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HomeMy WebLinkAboutPB Minutes 2000-11-07TOWN OF ITHACA PLANNING BOARD TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 7, 2000 The Town of Ithaca Planning Board met in regular session on Tuesday, November 7, 2000, in Town Hall, 215 North Tioga Street, Ithaca, New York, at 7:30 p.m. PRESENT: Fred Wilcox, Chairperson; Eva Hoffmann, Board Member; Tracy Mitrano, Board Member (7:35 p.m.); Larry Thayer, Board Member; Rod Howe, Board Member; Jonathan Kanter, Director of Planning; John Barney, Attorney for the Town; Dan Walker, Director of Engineering. EXCUSED: George Conneman, Board Member. ALSO PRESENT: Robert Lama, 501 South Meadow Street. Chairperson Wilcox declared the meeting duly opened at 7:32 p.m., and accepted for the record the Secretary's Affidavit of Posting and Publication of the Notice of Public Hearings in Town Hall and the Ithaca Journal on October 30, 2000, and November 1, 2000, together with the properties under discussion, as appropriate, upon the Clerks of the City of Ithaca and the Town of Danby, upon the Tompkins County Commissioner of Planning, upon the Tompkins County Commissioner of Public Works, and upon the applicants and /or agents, as appropriate, on November 1, 2000. (Affidavit of Posting and Publication is hereto attached as Exhibit #1.) Chairperson Wilcox read the Fire Exit Regulations to those assembled, as required by the New York State Department of State, Office of Fire Prevention and Control. AGENDA ITEM: PERSONS TO BE HEARD. Chairperson Wilcox opened this segment of the meeting at 7:33 p.m., and asked if any members of the public wished to be heard. With no persons present to be heard, Chairperson Wilcox closed this segment of the meeting at 7:34 p.m. AGENDA ITEM: Consideration of a Sketch Plan for the proposed Cayuga West Professional Campus, located on Harris B. Dates Drive, Town of Ithaca Tax Parcel No. 24 -3 -2.22, Special Land Use District No. 3. The proposal involves the renovation and conversion of the County's Biggs A Building, consisting of 200,000 ± square feet, into multi- tenant office space, with associated accessory uses such as convenience retail and restaurant to serve the employees of the office complex. Parking lot modifications are also proposed. Tompkins County, Owner; Klaff Realty LP, Applicant; Robert A. Lama, Agent. Robert Lama, 501 South Meadow Street, stated Klaff Realty is acquiring the building formally known as the Biggs A Building. The construction of the building was for a tuberculosis center. It was later used as the Tompkins County Hospital. Most recently the County occupied it as office space. The revitalization of the building serves a need for larger office space that can be designed in a flexible manner. It will allow the companies to grow into larger spaces. Other developers have PLANNING BOARD PAGE 2 NOVEMBER 7, 2000 APPROVED -APPROVED -APPROVED -APRIL 3, 2001 -APPROVED -APPROVED -APPROVED reviewed the building for senior housing or apartments. It has been determined that it would be a difficult task due to the structure of the building. There are many hallways and structural barrier walls. Their proposal is to convert the building into office suites. The largest tenant would use about 25,000 to 30,000 square feet. Then an incubator tenant space could be as small as 500 square feet. Building A would be developed into a small deli /cafe food service building. It would serve the tenants of the complex. The exterior of the building will not be modified. They have met with Historic Ithaca. They are consulting them on preserving the exterior of the building. Many of the windows will be replaced. Historic Ithaca will be consulted on reconstruction of the windows and matching the current windows. Their renovation is interior renovations. There are small modifications to parking. They would like the parking to better service the building. The parking was originally designed to service the building as a hospital. It has never been modified. They are bringing parking closer to the entrance of the building. A future access road is indicated on the preliminary drawings. It allows them to access the back of the property without going around the County's property. Their goal is to fill the building with office tenants. There might be a packing or assembly business. The majority of the use will be office use. They are in negotiations with a number of tenants. The interior modifications will involve a tremendous amount of demolition of interior walls. The rooms in the building are very small. They will be making the building more flexible with demolition. They intend to open sections of the hallway to allow access from one part of the building to the other. Mr. Lama stated Mr. Kanter mentioned the Ordinance could require 700 parking spaces for the building. They are confident that the current 300 spaces will suffice for their property. They do not want to eliminate any landscaping from the site. The exterior amenities of the property are making it attractive. Prospective tenants are very excited about the views of the lake and the park like setting. The average of employees would be 1 employee for every 400 square feet. They are being generous with space. If at any point they need to add parking, they would prefer to come before the board at that point. The roof shingles will be repaired. The windows will be replaced. The landscaping will be updated and upgraded. The parking is being repaired and augmented to some extent. They do intend to construct a small patio in front of Building A. The area would be for seasonal dining. The majority of the work is interior demolition and refinishing of the building. The building is being heated through the steam plant that they share with the hospital. There is no central air conditioning or central ventilation system in the building. They will not be using the steam system. They will be installing new HVAC systems. They will be doing the remediation of the asbestos in the building. The abatement cost would be about $250,000. Tenants will be supported by their own heating and air conditioning system. The ceilings will be demolished. They are going to a modern drop ceiling system. It will allow them to run electrical wiring and computer networking cables within the ceiling. The walls will be replaced with contemporary sheet rock walls. The floors PLANNING BOARD PAGE 3 NOVEMBER 7, 2000 APPROVED -APPROVED -APPROVED -APRIL 3, 2001 -APPROVED -APPROVED -APPROVED will be prepared for commercial grade carpet and oak trim. They do not want to bring tenants back into the building in its current condition. It is filled with exterior conduit for electric. It is heavily retrofitted. Offices consist of the old hospital rooms. They need to overcome that vision of the building. They would like to obtain quality tenants and develop an income from the property. Mr. Kanter stated he researched the Special Land Use District language. It appears that the Planning Board has quite a bit of discretion in terms of the amount of parking. There is specific language in the SLUD. Normally the uses are governed by the most restrictive districts that otherwise allows that use. In the case of the parking, there is a provision that the number of parking spaces required should be of a number presently provided, unless the Planning Board determines the parking to be inadequate. Chairperson Wilcox stated the board in the past has been willing to grant reduction in the number of parking spaces. The board does not like asphalt. The burden is on the applicant to show there is sufficient parking. Board Member Hoffmann stated she is confused about the number of parking spaces. In reading the "Cayuga West Professional Plan ", it says on the second page that there will be over 350 parking spaces. Mr. Lama responded 350 parking spaces were a preliminary number. The actual number of parking spaces will be 326. Board Member Hoffmann stated she heard Mr. Lama mentioned there would be commercial grade carpeting throughout the facility. The information given to the board indicates oak floors and trim throughout. Mr. Lama stated it would be commercial grade carpet or tile. It depends on the request of the tenant. If the tenant would like oak floors, they could install oak floors. Oak floors do not wear well for commercial use. Board Member Hoffmann asked what kind of floors are there now. Mr. Lama stated they are linoleum or tile floors. Board member Thayer stated that the footprint is not being changed. It is a positive for the building. Chairperson Wilcox stated the asbestos removal would be an important part of SEAR. . Mr. Lama stated the County did a study that they are using to hire their contractor. Chairperson Wilcox stated he assumes the applicant has an option to purchase the building and land. He would like the applicant to encourage the County to clean up the dumpsite on the east side of the building. Chairperson Wilcox stated he would also like a letter from Historic Ithaca showing that they are satisfied with the renovations. PLANNING BOARD PAGE 4 NOVEMBER 7, 2000 APPROVED -APPROVED -APPROVED -APRIL 3, 2001 -APPROVED -APPROVED -APPROVED Mr. Lama stated there have been attempts to get a historic designation on the building. It does not qualify. A major wing was demolished on the building. Floors have been added to the building. Historic Ithaca is joining the venture as a consultant. Chairperson Wilcox stated the board received an area map. The map shows a potential that subdivision might be required. Part of the building appears to be on another piece of property. The map is not a survey map. It might not be accurate. Mr. Lama stated he brought it to the attention of the County Attorney's Office. He indicated to the County that they would participate in any subdivision requirements. He has not heard back from the County. Chairperson Wilcox stated the comments from Mr. Kanter mentioned a basic analysis of traffic. Mr. Kanter mentioned it should reflect the updated traffic counts. The traffic counts need to include the expansion of PRI. Chairperson Wilcox stated he would like to see how many employees were at the facility when it was a hospital. Mr. Lama stated he could find information on how many employees were at the County offices. Chairperson Wilcox stated it would allow the board to look at the number of office space being created and judge the number of employees. Mr. Lama stated this facility would have an array of tenants. They will be entering and leaving at different hours. Some of employers' offer flex -hours to their employees. Board Member Hoffmann stated the tenants would use the restaurant. She asked if they had considered having more than one food area to allow for use by other people working in the area. Mr. Lama stated in order for the tenant to operate the food service, they would need to service hospital employees, PRI employees and members of the neighborhood. It will not be a full service restaurant. It will be a convenience restaurant. The interior of is designed so that anyone who works in the building can get to the food service location without going outside. There will also be a lounge area for the employees. Board Member Hoffmann asked if other stores have been considered. Mr. Lama stated they have not looked at other retail uses for the building. The food service area might have milk and other quick items available. It would be convenient for the employees. Board Member Hoffmann asked if they would have residential uses in the building. Mr. Lama responded no. He was involved with one group that looked at it as a potential housing project. Hospitals have very wide hallways for circulation. It makes for shallow hospital rooms. To develop them into apartments it would require demolishing all the barrier walls in every part of the building to make it a conventional size apartment. They would then need to resupport the entire building. The cost would be astronomical. The quality of the structure could be compromised. PLANNING BOARD PAGE 5 NOVEMBER 7, 2000 APPROVED -APPROVED -APPROVED -APRIL 3, 2001 -APPROVED -APPROVED -APPROVED They are able to expand the offices along the glass and make longer areas. It would be hard to get an apartment into the spaces. Board Member Mitrano asked if there would be much production going on. Mr. Lama stated tenants they are working with are software research. They are office tenants. They are not doing any light manufacturing in this project. They might not be able to implement manufacturing in this building because of the SLUD. Mr. Kanter stated some uses are in gray areas. The SLUD is specific that if the board starts to enter into the gray area there will need to be clarification and approval from the Town Board. Mr. Lama stated the project would probably happen on a tenant by tenant basis. The tenant would give them specifics and they would come before the board. Board Member Mitrano asked if there are examples of what type of manufacturing might be considered. Mr. Kanter stated it might be a use like the AXIOM building. They are producing electronic parts. There is some research involved. The only problem there might be is issuing a CO for portions of the building. He does not know if a new CO is issued every time a new tenant comes in. Mr. Lama stated the City would give a CO for the entire building. After the tenant has been brought in they will give a specific CO for the tenant. They do not want to drag the project on. Mr. Kanter stated if it is a use that is not allowed by the SLUD they would need to monitor it. Chairperson Wilcox stated it would cause a zoning change. Mr. Lama stated they do not want to do a zoning change. Mr. Kanter stated there might be uses in the SLUD that do not fit anymore. Mr. Lama stated their intention is to renovate this structure and occupy it. It is an office complex. They would like to renovate the interior to a modern office complex. They would like to maintain the building as solidly as they can. They do not anticipate asking for any exceptions. They studied the SLUD and drew themselves guidelines. There is enough need for office space that they will not have to go outside the line. They do want to get through this procedure. Board Member Hoffmann stated Mr. Kanter mentioned in his memo to the board that they need to consider exterior lighting and signs. Mr. Lama stated that they would have interior lit signs. It is a block sign with interior lights to identify the building and give direction. There will be 1 to 3 signs on the site. The lighting will be added, but restricted to security for the building. There will be employees working after dark. They do not want to broadcast the building either. The lights would be for security only. PLANNING BOARD PAGE 6 NOVEMBER 7, 2000 APPROVED -APPROVED -APPROVED -APRIL 3, 2001 -APPROVED -APPROVED -APPROVED Board Member Hoffmann asked if they know about any of the landscaping improvements. Mr. Lama stated there are nice plantings that they would like to enhance. There are some breezeways and porches that will be removed. There will be landscaping within the parking area if it is reconfigured. The parking area inside the campus is in disrepair. Chairperson Wilcox stated the board does like a lot of landscaping. Attorney Barney asked what is the gray area on the map. Mr. Lama stated it is the roof of the building on the third floor. The topography of the building is interesting. If you walk into the front door of the building, it is the third floor of the main section of the building. If you walk to the back wing there is no third floor. It is the roof of the building. There are 2 floors in the G Wing. The H wing has 3 floors. The F and E Wings have 3 floors. There are 2 floors in the D Wing. The gross square footage of the building is about 200,000 square feet. There is 125,000 square feet of rental space. The basement and some upper floor spaces are not rental. They might be used for storage. Chairperson Wilcox closed this segment of the meeting at 8:11 p.m. AGENDA ITEM: SEAR Determination, Cornell University Baker Institute Expansion, Hungerford Hill Road. PUBLIC HEARING: Consideration of Preliminary Site Plan Approval and a Recommendation to the Zoning Board of Appeals regarding Special Approval for the proposed expansion of the James A. Baker Institute for Animal Health at Cornell University, located on Hungerford Hill Road on Town of Ithaca Tax Parcel No. 61 -1 -7, Residence District R -30. The proposed 41,400 ± square foot (gross), three floor expansion will include new laboratories, offices, a kennel facility, and a new 100 seat lecture theater. Modifications to the parking lots and walkways are also proposed. Cornell University, Owner /Applicant; James Pung, Architect /Project Manager, Agent. Chairperson Wilcox stated the SEQR determination and public hearing for the Consideration of Preliminary Site Plan approval for the proposed expansion of Baker Institute has been post -poned at the request of the applicant. OTHER BUSINESS: Chairperson Wilcox stated the board received a letter from Courtside. They are concerned about the trees and visibility. He is not sure if the board indicated specific trees. Board Member Hoffmann stated she asked for shade trees. She liked the trees that were planted outside the M &T bank. She also mentioned that she would like trees with a high crown. Crab apple trees would obscure signs and the view. Board Member Hoffmann stated she looked at the signs on site. There is one freestanding sign that is lit very well outside the bowling lane. Courtside PLANNING BOARD PAGE 7 NOVEMBER 7, 2000 APPROVED -APPROVED -APPROVED -APRIL 3, 2001 -APPROVED -APPROVED -APPROVED has a freestanding sign by the road. There is a sign on the side of the building that is well lit. The problem could be overcome. Mr. Kanter stated he has heard from Scott Hamilton that in his mind there might be problems with underground facilities. Mr. Kanter stated he has asked for documentation. It might be an argument he brings before the board. It will not be before the board at the same time as the sign presentation for the board. They will probably be seeking a Temporary CO once the Subway is ready. The landscaping issue will not be addressed until spring. The Town has received the landscape plan. Chairperson Wilcox stated there was a legal notice published indicating a public scoping session will be held for the proposed Cornell College of Veterinary Medicine Waste Management Facility. This is the incinerator that has been in the news for the past few years. It is scheduled for Wednesday, November 17th from 7:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. at the Beverly Livesay Auditorium in the Tompkins County Human Services Building. It is possible it might come before the Planning Board. Attorney Barney stated Cornell has taken the position that they do not need to come before the Town Mr. Kanter stated Councilwoman Russell has been involved with the community advisory group. They are continuing to work with Cornell. Chairperson Wilcox stated he would be out of town the first meeting in December. Chairperson Wilcox asked the board to start thinking about who they would like to recommend as chair for next year. He would like other members to consider being chair. AGENDA ITEM: ADJOURNMENT: Upon MOTION, Chairperson Wilcox declared the November 7, 2000 meeting of Town of Ithaca Planning Board duly adjourned at 8:20 p.m. Respectfully submitted: Carrie L. Whitmore, Deputy Town Clerk.