Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAboutPB Minutes 1982-07-06 TOWN OF ITHACA PLANNING BOARD JULY 6 , 1982 • The Town of Ithaca Planning Board met in regular session on Tuesday , July 6 , 1982 in Town Hall , 126 East Seneca Street , Ithaca , N . Y . , at 7 : 30 p . m . PRESENT : Chairman Montgomery May , Virginia Langhans , Bernard Stanton , James Baker , Carolyn Grigorov , Peter Lovi (.Town Planner ) , Nancy Fuller ( Secretary ) . ALSO PRESENT : Farland Chang (.WTKO ) . Chairman May declared the meeting duly opened at 7 : 35 p . m . APPROVAL OF MINUTES MOTION by Mr . Bernard Stanton , seconded by- Mrs . Carolyn Grigorov : RESOLVED , that the Minutes of the Town of Ithaca Planning Board Meeting of June 1 , 1982 , be and hereby are approved as submitted . There being no further discussion , the Chair called for a vote . Aye - May , Langhans , Stanton , Baker , Grigorov . Nay - None . • The MOTION was declared to be carried unanimously . REPORT OF THE TO1NN BU I LDJ NGI NSPECTOR� , ' LEW I S' D . CARTEE Mr . Cartee ' 10 report , which the Board members had in hand , noted that for the month of June 1982 , 12 building permits were issued for a total of $ 228 , 650 , of improvements , as compared with 13 permits for a total of $ 3 , 054 , 700 . of improvements for June of 1981 , REPORTS OF THE TOWN PLANNER AND TOWN ENGINEER Mr . Lovi , speaking for Mr . Fabbroni and himself , reported briefly on the Weisburd cluster proposal on Slaterville Road , Mr . Lovi stated that he has completed work on a data base for Mr . Cartee ' s use . Mr . Lovi noted the commencement of -the summer work projects , of which there are two , one under CETA with at least four workers , and the other being the summer youth worker project employin :� 20 youths at $ 2 . 00 per hour for 15 hours per week . Mr . Lovi stated that the projects will involve mostly park work but that there will be some workers in clerical positions . Mr . Lovi stated that the Coddington Road water improvement i' s moving along very well , and noted the proposed work to be done in the area of Forest Home as a result of the flood last October . Mr . Lovi described field work in connection with sewer hook - ups and the status of the Burns Road survey . REPORT OF THE PLANNING BOARD REPRESENTATIVE TO THE COUNTY PLANNING BOARD , CAROLYN GRIGOROV . . . . . . • Mrs . Grigorov stated that she had no report since the Board does not meet in the summer , however , she asked for - input on the request by the Board to prioritize issues that the Board should , or will , be taking up during the coming year . : Planning Board - 2 - July 6 , 1982 The Board members went over the three - page document entitled " Area - Wide Planning Issues - - 1982 - 1983 " containing six areas of concern , as • follows : I . LAND USE II . ENVIRONMENTAL III . COMMUNITY FACILITIES IV . ENERGY V . TRANSPORTATION VI . MISCELLANEOUS each of such six areas having sub - categories of concern following the main heading . The Board members checked certain specific items that they felt were important , very- important , or of lesser immediate concern in order that Mrs . Grigorov could take back- to the County Planning Department those matters which the Town of Ithaca Planning Board felt needed to be pursued during 1982 - 1983 . The Board members did express clearly that they- felt the utilization of the Biggs Complex , public and / or private , was their most immediate concern . Mrs . Grigorov stated that she appreciated the comments of the Board and noted that she would submit her report by the August lst deadline . DISCUSSION OF GEN]: RAL GUIDELINES IN RE GROUP HOMES IN THE TOWN OF ITHACA AND THE ESTABLISHMENT OF A COMMITTEE TO PROPOSE SAME , The Board members discussed in very general terms the approach that they ' felt should be taken in the creation of guidelines for those involved in any proposal for the establishment of a group home for the developmentally disabled within the Town of Ithaca . The Board. touched upon the appropriate - ness of " policy' ' statements ; " special exceptions ' ` approach perhaps for those instances of one or two developmentally disabled individuals in a home ; a setting forth of the type of housing existing in the Town ; the availability of public facilit =ies ; parking arrangements ; kind of renovations necessary , if any ; transportation ; parks ; churches ; shopping ; yard space , etc . Chairman May asked that a committee be formed of the Board to begin the task . of developing such guidelines and suggested that citizens be urged to be a part of such committee , not in an official capacity , but to provide input as they see fit . The Board agreed with Mr ; May on both counts , The ad hoc committee appointed is as follows : 1 . Montgomery May , as Chairman 2 . Virginia Langhans 3 . Edward Mazza 4 . Barbara Schultz . Mr . May requested that the Secretary write a letter to Dr . Lawrence O ' Neil , Developmental Disabilities S%ervi.ces , Terrace Hill , Ithaca , inviting him or his representative to participate in meetings of the committee . The letter sent is set: forth below: " July 13 , 1982 • Dr . Lawrence P . O ' Neil An ad hoc committee of the Planning Board of the Town of Ithaca has been formed , its charge being the development of guidelines in re the review process of the various Boards of the Town of plans for the locating . and placing of a residence for developmentally disabled persons in the Town of 1 �'rPlanning Board - 3 - July 6 , 1982 Ithaca . We would be pleased to have a representative of your office attend our meetings and offer your recommendations for such guidelines and , should there be any other individual from whom you would like us to have input he , or she , would be welcome . Upon hearing from you , we will set a date for our first meeting . " Dr . O ' Neil ' s reply is set forth below : " July 16 , 1982 Mr . Montgomery May , Chairman . . . I would be happy to participate with. the Ad Hoc Committee of the Town Planning Board in the development of guidelines for the siting of community residences in the Town of Ithaca , Please let me know when you schedule your first meeting . You might wish. to invite representatives of H . O . M . E . S . , Inc . This agency has assumed responsibility for developing private community resi - dences for the developmentally disabled and the mentally disabled . " The following; letter was- also received from Professor Fred H . Kulhawy : " July 27 , 1982 • Mrs . Nancy Fuller , Secretary In the July 15 Town of Ithaca Newsletter , you requested input on developing criteria for locating res %denti:al care facilities in the Town of Ithaca . My April 13 letter , distributed at your April board meeting , focused on a number of technical and economic issues that need to be con - sidered . Although this letter addressed the Hanshaw site specifically , the points are valid in general for developing realistic criteria . As a Profess =ional Civil Engineer , I believe 1 can be of assistance to the board when you meet to discuss this issue . Should you desire my advice in this regard , please contact me . My office telephone is 256 - 4820 ( or 256 - 3412 for messages ) and my home telephone is 257 -.289. 1 . '' The Board decided that the committee should commence work in September and noted that there is on file with the staff much cogent material to aid the committee in its work . COMPREHENSIVE PLAN - - PRIORITIZING SEGMENTS TOBEDEVELOPED AND SUBMITTED TO PLANNING BOARD FOR REVIEW- ( _STEP1 BERNARD STANTON ) . At a previous meeting of the Board , Mr . Stanton had distributed his thoughts as a starting point of discussion on the above -noted matter , as follows : • " Issues to Consider in a Comprehensive Plan for the Town of Ithaca 1 . How can an area with some older , two or three story homes mixed with. . other housing make adjustments to create apartments or changes in uses of these larger homes which are compatible with the wishes of existing O" Planning Board - 4 - July 6 , 1982 owners and residents ? Public hearings called by the town ; change in zoning or a special appeals process ; special actions by the Town Board ? • 2 . What can a residential community within the town do to take initiatives on speed limits , stop signs , traffic safety , sidewalks and other concerns to maintain or change the character of the neighborhood ? 3 . What are the appropriate mechanisms to use to allow rentals of single family homes _For one year or less to groups of unrelated if both the owner and the neighborhood is in agreement ? Is this a topic to deal with directly after local or neighborhood input ? 4 . How many shopping areas and how much. store space are needed in the town relative to those located in the city and adjoining towns ? Where are residents poorly served at present or with. planned developments ? 5 . What steps , ii` any ,. should the Town of Ithaca take to relate its com- mercial , industrial , and residential zones to those in adjoining towns or municipalities ? Some of the existing borders locate quite different uses side by :Side with essentially no buffer areas? Are adjustments needed over time ? 6 . How can greatE! r cooperation be developed in providing services jointly (_ similar to those for water and sewer ) over time with the City and Village of Cayuga Heights? Such_ i'tems as police protection , fire , safety , etc , are considered - - e . g . , contractual arrangements with the City of Ithaca. for fire protection ; with. the Sheriff and State Police for police protection . " Mr . Stanton stated that he - thad prepared this listing of six items as a • base for the beginning of discussions' . Mr . May stated that he felt dealing with. all six was too broad and suggested commencing with , perhaps, item # 1 . Mr . Lovi felt that parts of both. # 1 and # 3 would form a good basis for a beginning . There was discussion of the relationship between a comprehensive plan and a zoning ordinance and where some of the six items listed fitted . Mr . Baker described the efforts of the Town of Babylon in this area and 1. indicated that he 'would locate his material from the Town of Babylon and pass it on to Mr . :Lovi . Mr . Lovi spoke of the' Belle Terre decision which is the benchmark case in the matter of the definition of a family . Mr . May stated that the Board should bear in mind what it sees in the Town of Ithaca both now and in the future . He wondered what direction the Board sees the Town going in in the future residential , industrial , both residential and industrial , a bedroom community . He noted the evolution of so - called " clean industries that have come about with- the rapid development of high. technolo - gy components . Mr . Lovi stated that the size of the document is immaterial , however , it must be grounded in specifics ; a comprehensive plan should not describe a featureless plain . Mr . Lovi used the question of larger homes as one of the specifics , . and described the accepted practice of towns in utilizing the " transfer of development rights " approach . He stated that he would like to follow up on that approach. and pursue the feasibility of " transfer of rental rights " , a phrase he coined . The Board indicated their interest Planning Board - 5 - July 6 , 1982 in his doing just that . In a very general way the Board noted some particular items that would , and even should , be included in any proposal for a comprehensive plan , being existing water , sewer , traffic control , sidewalks , bikeways , public trans - portation , road speed control ( D . O . T . ) . The Board spoke of the image of Ithaca being a " college town " . The Board spoke of the town in terms of it being a residential and service town , perhaps , and again , perhaps the development of more industries as time goes by . Mr . Stanton offered his help to Mr . Lovi at any time as he (_ Lovi ) pro - ceeded to draft the approach. to the plan . ADJOURNMENT Upon Motion , the Chairman declared the July 6 , 1982 meeting of the Town of Ithaca Planning Board duly adjourned . Respectfully submitted , Nancy M . Fuller , • Secretary .