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HomeMy WebLinkAboutPB Minutes 2008-03-11>1 % FILE' DATE Working Meeting of the Town of Ithaca Planning Board and Planning Committee 213 North Tioga Street, Ithaca, New York Tuesday, March 11, 2008 at 7:00 p.m. All Planning Board and Planning Committee Members were present with the exception of George Conneman who was out with the flu. Town Board Member Bill Goodman and Town Residents Bill Sonnestahl and Stephen Wagner were also present. Jon Kanter, Darby Kiley and Paulette Neilsen from Staff were present. Meeting opened at 7:05p.m. Planning Committee Overview Will Burbank, as Chair of the Planning Committee, started the meeting with an overview and distributed the Mission Statement and Preliminary List of Work Plan Priorities for the Committee. Town Of Ithaca Planning Committee Mission Statement The Planning Committee exists to assist and advise the Town Board on matters related to land -use in the Town of Ithaca. This includes but is not limited to consideration of the social, economic and environmental aspects of development projects, character of neighborhoods, and proposed changes in zoning. It also considers matters related to our transportation network, preservation of viewsheds, farm land, and open space, as well as planning for parks and trails. Town_ Of Ithaca Planning Committee Preliminary List Of Work Plan Priorities For 2008 The following items were discussed by the Committee at the January 31, 2008 meeting as possible items for the Committee to address in 2008. These are not listed in any particular priority order. It is also understood that the Committee would address items that are referred by the Town Board. The Town Board also incorporated the functions of the former Transportation Committee and Agricultural Land Preservation Advisory Committee into the new Planning Committee, 1. Proposed South Pointe Assisted Living Community — Possible Planned Development Zone Working Meeting of the Planning Board March 11, 2008 2, Proposed Carrowmoor Development — Possible Planned Development Zone 3, Conservation Board's Scenic Resources Committee Report — "Saving Ithaca's Views" (Recommendations to Town Board Regarding Implementation Strategies) 4, Northeast Consultant Study — Sapsucker Woods Area (Monitor consultant's work) 5. Transportation Issues: a. Forest Home Traffic Calming Plan b. Route 96 Corridor Study 6, Pennsylvania /Kendall Avenue Occupancy Issues (Possible Zoning Amendments) 7, Future Town Park Parcel Next to Montessori School, East King Road 8, Cornell T -GEIS (Will need to decide what role the Committee would have in reviewing and providing input to Planning Board) 90 Affordable Housing Strategies 10. Agricultural Land Preservation Program (Possible easement acquisitions if they come up) 11. Planning - related Grant Applications Each member of the Committee gave a brief overview of what they felt the Committee would be doing and how it would benefit all involved. Key Points: • New Committee that has consolidated various other committees the Town had. • To discuss the kinds of projects that eventually show up before the Town Board and discuss it in more detail and in a broader way than would happen in front of the Town Board. • More conceptual, or general. Unlike the Planning Board with a specific site plan, more conceptual, as outlined in the Preliminary Work Plan. • Communication for the Town Board so they no longer feel they are the "last to know." Pg. 2 Working Meeting of the Planning Board March 11, 2008 • A mechanism for knowing what is coming up before the Town prior to a vote. Staff and the Supervisor have a mechanism to keep informed through PEZ meetings, SAC Meetings, ZBA and Planning Board Meetings. This will be a mechanism for the Town Board to keep abreast of what is or might be coming its way at an earlier stage. • Not meant to discuss the specifics of a plan in the way the Planning Board does. For example: Carrowmoor involves a zoning change. What the Planned Development Zone would look like is something the Planning Committee would review and discuss as opposed to the Planning Board looking at every aspect of the project from environmental to building materials. • The division is clear. The Planning Committee talks about planning policy, the Planning Board executes the policy. Legislative and Judicial branches. Questions and comments from the Board centered on how to keep the communication between the groups open. Key Points: • The Supervisor and the Chairs will meet to keep each other informed. Open to suggestions of topics that need to be reviewed /discussed by the Committee. • Will Burbank mentioned that the Planning Committee would talk to the applicants and work with them in discussing options and sites, etc. It was noted that it is important that the communication loop be kept open and that the applicants themselves know that there is a clear line of demarcation between the Planning Committee and the Planning Board. • For Example, if the Planning Committee talks to applicants to "steer' them to a particular location or area, that does not mean that the Planning Board is under any obligation to approve the project in that location. Both groups concurred. • Concern was expressed regarding individual board members expressing an opinion to the public or the Planning Board on a specific project as a Board Member. If an individual wants to address the Board as a Resident, that would be fine, but if that person is there as a Board Member, the implication is that he /she speaks for the Board. This is something to be very aware of and very careful with. • The same concern was expressed regarding talking to and with the public. The Planning Board is not a political Board. The Town Board is. Where does the Planning Committee fit in? Although all boards and committees encourage — comments -from the public,, each entity has its own rules to follow and the need to avoid even a hint of a pre- determined outcome of a vote. The Planning Board Pg. 3 Working Meeting of the Planning Board March 11, 2008 will discuss this further during the next portion of the meeting involving the running of their meetings. • An example was used concerning viewsheds. The Planning Board would be considering the impacts of a specific project and its effects on a particular viewshed. The Planning Committee would be recommending to the Town Board actual policy regarding the protection of viewsheds in the Town. Bottom Line The Planning Committee expressed their understanding of the Planning Board's responsibilities and it was not looking to infringe on those responsibilities or authority. Past history has definitely shown the need for the Town Board to understand and communicate with other Boards on what is happening,- what -the thoughts and views are from all sides, and all areas of responsibility from where actions are going to be taken. It is the Committee's goal to improve communication, to have a mechanism for earlier involvement and knowledge so that informed and educated decisions can be made. It is understood that the groups may disagree and each has its own mandated guidelines and areas of authority. Chairman Howe thanked the Planning Committee Members for coming and explaining their goals and perception of what they would be dealing with as well as opening the channels of communication. Planning Board — Maximizing Our Time A memo had been sent out prior to the meeting with general questions. Rod asked for bullet points of discussion topics. ➢ Timing /Staying on Schedule ➢ Repetitiveness ➢ Communicating with the public ➢ Preparedness ➢ New Member Packets and Updates ➢ Minutes ➢ Issues with Applications Rod felt there were a few clear cut items: Preparedness Everyone should come prepared. Susan mentioned a web site that allows you to see a site very clearly with zoom abilities and she will send them to board members. Eva was concerned that new members were not getting the "New Member Packet ". There was some discussion about what that packet actually contained and whose responsibility it was to ensure members received them Rod will meet with _Jon to develop and /or review a list. Left unresolved. Pg. 4 Working Meeting of the Planning Board March 11, 2008 Minutes Rod wanted to know whether the Board wanted verbatim minutes. Seemed more members felt verbatim minutes were not necessary. Discussion followed regarding what the digital system could do. Paulette did not know what the capabilities were and would report back at the Planning Board meeting. The pros and cons for both styles were touched on. Rod stated he just wanted people to start thinking about it. Rod felt the next three were related... Timing /Moving Through the Agenda/ the Order and Repetition of Comments Agenda items that get bogged down and there are issues, the item should be tabled. Susan has heard a lot of feedback both from applicants and residents regarding coming to a meeting scheduled for 7:00p.m. and it doesn't start until 9:00p.m. There was some disagreement on how to handle when that happens. Comments included looking closer at the order of the projects on the agenda, and /or tabling an item that gets too involved and go back to it after, in an attempt to stay on schedule. Fred brought up the fact that the Zoning Board does not set a time and therefore is not held to a timetable. Rod felt that setting the main points of discussion in the beginning would help. The consensus was this should be watched for and dealt with on a case -to -case basis depending on the particulars of that situation. For example; if a simple two -lot subdivision is going over but Ithaca College A &E Center is next, by the time Ithaca College was done it would be very late to go back. If there are issues caused by the applicant adding something that night or a legal issue that comes up that night, the matter should be tabled. All members felt that the Board should be stricter with keeping the applicants to what was submitted rp for to the meeting. When additions or changes are presented, right there, reschedule the project. The Board needs to look at the legal, proper phrasing and also be aware of mandated timelines when doing this. Rod summed it up by saying "It sounds like we are all going to do what we can to move through discussions in a timely fashion, agree on what the key topics are, and allot our time accordingly. If we get stuck on something, depending on what the circumstances are, we may delay or whatever the legal phrase is, we may move it to another meeting." He asked that all members help him in this. Fred also mentioned that if the Board does not mention each topic, sometimes the public thinks the Board hasn't considered it. So the Chair should mention these and state that the Board has reviewed these issues in other meetings or under other topics that also touched on the issue. For example, noise was covered extensively in the previous two meetings and not at all at the third. The public who is attending for the first time would not understand that and the Chair, or another member, should bring the fact up. Susan would like Staff memos to be referred to and points of discussion discussed. The Board agreed and Jonathan asked that Board members do that, not Staff. The Board agreed. Eva wanted to add the public's comments to that and Hollis asked that the Public's comments be allowed even when it is not a public hearing. The Board agreed as long as there is time. The idea of time Pg. 5 Working Meeting of the Planning Board March 11, 2008 limits were discussed as well as the public reading and eating in the audience. If time limits are used, the Board would like the Chair to preface it with "if there is time at the end, we will invite you back up". Kevin felt strongly about the reading and eating, but the rest of the Board was okay with it, although if it is not done discreetly, it can be dealt with on a case -to -case basis. Communicating with the Public There is still a lot of uncertainty on this. Susan thought other Boards do it all the time. Fred felt strongly that discussions between Board Members about specific applications should not happen. All Board members should hear the same thing at the same time. Jonathan brought up the issue of site visits. These generally involve a group of Board members regarding a specific application. Some legal gray area there. Generalities -and factual- statements -are -okay, but it is- better to leave discussion on the specific issues for the board meetings. Susan wondered if asking for other opinions, expert opinions, is allowed. The Board felt that this was okay as long as that information was forwarded to the entire Board. The same goes for opinions expressed by the public. If one member gets an email, forward it to all the members. That way everyone has the same information. Rod closed the meeting shortly after 9:00p.m. Pg. 6 OF 1 T� TOWN OF ITHACA 1 1821 215 N. Tioga Street, Ithaca, N.Y. 14850 41&W -jo www.town.ithaca.ny.us TOWN CLERK 273 -1721 HIGHWAY (Roads, Parks, Trails, Water &Sewer) 273 -1656 ENGINEERING 273 -1747 PLANNING 273 -1747 ZONING 273 -1783 FAX (607) 273 -1704 TOWN OF ITHACA PLANNING BOARD SCHEDULING OF SPECIAL WORKING MEETING ON MARCH I I, 2008 Notice is hereby given that a special working meeting of the Town of Ithaca Planning Board is scheduled for Tuesday, March 11, 2008 at 7:00 p.m. to discuss (1) Planning Board procedures and (2) the relationship between the Planning Board and the new Planning Committee. The meeting will be located in the Aurora Conference Room in the rear of Town Hall off of the parking lot, 215 North Tioga Street, Ithaca, NY, Jonathan Kanter, A.I.C.P. Director of Planning Dated: March 3, 2008 Publish: March 5, 2008