to attend. After further discussion, it was agreed that the meeting schedule would stay as it is, and Mr. Kanter would try to attend as many working meetings as possible (second meeting of the month), and attend action meetings on a case-by-case basis, depending on availability. At working meetings, Mr. Kanter would provide information on upcoming actions. Prior to an action meeting, Mr. Kanter would send materials to the Board, such as draft resolutions, descriptions of the action(s), and an outline of possible issues associated with the action(s). Ms. Moynihan Schmitt will continue to attend most action meetings with Planning Board input as to whether her attendance is necessary. Other Meeting Suggestions: Supervisor Miller indicated that it would be helpful at meetings to have a projector set up to project images of project plans so that the Board and public could see details better. This means having materials in digital format. Mr. Ellis suggested that applicants could be requested to provide maps, plans and other required materials in digital format, especially for the larger projects. Other Business Al Fiorille said that he heard that the Town Board is now considering a townwide sewer district in conjunction with the sewer proposal. Mr. Fiorille indicated that every farm operation in an Agricultural District would have to be notified through an agricultural data statement about this proposal, and that the Town Board would have to evaluate the potential impact of the sewer and district proposal on farm operations. Mr. Kanter said that he has voiced this concern at Sewer Committee meetings, and that his advice was that the sewer proposal should not cause any undue financial burdens on farm operations. Mr. Kanter added that the Sewer Committee appears to be taking this issue into account in proposing a townwide sewer benefit area. Mr Sharpsteen indicated that he feels that only those getting sewer should be paying for it. Supervisor Miller mentioned that the Sewer Committee has considered all of these issues and there would be a townwide vote on the sewer proposal. Ms. Miller indicated that the taxes on those not getting sewer would be very small and there are many benefits to all town residents even if they will not have sewer. School taxes are rising, and the sewer and development that would be possible as a result of the sewer would help to keep the rise in school taxes down. Rick Prybyl indicated that even a small increase in taxes could be a burden on some residents and suggested that the sewer costs have to be clearly explained to residents. Ms. Miller indicated that the Town has been put on a watch list by the NYS Dept. of Environmental Conservation (DEC) because of the potential for failing septic systems in some areas, and it is possible that at some point, DEC and the Health Department could require the Town to put in sewers. Ms. Miller indicated that Cargill is donating land for the proposed sewer plant, the Town has obtained a State grant for $2.5 million for the sewer proposal, and interest rates for long term financing for the sewer project are at very low levels, so this is the most affordable for the Town that a sewer system could ever be. Mr. Kanter suggested having a presentation of the sewer proposal at a future Planning Board meeting when plans and details are available. Nomination of Board Officers Mr. Sharpsteen reported that he is on the Nominating Committee to recommend a slate of candidates for Board officers, and the Committee had decided to wait on nomination until new members had been appointed to the Board – that is why the positions were not filled and reported to the Town Board in time for the Organizational Meeting. Ms. Moynihan Schmitt had sent an email to the Board indicating that since the positions were not filled in time for the Organizational Meeting, the Town Board would need to appoint the Planning Board Chair. The Committee had discussions about the Chair position, and thought about several possibilities: (1) Mr. Ellis could move up from Vice Chair into the Chair position, (2) Rick Prybyl could become Chair, or (3) Lin Davidson could remain as Chair, but has served as Chair for 10 years. Mr. Sharpsteen indicated that if Mr. Davidson does not want to continue as Chair, then the Committee suggests two alternative slates: either Mr. Ellis as Chair with Mr. Prybyl as Vice Chair or Mr. Prybyl as Chair with Mr. Fiorille as Vice Chair. The Board discussed the proposed slates. Mr. Fiorille suggested that, based on seniority of Board members, Mr. Ellis and Mr. Prybyl be considered. Mr. Prybyl indicated that he was not ready to move up the ladder into a leadership position on the Board, would like more time to learn about how the Planning Board operates, and feels that Mr. Ellis has more experience. Ms. Miller indicated that the Planning Board is very important to the Town and would like the Planning Board to decide what would work best in terms of Chair and Vice Chair positions. Mr. Sharpsteen indicated that based on the Board discussion, the Nominating Committee recommends the following slate: Mr. Ellis as Chair, Mr. Davidson as Vice Chair, Mr. Fiorille as Secretary, and Mr. Hatfield as Treasurer. Mr. Sharpsteen made a motion to accept the nomination of the recommended slate of officers. Mr. Davidson seconded the motion. As Secretary, Mr. Prybyl asked if there were any other nominations. Hearing none, Mr. Prybyl called for a vote to accept the nominations for the slate of officers. The motion on the nominated slate carried unanimously. Mr. Prybyl then made a motion to approve the slate of candidates: Mr. Ellis as Chair, Mr. Davidson as Vice Chair, Mr. Fiorille as Secretary, and Mr. Hatfield as Treasurer. The motion was seconded by Mr. Fiorille. The motion was approved unanimously. Approval of Minutes of December 17, 2012 Mr. Davidson asked if the Board had reviewed the draft Minutes of the December 17, 2012 meeting and were ready to consider approval. Mr. Hatfield made a motion to approve the Minutes of the December 17, 2012 meeting as drafted. Mr. Sharpsteen seconded the motion. The motion was approved unanimously. At 8:15 p.m., Mr. Sharpsteen moved to adjourn the meeting. The motion was seconded by Mr. Hatfield. The motion was approved unanimously.