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HomeMy WebLinkAboutPB Minutes 2014-05-13TOWN OF ITHACA PLANNING BOARD 215 North Tioga Street Ithaca, New York 14850 Tuesday. Mav 13. 2014 (Additional Meeting) AGENDA 7;00 P.M» PUBLIC HEARING: Consideration of a Recommendation to the Zoning Board of Appeals for sign variances for the proposed Valentino Field Scoreboard at Tutelo Park, 151 Bostwick Road, Town of Ithaca Tax Parcel No. 31-4-6.1, Low Density Residential Zone. The proposal involves the installation of a new manually operated scoreboard for the baseball field which exceeds the height limitation (6' allowed, up to 11' proposed) and the allowable square footage (4 square feet allowed, up to 112 square feet proposed). Town of Ithaca, Owner; Ithaca Cal Ripken/Babe Ruth Baseball, Applicant; Patrick Fairbrother, Agent. 7:15 P.M. SEQR Determination: Agava Catering Tent Proposal, 381 Pine Tree Road. 7:15 P.M. PUBLIC HEARING: Consideration of Preliminary and Final Site Plan approval for the proposed modifications to the catering tent proposal at the Agava Restaurant, located at 381 Pine Tree Road, Town of Ithaca Tax Parcel No. 62-2-1.123, Community Commercial Zone. The current proposal involves using one or more temporary tents (totaling up to 4,800 sq. ft.) with optional arrangements in the Agava Restaurant rear parking lot for special events or parties. Cornell University, Owner; POD of Ithaca, D.B.A. Agava, Applicant; Todd Nau, Manager Agava Restaurant, Agent. 7:30 P.M. PUBLIC HEARING: Consideration of Preliminary and Final Site Plan approval for the proposed replacement of the Town of Ithaca's Christopher Circle Water Tank, located between Christopher Lane and Winthrop Drive, across from the east entrance to Christopher Circle, Town of Ithaca Tax Parcel No. 72.-1-10, Medium Density Residential Zone. The proposal includes replacing the existing 500,000 gallon water tank (35' diameter, 70' tall) with a new 500,000 gallon tank (36' diameter, 72' tall) on the same property. The new tank will be constructed prior to the demolition of the existing tank to maintain water service. Town of Ithaca, Owner/Applicant; Creig Hebdon, Town Engineer, Agent. 5. Persons to be heard 6. Approval of Minutes: April 15, 2014. 7. Other Business 8. Adjoumment Susan Ritter Director of Planning 273-1747 NOTE: IF ANY MEMBER OF THE PLANNING BOARD IS UNABLE TO ATTEND, PLEASE NOTIFY SANDY POLCE AT 273-1747. (A quorum of four (4) members is necessary to conduct Planning Board business.) TOWN OF ITHACA PLANNING BOARD MEETING Tuesday, May 13, 2014 215 N. Tioga Street, Ithaca, NY 14850 Board Members Present: Fred Wilcox(Chair), Linda Collins,Joseph Haefeli (Alternate),John Beach, Yvonne Fogarty, Paula Wedemeyer,Jon Bosak Staff Present: Chris Balestra, Planner; Creig Hebdon, Town Engineer; Susan Brock, Attorney for the Town; Deb DeAugistine, Deputy Town Clerk Call to Order Mr. Wilcox called the meeting to order at 7:00 p.m. and accepted the secretary's posting of the public hearing notices. AGENDA ITEM Public Hearing: Consideration of a Recommendation to the Zoning Board of Appeals for sign vari- ances for the proposed Valentino Field Scoreboard at Tutelo Park, 151 Bostwick Road, Town of Itha- ca Tax Parcel No. 31-4-6.1, Low Density Residential Zone. The proposal involves the installation of a new manually operated scoreboard for the baseball field which exceeds the height limitation(6' al- lowed, up to 11' proposed) and the allowable square footage (4 square feet allowed, up to 112 square feet proposed). Town of Ithaca, Owner; Ithaca Cal Ripken/Babe Ruth Baseball, Applicant; Patrick Fairbrother,Agent Mr. Wilcox opened the public hearing at 7:02 p.m. Mr. Fairbrother said they want to build a scoreboard and put it in right field. They're looking for ap- proval for a general size and placement, then they'll troubleshoot the scoreboard and make it really nice: Fenway green, manually operated, long-lasting - something that will improve the experience for the kids at Tutelo Park. They've got two options: one that is more complicated,with a catwalk in the back, that they can push right up to the fence with the person in the back changing out the content; the other option is much simpler, lower to the ground, changeable from the front, and does not re- quire a catwalk. Ms. Collins asked whether Mr. Fairbrother has a preference between the two designs. Mr. Fairbrother responded that he likes the one with the catwalk for its size, its height - it looks right. There are probably strategies to make the one that's lower look just as good. If they get approval, they'll build a wooden mockup and see how it looks, try it out, troubleshoot it, and then build it right. He also likes the design with the catwalk because it's cooler. Ms. Fogarty said it's a great park and it's so nice that they want to put up the scoreboard. She asked whether it will be inside or outside the fence. She commented that it seems far away and asked whether people would be able to see it. Mr. Fairbrother said that it will be outside the fence, 205 feet from home plate. People will be able to see it from the stands. Planning Board Meeting 05-13-2014 Page 2 of 12 Ms.Wedemeyer asked what determines the size of a scoreboard. Mr. Fairbrother responded that it's based on the numbers and letters - how big do they have to be to see them from the bleachers - and the aesthetics, to look proportional. The numbers in the mocked- up sign are 14 inches tall and that will describe the minimum size of the sign. Mr.Wilcox pointed out that it's the Board's job is to provide a recommendation; this can include which of the signs the Board prefers. The draft resolution picks the largest size in terms of height and area. Ms. Balestra said that staff didn't provide any additional guidance because they don't have a prefer- ence either way. Mr. Bosak asked where the person stands: in front or in back. Mr. Fairbrother said both: that's the difference between the two options. In the design with the cat- walk, the person is behind; in the one without, the person is in front. Having a catwalk forces them to comply with code for railings, etc. The back-fed sign can be much more complicated to build - having all those slots and welding the steel can take a lot of time. There's potential for water getting into the slots and causing corrosion. The sign in which letters are hung from the front would be much sim- pler, more practical, but a little less cool. From the front, the person needs to be tall enough to reach the hooks the letters will hang on. The one with the catwalk could be operated by a 12 year old. Mr. Bosak asked how essential it is to have the information about balls and strikes on the sign. Mr. Fairbrother responded that this has been part of their discussions. In the design without the cat- walk, that information is not on the sign, so they would construct another, smaller 4 x 4 removable sign with the ball-strike count. It would be a battery-operated temporary sign behind home plate they could roll around. There won't be anything electronic on either of the scoreboard options. Neither sign would be lit. Mr. Beach said it's wonderful that the youth baseball association is willing to do this and improve a Town park at no cost to the Town. Mr. Wilcox disclosed that he played Babe Ruth baseball in Ithaca. He commented that putting balls and strikes on the sign strikes him as a logistics problem because it's almost always going to be wrong: someone will not be quick enough to update it. But it's not his probleml; it's theirs. The request is a significant variance from what is allowed, but the sign law simply does not address scoreboards in a residential area. If you have a ball park, the expectation is that there's going to be a scoreboard. Mr. Haefeli pointed out that it's not in the domain of advertising and promotion, rather a tool they need to do the game. He would encourage the sign that allows the young ones to operate the board. He gave Mr. Fairbrother a sign industry visibility chart with guidelines for size of letters and color contrast. Mr. Bosak added that legibility is important, but he would not go so far as to change the font. He thinks the old-fashioned look is very cool. Planning Board Meeting 05-13-2014 Page 3 of 12 Ms.Wedemeyer said that in looking at the park, one would assume a scoreboard would be there; she can't imagine that any homeowner would complain. Mr. Wilcox closed the public hearing at 7:20 p.m. PB Resolution No. 2014.025:Recommendation to Town of Ithaca Zoning Board of Appeals, Sign Variances -Valentino Field Scoreboard, 151 Bostwick Road, Tax Parcel No. 31.4-6.1, Town of Ithaca Sign Review Board (Planning Board) Moved by Fred Wilcox; seconded by John Beach WHEREAS: 1. This action is Consideration of a Recommendation to the Zoning Board of Appeals for sign vari- ances for the proposed Valentino Field Scoreboard at Tutelo Park, 151 Bostwick Road, Town of Ithaca Tax Parcel No. 31-4-6.1, Low Density Residential Zone. The proposal involves the installa- tion of a new manually operated scoreboard for the baseball field which exceeds the height limita- tion (6' allowed, up to 11' proposed) and the allowable square footage (4 square feet allowed, up to 112 square feet proposed). Town of Ithaca, Owner; Ithaca Cal Ripken/Babe Ruth Baseball, Applicant; Patrick Fairbrother,Agent; and 2. The Planning Board, at a Public Hearing held on May 13, 2014, has reviewed and accepted as adequate a narrative describing the proposal, and drawings showing two sign options, date- stamped April 7, 2014, and other application materials; NOW THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED: That the Town of Ithaca Planning Board, acting as the Town of Ithaca Sign Review Board, hereby recommends that the Zoning Board of Appeals approve the request for sign variances for a manually operated scoreboard at the Valentino Field at Tutelo Park,with a maximum area of 112 square feet and a maximum height of 11 feet, where such signs in a residential zone are limited to 4 square feet in area and 6 feet in height. Vote Ayes:Wilcox, Collins, Haefeli, Beach, Fogarty, Wedemeyer, Bosak AGENDA ITEM SEQR Determination: Agava Catering Tent Proposal, 381 Pine Tree Road Mr. Brous said that this is a followup from the last visit because they thought they were asking for a square-foot allowance, but the verbiage also stated only one tent. The Planning Board told him that if he wanted more than one tent, he would have to come back. He said they're not asking for any great- er square footage of tent, just the allowance for having more than one. Ms. Balestra countered that the proposal is for up to 4800 square feet with one or more tents. The approval from March 4th was for only 2400 square feet. Planning Board Meeting 05-13-2014 Page 4 of 12 Mr. Brous said he's aware that there was a concern about parking, so he called Cornell to talk about options. He brought a letter from them and a licensing allowance for the use of the entire lot on the other side of Pine Tree Road. His understanding was that there was a specific concern about Friday lunch when the Cornell lot out back might not be available because Cornell allows them to use the lot only after 4:30 weekdays and all day Saturday and Sunday. Cornell offered that they can use the old Courtside lot across the street any time they need to. Mr. Wilcox said that the Planning Board made it very clear to Cornell that there would be no parking on that lot. Ms. Brock disagreed, saying that particular issue was that they were using it as a construction staging area. She questioned whether the Planning Board ever said that parking was prohibited, apart from construction vehicle parking. Ms. Balestra recalled that the proposal in front of the Board at the time was for construction parking for a City of Ithaca project. Ms. Brock pointed out that they use it for the farmers' market. She didn't think the Board could say there is no parking of any kind there; it was specific to construction staging for off-site projects. She noted that the letter from Cornell says that the restaurant has the right to use the lot for Cornell graduation weekend, so it's not addressing where Mr. Brous's patrons would park for the other five events during the year, if there was a big event before 4:30 and a full restaurant. Mr. Brous said that in a phone conversation with Cornell that day, they said they didn't mind if he used the lot during Friday lunch. They also have four-hour use of the P&C lot without permit. Mr. Brous said he was confused about the requirement to come before the Planning Board for tent per- mits when each of the tent permits they'd gotten previously, they just applied for from the building department. Ms. Balestra responded that Mike Smith and Mr. Bates talked about the number of people that would be served by the tents and they thought that it might be more of a site plan issue. Mr. Brous stated that Mr. Bates told him that he would not approve any tents of any size unless he came before the Planning Board for approval. Regarding the parking issue, for each specific tent per- mit, there's a specific situation that the code enforcement person would address, such as needing a crossing guard or port-a-john. For the upcoming event, there will be a crossing guard all day Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. For any event, each of those things, parking included,would need to be ad- dressed, and if it wasn't sufficient, the code enforcement officer would have the right to deny the permit or require him to address the issue. It's tricky for him to give a broad statement as to how he would address any one thing for every single event. The East Hill Plaza is a public lot for anyone to use for up to four hours. It's posted that way. Half the lot is permitted for Cornell employees and the other half is open for patrons. Mr. Brous has permits for his employees to park there, and they let customers know that they're allowed to park there. He's never seen that lot full in over 20 years. Mr. Bosak said that it's hard to know what objection the Board would have to it being used as a park- ing lot in general since it always was a parking lot and now it's a dirt lot that's overgrown with weeds. Planning Board Meeting 05-13-2014 Page 5 of 12 Ms. Brock said that since it can be used as a parking lot for the farmers' market, there must not be a blanket prohibition. Mr. Haefeli stated that part of this is between Mr. Brous and his customers as far as how far they'll have to walk. What concerns Mr. Haefeli is the fire chief's comment regarding people parking along the road. Mr. Brous responded that he thinks it's a good comment, and he will have people out there monitor- ing the street. On the couple of occasions when people have parked along Cornell Lane, they've been ticketed. He's never seen anyone park along Pine Tree Road. Cornell Lane is now posted, but people got tickets before it was posted, and on those occasions, he has paid the ticket. If they see any restau- rant patrons park along there, they direct them to where they can legally park. Mr. Haefeli said that if a crossing guard were posted to ensure safety and compliance, that's a good thing. It comes down to Mr. Brous ironing out the parking on behalf of his customers.As long as the Planning Board addresses the safety component, he has no objection. Mr. Beach said his interpretation is that the only concern on parking is pre-4:30 on weekdays, and that the rest of it isn't an issue, and if the Board has resolved the issue with the parking across the street and the owner of the business is having a crossing guard out front, then the concerns are being addressed. Ms. Balestra stated that that's the position of the planning staff as well. Ms. Brock stated that the agreement with Cornell that Mr. Brous provided is called a revocable li- cense that doesn't say how it can be revoked or when, but it's only for three days, and since the park- ing is available at the P&C lot right around the corner, it doesn't seem like the agreement is even necessary even if Cornell, for some reason, wanted to revoke it. She doesn't have an issue with this. PB Resolution No. 2014.026:SEQR, Preliminary and Final Site Plan Approval, Agava Restaurant Catering Tents, 381 Pine Tree Road, Tax Parcel No. 62.2.1.123 Moved by John Beach; seconded by Paula Wedemeyer WHEREAS: 1. This action is consideration of Preliminary and Final Site Plan Approval for the proposed modifi- cations to the catering tent proposal at the Agava Restaurant, located at 381 Pine Tree Road, Town of Ithaca Tax Parcel No. 62-2-1.123, Community Commercial Zone. The current proposal involves using one or more temporary tents (totaling up to 4,800 sq. ft.), with optional arrange- ments, in the Agava Restaurant rear parking lot for special events or parties. Cornell University, Owner; POD of Ithaca, D.B.A.Agava, Applicant; Todd Nau, Manager Agava Restaurant,Agent; and 2. This is an Unlisted Action for which the Town of Ithaca Planning Board is acting as lead agency for the environmental review with respect to Site Plan Approval; and Planning Board Meeting 05-13-2014 Page 6 of 12 3. The Planning Board, on May 13, 2014, has reviewed and accepted as adequate a Short Environ- mental Assessment Form Part 1, submitted by the applicant, Parts 2 and 3 prepared by Town Planning staff, an applicant narrative, a drawing showing one example of a possible tent layout on the site, date-stamped April 7, 2014, and other application materials; and 4. The Town Planning staff has recommended a negative determination of environmental signifi- cance with respect to the proposed Site Plan Approval; NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED: That the Town of Ithaca Planning Board hereby makes a negative determination of environmental significance in accordance with Article 8 of the Environmental Conservation Law and 6 NYCRR Part 617 New York State Environmental Quality Review for the above referenced actions as proposed, based on the information in the EAF Part 1 and for the reasons set forth in Parts 2 and 3, and, therefore, a Draft Environmental Impact Statement will not be required. Vote Ayes:Wilcox. Collins, Haefeli, Beach, Fogarty, Wedemeyer, Bosak AGENDA ITEM Public Hearing: Consideration of Preliminary and Final Site Plan approval for the proposed modifi- cations to the catering tent proposal at the Agava Restaurant, located at 381 Pine Tree Road, Town of Ithaca Tax Parcel No. 62-24.123, Community Commercial Zone. The current proposal involves us- ing one or more temporary tents (totaling up to 4,800 sq. ft.)with optional arrangements in the Aga- va Restaurant rear parking lot for special events or parties. Cornell University, Owner; POD of Itha- ca, D.B.A.Agava,Applicant; Todd Nau, Manager Agava Restaurant,Agent Mr. Wilcox opened the public hearing at 7:50 p.m. and closed the public hearing at 7:51 p.m. Ms.Wedemeyer asked about the six-times-per-year limitation. Ms. Balestra responded that most of the conditions were carried over from the original proposal. Mr. Brous said the likelihood of them doing six events per year - considering the weather in Ithaca - is small. He wanted it to be more than one - to have the flexibility if there were other events request- ed. He doesn't know why there would be a limit. He would like it just to be available as an option to them if there was a request. Mr. Haefeli speculated that the concern might be that it could lapse into being a permanent structure. Ms.Wedemeyer pointed out that they have a five-day limit. The Board has determined that the park- ing isn't going to be an issue.This is a need and she can't see why it wouldn't be fulfilled. She asked what value the limitation provides - either the tents are allowed or they're not. Planning Board Meeting 05-13-2014 Page 7 of 12 Mr. Bosak suggested that these things are written for the worst case: the Board is not writing this for this reasonable gentleman, but for his evil successor,who has found a genius reason for having a tent there permanently and so will tear it down every five days and put it up again the next day. The cost of the $50 permit is nothing compared to what you can put under a 4800-square-foot tent. Ms.Wedemeyer asked if it is the Board's mandate to limit a business's ability to operate and whether we want to say to businesses around the university that as long as we found something reasonable - i.e., putting up a tent temporarily for no longer than five days, making sure the tent is inspected, mak- ing sure the electrical is inspected - we don't want to provide them the ability to do that any more than some arbitrary number per year. Mr. Bosak responded that that arbitrary number was set way beyond anything they actually think they're going to use. Mr. Wilcox commented that the point is that the Board thought six was reasonable previously, and now you're rethinking that and asking why we're even limiting it at all; i.e., if it's okay to do it once, why is it not okay to do it as often as they think is reasonable. Mr. Haefeli said not just around the university, but anywhere in the Town. There's an element of precedent-setting. Ms. Collins stated that Mr. Brous said he can't imagine he would need it six times per year, but 10 years from now, he can come back. It's not set in stone; it can be changed in the future. Ms. Brock pointed out that their proposal asked for five to six times per year, and in the past 18 months, they've had tents three times.As far as why they did not need site plan approval previously, Mr. Bates gave them the tent permits as a favor to them last year with the understanding that they would need site plan approval this year. Mr. Wilcox said that because of the cost and time involved in putting these tents up, you need signifi- cant events - such as a graduation or Cornell reunion. Ms.Wedemeyer said she was comfortable with that. She was just uncomfortable with someone pull- ing an arbitrary number. PB Resolution No. 2014.027:Preliminary and Final Site Plan Approval, Agava Restaurant Catering Tents, 381 Pine Tree Road, Tax Parcel No. 62-2-1.123 Moved by Linda Collins; seconded by Yvonne Fogarty WHEREAS: 1. This action is consideration of Preliminary and Final Site Plan Approval for the proposed modifi- cations to the catering tent proposal at the Agava Restaurant, located at 381 Pine Tree Road, Town of Ithaca Tax Parcel No. 62-2-1.123, Community Commercial Zone. The current proposal involves using one or more temporary tents (totaling up to 4,800 sq. ft.),with optional arrange- ments, in the Agava Restaurant rear parking lot for special events or parties. Cornell University, Planning Board Meeting 05-13-2014 Page 8 of 12 Owner; POD of Ithaca, D.B.A. Agava, Applicant; Todd Nau, Manager Agava Restaurant,Agent; and 2. This is an Unlisted Action for which the Town of Ithaca Planning Board, acting as lead agency in the environmental review with respect to the project has, on May 13, 2014, made a negative de- termination of environmental significance, after having reviewed and accepted as adequate a Short Environmental Assessment Form Part 1, submitted by the applicant, and Parts 2 and 3 pre- pared by Town Planning staff; and 3. The Planning Board, on May 13, 2014 , has reviewed and accepted as adequate an applicant nar- rative, a drawing showing one example of a possible tent layout on the site, date-stamped April 7, 2014, and other application materials; NOW THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED: 1. That the Town of Ithaca Planning Board hereby waives certain requirements for Preliminary and Final Site Plan Approval, as shown on the Preliminary and Final Site Plan Checklists, having de- termined from the materials presented that such waiver will result in a significant alteration of neither the purpose of site plan control nor the policies enunciated or implied by the Town Board; and 2. That the Town of Ithaca Planning Board hereby grants Preliminary and Final Site Plan Approval for the proposed modifications to the catering tent proposal at the Agava Restaurant, including using one or more temporary tents (totaling up to 4,800 sq. ft.), with optional arrangements, in the Agava Restaurant rear parking lot for special events or parties, subject to the following condi- tions: a. the temporary tents shall be: i. used no more than six times a year ii. confined to the rear parking lot of the Agava restaurant iii. in place for no more than 5 days at a time, unless otherwise approved by a code enforce- ment officer iv. in the aggregate, no larger than 4,800 square feet in size; and b. if required by applicable law, a building permit(for a temporary membrane structure) is to be obtained from the Town of Ithaca each time a tent is installed. Vote Ayes:Wilcox, Collins, Haefeli, Beach, Fogarty, Wedemeyer, Bosak AGENDA ITEM Public Hearing: Consideration of Preliminary and Final Site Plan approval for the proposed re- placement of the Town of Ithaca's Christopher Circle Water Tank, located between Christopher Lane and Winthrop Drive, across from the east entrance to Christopher Circle, Town of Ithaca Tax Parcel No. 72.4-10, Medium Density Residential Zone. The proposal includes replacing the existing 500,000 gallon water tank(35' diameter, 70' tall)with a new 500,000 gallon tank(36' diameter, 72' Planning Board Meeting 05-13-2014 Page 9 of 12 tall) on the same property. The new tank will be constructed prior to the demolition of the existing tank to maintain water service. Town of Ithaca, Owner/Applicant; Creig Hebdon, Town Engineer, Agent Mr. Wilcox opened the public hearing at 8:01 p.m. Mr. Hebdon said the biggest change between what was presented for the Northeast Water Study and this proposal is that they could not figure out a way to demo the tank and put the new one in the existing tank's footprint, so they had to move the tank on the site. The other complicating point is that Sprint has up to a year to remove their old antennas from the existing tank.A letter was sent to them last month, so the time is ticking. Sprint will leave their equipment on the pad and run conduit along the backside of the pump station to the new tank. Because the proposal is for a glass-lined tank that can't be welded to, extra stiffening brackets will be put on top that antennas can be mounted on. The new tank is 72 feet tall as opposed to the existing 70-foot tank, but the tops of the tanks will be almost the same elevation because the location of the new tank on the site is two feet lower in eleva- tion than that of the existing tank. The new tank's overflow level is different from the existing steel tank.Also, there will now be an aerator. For most of the steel tanks, the water comes in the bottom and goes out the bottom. If the water level never drops more than half way down before rising back up,what you end up with is a slug of water at the top of the tank that never leaves the tank - the wa- ter ends up being stagnant because it never gets mixed up. With the aerator, the supply water will come up a tube on the side of the tank and spray out into an open-air area and then down into the tank. The water is drawn out the bottom. Basically, we're getting circulation in the tank artificially as opposed to waiting for it to do it by itself. Water in the tanks is tested all the time by the Health De- partment - at different levels in the tank. We've never had high numbers in that tank- there was always enough turnover - but as long as the tank is being replaced, the aerator is only a$10,000 add- on. The problem is not bacteria: as chlorine sits for a length of time in a water system, it changes into other compounds and "volatiles" off. The reason this proposal is before the Planning Board is that, although it's on the same site, the tank will be in a different location on the parcel, but still within the fenced-off area. Mr. Haefeli asked what Sprint will do in the interim. Mr. Hebdon responded that there won't be an interim. They'll build the new tank, then come back and remove the old tank. They're going to leave the pad because it's 18 inches thick with four rounds of rebar running through, making it expensive to get rid of. It will be left exposed because they're thinking of using it as a pad for the backhoe that sits up there all the time for emergency purposes because of the distance to the site from the Public Works Department. Mr. Wilcox closed the public hearing at 8:12 p.m. Mr. Haefeli asked whether the aerators would run all the time and whether they will increase energy use because they push water to the top of the tank. Mr. Hebdon responded that whenever water is pushed into the system, it will go through the aerator. That whole volume of water, when pumped into the bottom, is still being pushed to the top, and in- Planning Board Meeting 05-13-2014 Page 10 of 12 stead of pushing that whole column up, you're only pushing eight inches through the aerator. This is the fifth water tank out of 12 in the Town that will have a glass lining. PB Resolution No. 2014.028:Preliminary and Final Site Plan Approval, Christopher Circle Water Tank Replacement Project, Tax Parcel No. 72.-1-10 Moved by Jon Bosak; seconded by John Beach WHEREAS: 1. This action involves consideration of Preliminary and Final Site Plan approval for the proposed replacement of the Town of Ithaca's Christopher Circle Water Tank, located between Christo- pher Lane and Winthrop Drive, across from the east entrance to Christopher Circle, Town of Ithaca Tax Parcel No. 71-1-10, Medium Density Residential Zone. The proposal includes replac- ing the existing 500,000 gallon water tank(35' diameter, 70' tall)with a new 500,000 gallon tank (36' diameter, 72' tall) on the same property. The new tank will be constructed prior to the dem- olition of the existing tank to maintain water service. Town of Ithaca, Owner/Applicant; Creig Hebdon, Town Engineer, Agent; and 2. This is a Type II Action, pursuant to 6 NYCRR Section 617.5(c)(2) of the regulations of the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation promulgated pursuant to the State Envi- ronmental Quality Review Act, because the Action constitutes the "replacement, rehabilitation or reconstruction of a structure or facility, in kind, on the same site, including upgrading buildings to meet building or fire codes," and thus approval of the site plan is not subject to review under SEQR; and 3. The Planning Board, at a Public Hearing held on May 13, 2014, has reviewed and accepted as adequate a narrative, drawings prepared by the Town of Ithaca Public Works Department, includ- ing Sheet CV entitled "Town of Ithaca Northeast Water Improvements Location Plan," dated 3/31/2014; Sheet GP1, entitled "Town of Ithaca Christopher Tank Replacement Profile and Site Plan," dated 3/31/2014; Sheet MD 1 entitled "Town of Ithaca Christopher Circle Pump Station Details," dated 3/31/2014; and Sheet MD2 entitled "Town of Ithaca Standard Erosion and Sed- imentation Control Details," dated 2-22-07; and other application materials; NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED: 1. That the Town of Ithaca Planning Board hereby waives certain requirements for Preliminary and Final Site Plan Approval, as shown on the Preliminary and Final Site Plan Checklists, having de- termined from the materials presented that such waiver will result in a significant alteration of neither the purpose of site plan control nor the policies enunciated or implied by the Town Board; and 2. That the Town of Ithaca Planning Board hereby grants Preliminary and Final Site Plan Approval for the proposed Christopher Circle Water Tank Replacement project, located between Christo- pher Lane and Winthrop Drive, Town of Ithaca Tax Parcel No. 72.1-10, as described in the draw- ings listed in Whereas Number 3, subject to the following conditions: Planning Board Meeting 05-13-2014 Page 11 of 12 a. Submission of one original large-sized set of the final site plan and drawings on mylar,vel- lum, or paper, signed and sealed by the registered land surveyor, engineer, architect, or landscape architect who prepared the materials, prior to the application for a building permit; and b. Submission of a copy of the revised and executed lease agreement between Sprint/Independent Wireless One and the Town of Ithaca, for the re-location of the tele- communication antennas that are currently attached to the existing water tank, onto the new tank when it is constructed; and c. Submission of record of application for and proof of receipt of all necessary permits from any county, state, and/or federal agencies, prior to the issuance of any final electrical cer- tificates. Vote Ayes:Wilcox, Collins, Haefeli, Beach, Fogarty, Wedemeyer, Bosak AGENDA ITEM Persons to be heard - Nobody came forward to address the Board. AGENDA ITEM Approval of Minutes Mr. Bosak asked about Mr. Roberts's comment at the April 15th meeting regarding a pond at Ithaca College he said is causing water to run down to his property. Mr. Bosak expressed concern that a stormwater prevention facility that the Town approved is not doing its job. Mr. Wilcox responded that the pond is the stormwater detention area for the A&E Center. Mr. Rob- erts said that by removing hundreds of trees and putting in the pond, the water is not soaking into the ground and is instead running down next to his house. Mr. Hebdon explained that Public Works staff disagree with Mr. Roberts. Most homeowners on that side of the road have decided that the A&E Center has made their drainage worse. There is a history of the neighbors complaining that it is wet and now they claim it is worse. As far as Public Works staff can see from the design, they don't see how it's making anything worse. They believe that the storm- water for the A&E Center is working as designed. Ms.Wedemeyer asked how it is monitored. Mr. Hebdon responded that engineering inspections are done yearly.Also, with a pond that size,you would notice if it was draining out some way; it wouldn't be holding water like it does now, and you would notice a perceivable drop over time. With the way it's working, there are standing micro pools that don't drain out, and their draining would be the only way the water would be affecting the neighbors because it's being piped in a different direction, and they're uphill of it.They're saying that water is escaping through rock layers, but IC put a clay liner in it. Even when it hasn't rained in a week, you don't see a drop in the water level. Planning Board Meeting 05-13-2014 Page 12 of 12 Mr. Bosiik said it has been worrisome to him ever since the Board approved the site across from the hospital based on a 100-year flood at four inches, when he's getting over four inches a mile from there. At some point, someone is going to have to revise what is meant by a 100-year flood. Mr. Hebdon responded that the DEC is currently working with Cornell meteorology department to come up with new state-wide and Eastern Seaboard-wide numbers for designating the 10-year, 25-year, 50-year storm. The Town doesn't refer to an amount, but to the standard. For this particular neigh borhood, all we can do is look at historical documents: going back to the 1980s, most of those prop erties have had problems before. We had a five-year a period of very low rain; now it seems we're go ing back to a period of higher rain. The water tables have been rising in the last few years. Wliere it was wet in the 1980s, it's getting wet again. It's a cycle. PB Resolution No. 2014-029: Minutes of April 15, 2014 Moved by Fred Wilcox; seconded by Joseph Haefeli WHEREAS, the Town of Ithaca Planning Board has reviewed the draft minutes from the meeting on April 15; now therefore be it RESOLVED, the Town of Ithaca Planning Board approves the minutes, as amended, to be the final minutes of the meeting on April 15. Vote Ayes: Wilcox, Collins, Haefeli, Beach, Wedemeyer, Fogarty, Bosak AGENDA ITEM Other Business Ms. Wedemeyer announced her resignation due to changing commitments at work. She will stay on until someone fills the position. Ms. Brock said she spoke with Kristin Gutenberger, who said the Cornell tank will come down this summer and that she will give the Board a heads up so they can plan to attend. AGENDA ITEM Adjournment Upon a motion by Mr. Bosak, the meeting adjourned at 8:29 p.m. Respectfully submitted. ebra DeAugistine, Deputy TowryClbtk