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HomeMy WebLinkAboutPB Minutes 2014-05-20TOWN OF ITHACA PLANNING BOARD 215 North Tioga Street Ithaca, New York 14850 Tuesday. May 20. 2014 AGENDA 7:00 P.M. SEQR Determination: Stack Stone Camp at La Tourelle, 1150 Danby Road. 7:00 P.M. PUBLIC HEARING: Consideration of Preliminary and Final Site Plan approyal for the proposed Stack Stone Camp at La Tourelle located at 1150 Danby Road (NYS Route 96B), Town of Ithaca Tax Parcel No. 36-1-4.5, Planned Deyelopment Zone No. 1. The proposal inyolyes adding on the hotel grounds up to 25 seasonal luxury tents for oyemight lodging, a commons tent, an outdoor wood burning fire circle, a hot tub, and propane grills. The project also includes the conyersion of the existing tennis cottage for bathrooms, showers and office space. The Planning Board will also be considering a recommendation to the Town of Ithaca Town Board regarding the adoption of a local law to amend Chapter 271 of the Town of Ithaca Code to allow seasonal camping facilities at the La Tourelle Resort. Walter J. Wiggins, Owner/Applicant; Scott Wiggins, Managing Director of La Tourelle and Robert Frisch, Agents. 7:15 P.M. Consideration of a sketch plan for the proposed Greenways project located off Sunnyhill Lane and Strawberry Hill Road, Town of Ithaca Tax Parcel No.'s 60-1-34.2 and 60.1-1- 46.22, Medium Density Residential (MDR) and Multiple Residence Zones (MR). The proposal inyolyes the deyelopment of 46 townhouse units west of Eastwood Commons, fronting woonerf-style roads that will connect Sunnyhill Lane and Strawberry Hill Road. The project will also include new parking areas, open space, recreation areas, trails, walkways, landscaping, outdoor lighting, and stormwater facilities. Cornell Uniyersity, Owner; Ithaca Neighborhood Housing Services, Applicant; Peter Trowbridge, Trowbridge Wolf Michaels Landscape Architects, Agent. 4. Persons to be heard 5. Other Business 6. Adjournment 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 20, 2014 215 N. Tioga Street, Ithaca, NY 14850 Board Members Present: Fred Wilcox(Chair),Joseph Haefeli (Alternate),John Beach, Yvonne Fogarty, Paula Wedemeyer,Jon Bosak, Hollis Erb Staff Present: Sue Ritter, Director of Planning; Dan Tasman, Planner; Mike Smith; Planner; Bruce Bates, Director of Code Enforcement; 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 7:02 p.m. and accepted the secretary's posting of the public hearing notice. AGENDA ITEM SEQR Determination: Stack Stone Camp at La Tourelle, 1150 Danby Road Scott Wiggins, Noah Demarest, and Robert Frisch,were present for the newly named Ithaca by Fire- light at LaTourelle. The goal is to build a luxury campground of large tents on raised wooden plat- forms with king beds on frames. There will be a commons tent - a large circus-like tent - for check in and check out, continental breakfast, lounging, etc.Adjacent to that will be the fire pit. Bathrooms will be built by converting the old tennis cottage. The goal is to be operational with six tents by some time this summer and fully operational by next May with 10 tents, bathrooms, and the commons area. Ms. Erb asked questions about the following topics: • significance of the different color codes on the map • lighting • fire hydrants • food in tents/wild animals • ADA compliance Mr. Wiggins stated that dotted lines, solid lines, and colors on the drawing depict tents of four differ- ent sizes. Most are on the same size platform, but the tent sizes vary. It is not their intention to have electricity in the tents, but they might go in the direction of heat. Lighting will be by battery-operated lanterns; there will be solar-operated lights on the paths. Mr. Demarest said the lighting along the paths is to be determined, but it will be smaller landscape lighting. Robert Frisch is working on regulations for campgrounds. The nearest fire hydrant is outside the bistro, near the upper parking lot. They have not determined with the fire department whether that's okay, but the 20-foot-wide loop road is being built for emer- gency access. Planning Board Minutes 05-20.2014 Page 2 of 13 Regarding lock boxes, Mr. Frisch said they've been talking with their insurance provider on whether they should lock possessions up in the hotel or provide a way to lock them up at the site. Mr. Wiggins said there will be no food storage in the sleeping tents. If people want to eat lunch or dinner on the property, they can use the community tent or the restaurants. There will be security, but to what extent it will diminish activity of wild animals, he doesn't know. He has never seen a bear at LaTourelle. He hadn't thought that if you put bird feeders out, it might attract other animals, but he appreciated the caution. Mr. Frisch said that they'd like to move towards alternative energy in terms of using more solar in the future and putting in fully contained composting toilets. It would require variances. In order to get things rolling, these ideas wouldn't be implemented right away. He talked about the general light footprint of the tents. Mr. Wiggins pointed out that LaTourelle is already very eco-conscious. They will use china in the common tent and for room service breakfast just like they do in the hotel. Mr. Demarest said that all tents will be handicapped accessible just by the way the topography works. Mr. Wiggins said they will also have an ADA compliant tent close to the common tent and the bath- rooms. Ms. Brock said this Board can't require all tents to be ADA compliant. It's the same as applies to res- taurants, so if they meet the law for ADA-compliance, they don't have to make all tents compliant. Mr. Demarest said that the three spots by the pond are closest to the potential accessible parking and grading that would work. The pathway will be stone dust. The others paths would be wood-chips, but there will be a golf-cart service. Mr. Wiggins added that there is the intention and requirement to add an ADA compliant bathroom stall. Mr. Beach asked about the distance from the hydrant to the camping area. Mr. Demarest said the emergency access loop will provide service. The large pond is accessible to the access road. The details have been sent to Tom Parsons, but they haven't received his input. Mr. Bates said that in regard to fire department response, these are tents; they are not full-blown structures. Each tent has to have a fire-retardant shell. Most of the fire load is the content. The only thing the fire code covers is that emergency services need to get within 150 feet of the tent. It does not specify water supply. This is the fire code for membrane structures. There's not a lot that he can en- force. They will really be regulated by the Department of Health. The Town will be involved in the membrane structures. They have to supply a report every 30 days. The maximum time a membrane structure can stay up is 180 days. Ms. Fogarty asked what they plan to do with them in the winter. Mr. Frisch said that they'll be up from May through October. At end of the season, the contents will come out and be stored in their barn, and the tents will come down. Platforms stay in place and will be covered with tarps. Mr. Bosak asked what will be demolished. Planning Board Minutes 05-20.2014 Page 3 of 13 Mr. Wiggins responded that the fencing around the tennis court and the lights will come out, they're going to scrape some dirt and put down gravel to create a road, but the grade is already in place, they'll probably put a four-foot fence up around the parking lot, and they'll take out a bedroom and put in a bathroom in the cottage. Mr. Demarest pointed out that because it's a clay tennis court, it's got an underdrainage and gravel base, so there isn't an impervious asphalt surface. PB Resolution No. 2014-030:SEQR, Preliminary and Final Site Plan Approval, Stack Stone Camp at La Tourelle, 1150 Danby Road, Tax Parcel No. 36.1.4.5 Moved by Yvonne Fogarty; seconded by John Beach WHEREAS: 1. This action is consideration of Preliminary and Final Site Plan approval for the proposed Stack Stone Camp at La Tourelle located at 1150 Danby Road (NYS Route 96B), Town of Ithaca Tax Parcel No. 36-14.5, Planned Development Zone No. 1. The proposal involves adding on the ho- tel grounds up to 25 seasonal luxury tents for overnight lodging, a commons tent, an outdoor wood burning fire circle, a hot tub, and propane grills. The project also includes the conversion of the existing tennis cottage for bathrooms, showers and office space. Walter J.Wiggins, Own- er/Applicant; Scott Wiggins, Managing Director of La Tourelle and Robert Frisch,Agents, and 2. This is an Unlisted Action for which the Town of Ithaca Planning Board is acting in an uncoor- dinated review with respect to site plan approval, and 3. The Planning Board, on May 20, 2014, has reviewed and accepted as adequate a Short Environ- mental Assessment Form (SEAF) Part 1, submitted by the applicant, Parts 2 and 3 prepared by Town Planning staff, a narrative with photos dated April 9, 2014, plans titled "Existing Site Plan" (1_101) and "Layout Plan" (1_102), dated 4/28/2014 and prepared by Stream Collaborative, 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 the EAF Parts 2 and 3, and, therefore, a Draft Environmental Impact Statement will not be required. Vote Ayes:Wilcox, Haefeli, Beach, Fogarty, Wedemeyer, Bosak, Erb Planning Board Minutes 05-20.2014 Page 4 of 13 AGENDA ITEM Public Hearing: Consideration of Preliminary and Final Site Plan approval for the proposed Stack Stone Camp at La Tourelle located at 1150 Danby Road (NYS Route 96B), Town of Ithaca Tax Par- cel No. 36-1-4.5, Planned Development Zone No. 1. The proposal involves adding on the hotel grounds up to 25 seasonal luxury tents for overnight lodging, a commons tent, an outdoor wood burning fire circle, a hot tub, and propane grills. The project also includes the conversion of the ex- isting tennis cottage for bathrooms, showers and office space. The Planning Board will also be con- sidering a recommendation to the Town of Ithaca Town Board regarding the adoption of a local law to amend Chapter 271 of the Town of Ithaca Code to allow seasonal camping facilities at the La Tourelle Resort. Walter J. Wiggins, Owner/Applicant; Scott Wiggins, Managing Director of La Tourelle and Robert Frisch, Agents Mr. Wilcox opened the public hearing at 7:36 p.m. John Yengo said he has lived across the street from this site for the last 53 years. He advocated for the development of the tents. He believes there should be some clarification before a decision is made. He pointed out that Mr. Wiggins has 55 apartments on the site, and he's been approved for 80. This will give him an additional 25 living quarters. The Board needs to be specific when they say it's sea- sonal and temporary because you don't want this finessed into 105 permanent living quarters.A lot of things will be determined by the New York State Building Code. He wishes Mr.Wiggins the best of luck. The additional traffic doesn't bother him or the neighbors he's talked to.An important factor is that they don't open up another access and egress into the property. Mr. Wilcox closed the public hearing at 7:41 p.m. Mr. Smith said the Town Board has acted to adopt a local law for no more than 25 seasonal luxury tents. Mr. Wilcox asked why he feels this is a fad that will come and go. Mr. Wiggins responded that it's become a trend; he gave examples of luxury tents in other parts of the country,where upwards of $1500 per night is being charged. It's becoming a unique way of enjoying the outdoors in a much more pampered way. If this doesn't work, he's got some fancy bathrooms and an access road, and Mr. Frisch will take his tents and go play somewhere else. They think it has long-term potential not only as a long-going business, but as something unique to Ithaca. Ms. Fogarty asked what will happen if several of these tents are filled and a terrible storm comes in. Mr. Wiggins responded that this is camping and part of the agreement is that people understand that this is camping. The tents will meet code, which speaks to the wind issues, but as far as a rainy day vacation, they do have the benefit of having other hotel rooms available to people.A guest who doesn't like this experience has an opportunity to transfer to the other experience. For guests who would like to try this experience for a night, this allows them to. They'd like to make bad weather as least detrimental to the guest experience as possible: they've got a spa, multiple restaurants, and a big lobby area welcoming people to the big commons tent, which will be fairly weather-proof as well. Mr. Bates said that New York State is looking to adopt new regulations for membrane structures that when you obtain your permit, you have to provide an evacuation plan in case of storms. He advises people to have an evacuation plan; this is coming down the road, probably within three years. Planning Board Minutes 05-20.2014 Page 5 of 13 PB Resolution No. 2014.031: Preliminary and Final Site Plan Approval, Stack Stone Camp at La Tourelle, 1150 Danby Road, Tax Parcel No. 36.1.4.5 Moved by Hollis Erb; seconded by Joseph Haefeli WHEREAS: 1. This action is consideration of Preliminary and Final Site Plan approval for the proposed Stack Stone Camp at La Tourelle located at 1150 Danby Road (NYS Route 96B), Town of Ithaca Tax Parcel No. 36-1-4.5, Planned Development Zone No. 1. The proposal involves adding on the ho- tel grounds up to 25 seasonal luxury tents for overnight lodging, a commons tent, an outdoor wood burning fire circle, a hot tub, and propane grills. The project also includes the conversion of the existing tennis cottage for bathrooms, showers and office space. Walter J.Wiggins, Own- er/Applicant; Scott Wiggins, Managing Director of La Tourelle and Robert Frisch,Agents, and 2. This is an Unlisted Action for which the Town of Ithaca Planning Board, acting in an uncoordi- nated environmental review with respect to the project has, on May 20, 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, at a Public Hearing held on May 20, 2014, has reviewed and accepted as adequate a narrative with photos dated April 9, 2014, plans titled "Existing Site Plan" (L101) and "Layout Plan" (L102), dated 4/28/2014 and prepared by Stream Collaborative, and other applica- tion 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 Stack Stone Camp at La Tourelle, located at 1150 Danby Road, Town of Ithaca Tax Parcel No. 36-1-4.5, as described in Whereas #3 above, subject to the following conditions: a. submission to the Town of Ithaca Planning Department of one original copy of the final lay- out plan, signed and sealed by the registered landscape architect who prepared the layout plan, prior to the issuance of any building permit, and b. submission of evidence of the necessary approvals from the Tompkins County Health De- partment, prior to use of those facilities requiring the approval, and c. all lighting must comply with the Town of Ithaca Outdoor Lighting Law, Chapter 173. Planning Board Minutes 05-20.2014 Page 6 of 13 Vote Ayes:Wilcox, Haefeli, Beach, Fogarty, Wedemeyer, Bosak, Erb AGENDA ITEM Consideration of a sketch plan for the proposed Greenways project located off Sunnyhill Lane and Strawberry Hill Road, Town of Ithaca Tax Parcel No.'s 60-1-34.2 and 60.1-1-46.22, Medium Density Residential(MDR) and Multiple Residence Zones (MR). The proposal involves the development of 46 townhouse units west of Eastwood Commons, fronting woonerf-style roads that will connect Sunnyhill Lane and Strawberry Hill Road. The project will also include new parking areas, open space, recreation areas, trails,walkways, landscaping, outdoor lighting, and stormwater facilities. Cornell University, Owner; Ithaca Neighborhood Housing Services,Applicant; Peter Trowbridge, Trowbridge Wolf Michaels Landscape Architects, Agent Scott Reynolds, Director of Real Estate Development at INHS stated that a couple years ago, this pro- ject came before the board. It was a joint venture between Ciminelli and Neighborhood Housing to build 67 units on the same site. It was a mixed-market and affordable project. The land is owned by Cornell,which is looking for worker-based housing. The idea is to create housing close by for their employees, some who live outside the county. They took the project through sketch plan, but finan- cially the project was not viable. Ciminelli backed out, Neighborhood Housing stayed in. The afford- able side worked pretty well. This project is similar to Holly Creek in that it's an all-homeowner pro- ject for people who make 80% of the median income or less. It has a homeowners' association. The intent of this project is a bit different in that Cornell has asked, in exchange for providing the land at below-cost, for their employees to have the right of first refusal when the units come up for sale. After a certain period of time, if their employees don't take it, it becomes a unit for sale. The difference from the previous iteration of the project is now the project is smaller and it's an all-affordable pro- ject. Mr. Trowbridge said that a week ago, there was a neighborhood meeting that attracted 60-80 neigh- bors for the purpose of early comments and feedback. They came before the Board to get early input. The townhomes will be clustered. The central,woonerf-style driveway is pedestrian based, although there's room for emergency vehicles and private vehicles. It's a private roadway that connects two ends of Sunnyhill Circle. Zack Boggs, project manager, gave the presentation. Eastwood Commons is to the east of the site and the City and Eastwood Avenue are to the west. Access to the site is via Honness Lane to Harwick Drive. Mr. Trowbridge noted that they met with the City of Ithaca because the pathway system con- nects to Eastwood Avenue onto city streets; they were pleased with the interconnectedness between the municipalities. There are two different kinds of walkways; both of them are pedestrian ways. One of them is associated with the townhomes and the one running toward Eastwood Avenue is purely a pedestrian way. Mr. Boggs said the property is zoned MDR on the west side and MR on the east side.A municipal water line runs through the site with a 15-foot easement and a creek setback to the north,which is 50 feet from the bank. There's a remaining parcel that's proposed to be abandoned and used as part of the site plan. Planning Board Minutes 05-20.2014 Page 7 of 13 Mr. Trowbridge said that by"abandoned," they mean that they're requesting from the Town a por- tion of a street that never got fully developed. There was a third phase to Eastwood Commons that was never fully executed, so a substantial area of the site was cleared but never developed - only two buildings were constructed. There's a small street end that doesn't service any homes currently and they're looking at getting it abandoned. It's an extension of Strawberry Hill Circle, but it's fully em- bedded in these parcels. There's a complex set of approvals that will happen throughout the summer. The third phase of Eastwood Commons has explicit language associated with it as part of local law, and they will be going to the Town Board for modifications of the local law associated with that por- tion of the parcel that is shown as abandoned. Ms. Erb asked whether, by abandoned, he meant abandoned as the original proposed street and to be subsumed into the new development. Mr. Trowbridge said that was correct. Mr. Wilcox added that the Town had officially accepted that stub as part of the Town road system. Ms. Brock stated that New York highway law has different ways to abandon portions of a road and there is a section about abandonment of a terminus of a road,which might work in this case, so she's been communicating with INHS's lawyer about it. Mr. Boggs said the previous plan had twice the number of units. The concept of the site is the pedes- trian-oriented street,which allows cars and fire trucks to drive through with some token parking spac- es, but which gives precedence to the pedestrian. It's a walking path that allows for activity in the drive.There are parking clusters on either end. The three-unit townhomes are all the same floor plan, but by manipulating the roof lines and the colors, they're creating a lot of diversity within the archi- tecture. The project has three phases. The first phase will include a large portion of the retention pond for the development as well as a through drive that will connect the site, Phase II will include the trail connection out to Eastwood Avenue, and a third phase. Mr. Trowbridge pointed out that the private driveway will have a full set of utilities, which will be constructed in Phase I. Ms. Fogarty asked how they determined which would be the first phase constructed. Mr. Reynolds said that it was driven by the stormwater.They have to build the retention ponds first; there are two retention ponds for the first two phases and the third phase has its own retention pond because it's down hill. It makes sense to build everything around the ponds at the same time and be done with it. Mr. Trowbridge added that the third phase is topographically the lowest part of the site. Ms. Fogarty pointed out that Phase III is in the interior of the site. Mr. Trowbridge said that Phase III is the most difficult, is in a different zone, and will be the most expensive to construct. So building Phases I and II first makes sense because they continue along the private road and the utility extension they have to do in Phase 1. Phase III is almost a separate piece. Ms. Fogarty asked how all the equipment will get to Phase III - whether they will have to come through the rest of the community. Planning Board Minutes 05-20.2014 Page 8 of 13 Mr. Trowbridge said there would have to be an extension of the road into the Phase III area. But it's a smaller phase and will be a more traditional development. It doesn't have a through connection. Mr. Wilcox commented that the Board generally requires all the infrastructure, including the storm- water facilities, to go in first. The sketch plan shows the Phase III retention pond going in later, and that might be a problem. Ms. Erb said she is concerned that Phase III will be difficult for contractor parking, spoils, and mate- rials storage. Mr. Trowbridge said the topography of the site was partly what made the previous project economical- ly unfeasible. They will address these issues at site plan approval. Mr. Reynolds explained that the townhomes are a mixture of two-and three-bedroom units: 60% two bedroom and 40% three bedroom. The units are very similar to the Holly Creek units: 1100 square feet for two bedroom units and 1300 square feet for three. The first phase of Holly Creek is sold. The second phase is not finished, but three or four units are sold already. Mr. Hebdon said that the developers and public works staff have been meeting already regarding the infrastructure and what will be taken over by the Town and what they will retain. They're also discuss- ing snow plowing. Mr. Reynolds said they realize this is a complicated project and that there are a number of approvals, so they've been working with the Town staff for several months. They also have a long history where they put a lot of money and energy into this project a couple years ago and learned a lot. They think they have a good handle overall on how the pieces fit together. They have a detailed schedule,which they've reviewed with Ms. Ritter and Town staff, and they think it makes sense conceptually. Mr. Bosak said he didn't get the sense that this street design is fundamentally different from an ordi- nary street. Mr. Trowbridge responded that New York State law requires a 20-foot wide emergency lane and a heavy-duty surface. They're not proposing a European woonerf because it can't be.While he thinks it's not as fully cooked as it should be - this will continue to evolve - this is a view to understand it spacially in relation to the homes and the overall scale of the site. There will be designated parking spots, so people will park in spaces that are assigned to them. Mr. Boggs said the road is 20 feet wide from the outside of the concrete to the outside of the con- crete, which includes the three-foot ribbon curbs on either side. Mr. Trowbridge explained that it's not a mountable curb. It's not 20 feet of asphalt; there's a 14-foot asphalt lane and two three-foot wide ribbon curbs on either sides,which appear to be sidewalks, but they also allow for storm drainage like a gutter.What differentiates it is the color, not elevation - it's concrete versus asphalt. There is a grade difference in that it's slightly depressed. Mr. Tasman pointed out that page 4 of the staff memo talks about some of the concerns regarding the woonerf design. The rendering looks like a street profile you would see in a western city. There's Planning Board Minutes 05-20.2014 Page 9 of 13 nothing apparently wrong with that type of design, but staff's opinion is that if it's not really a woon- erf, don't call it a woonerf. Mr. Trowbridge said that from here on out, they'll call it something else. The woonerf was intended to inspire this. In Holland, the cobbles are very uneven, and if you fall down, people will say you should have been more careful. It's not a culture that's quite as litigious as ours. Mr. Reynolds said they originally came into this with a more pedestrian design, and that's where the woonerf concept came into this. Then they did some market study and discovered it would have been more like EcoVillage than Eastwood Commons, so this is compromise - they're trying to reduce the road width as much as possible and they'll probably do some traffic calming - things they haven't worked out. Mr. Trowbridge said people could use the gutters if they choose to, but there are two separate sets of sidewalks associated with the townhomes that are high and dry. Regarding the woonerf, Mr. Boggs said that in the packet, they included a couple of precedents - one in Washington and one in Colorado - of lower-density developments with a narrower street that still meets the code. This design is very similar to those examples: lower profile, smaller profile of asphalt, linear curbing on either side, select parking areas; it's not the standard 32 feet of asphalt with side- walks on both sides. Removing sidewalks on one side of the street encourages people to walk down the street. Ms. Fogarty said she is familiar with one of the communities in Colorado that has a brick street and is designed like this with pathways, but it's a development with eight or ten houses. It has a little park. All of the families spend the evenings outside.They play basketball together; the kids play in the park. It's very nice. They do have garages, though. Mr. Trowbridge said there are no garages, but they have been looking at storage. It is difficult to cre- ate affordable housing if they can't make it affordable.As part of previous project, they did a very expensive trip generation analysis, which they will append to the LEAF as opposed to redoing it. Be- cause there is half the number of units than in the previous design, they will prorate the trip genera- tion rather than spend several thousand dollars on a new traffic study. It is contemporary. Ms. Erb wanted to know if the traffic study would provide a calculation of total travel time, such as from the time a car rolls onto Honness Lane until it goes through another major intersection such as Route 79 or Route 366, to see how the total accumulated time changes. She asked whether those intersections are in the traffic study. Mr. Reynolds said no.When they did the sketch plan before, they commissioned a study. There were a lot of comments at the time about Pine Tree Road, so he asked SRF what they would do about that, and they said that the level of traffic is so far below what they would consider [inaudible], that they consider it to be superfluous. Mr. Bosak said that this issue came up a couple years ago and it is a serious defect in the way traffic engineers study these things. They look at the number of seconds this adds to get through a particular intersection, but that isn't the interesting question, which is:what is the travel time from the time Planning Board Minutes 05-20.2014 Page 10 of 13 someone comes to a dead stop half way up the hill until the time they get through all three intersec- tions, because that's what everybody experiences, so that's what the Board wanted to know about. The answer was basically that the engineering methodology is inadequate to answer that question.A resi- dent shared with the Board that she had spent several days doing just that. This is just a different way of asking the question. Mr. Bosak wanted to make clear that that's the issue. Mr.Wilcox questioned whether the level of traffic on that road warrants the same amount of study that the Board required for a development on West Hill. The Board knows about the traffic problems on the West end. Mr. Bosak said that that is a good question, but it is not what he was getting at. He was explaining the methodological problem that is making him jump when he hears "traffic study." He agreed with Mr. Wilcox that the problem was the traffic at the bottom of the hill in the City. His own comment wasn't along the lines of requiring a certain action. Intuitionally, he wouldn't be surprised to find out that this traffic was a level of traffic impact that's below what would require that level of study. He was just indicating that when they come back, this has been an issue for the Board. Ms. Erb added that left-hand turns at either end of Honness Lane at rush hours are disastrous. She is very concerned that she wants for the residents of this development to have access to the Rec Way. She's concerned that they will cut through Eastwood Commons without an agreement in place that allows mutual access, a designated route from the north end that takes people straight to the rec way and only to the rec way, or how they'll keep people from attempting that.At the same time, she would love it if the people from Eastwood Commons could make use of the path through the new neighborhood. Mr. Wilcox asked if she was suggesting that people shouldn't walk on public roads to get to the Rec Way. Ms. Erb said she didn't think there's a public cut-through from Strawberry Hill Road to the Rec Way. Ms. Ritter stated that Eastwood Commons is in violation of the current law that was written specifi- cally to allow Eastwood Commons to happen. There is a statement in the law that says there must be a trail connection to the East Ithaca Recreation Way, and, apparently, when Phase I was developed, the developer put in that connection and the residents took it out. When they went on to the next phase, there was a lot of discussion at the Town Board level, and the Town Board decided they would deal with that at another time. Ms. Erb said she thinks the time has come. If she were living there and trying to walk or bike to Cor- nell, there is no question that she would not walk all the way out to Honness Lane to go the East Ith- aca Rec Way. She would attempt to go up what is labeled "Strawberry Hill Road" and make that cut up through the northeast corner to hit the Rec Way. She would like to see that formalized; she would like to see the Eastwood Commons come into compliance with that, but at the same time, she would like there to be some reciprocity, so residents from Eastwood Commons could come through and use the other route. Mr. Reynolds responded that they've had a preliminary discussion with the Eastwood Commons board. The Town law complicates it further;you can't just make people do pedestrian connections off Planning Board Minutes 05-20.2014 Page 11 of 13 their property if they choose not to. Most of the Eastwood Commons connection is on public roads, but the last 75 feet or so are a driveway and a path on private property, and vice versa if they were to walk through Greenways as well. Mr. Bosak said that if the legal agreement was for that connection, the answer is to exercise that agreement. That's not the job of the applicant. Mr. Wilcox agreed that they can only act on their own property. Ms. Erb said she will be very interested in seeing how they will do traffic calming on the street. She doesn't see space for a small playground with equipment, an area for a community garden, or a long, narrow, four-foot-high fenced area where people can let their dogs run. Mr. Wilcox invited the public to speak. Joan Carlson, 341 Strawberry Road, said that no one addressed total access to the development. One access is down Wildflower Drive.That would increase traffic. She doesn't think the ponds they put in really address the water runoff. Diane Conneman wanted to know about the steepness of the slope between Eastwood Commons and the project. Roger Freeman, new resident of Eastwood Commons, stated that new things happen and you have to adjust to them. He was really surprised that solar is not part of the project. The price of solar has gone down dramatically. Any added expense to the units will be offset by low utility costs. When he moved here, he was looking for a place to live. He drove through Eastwood Commons and there's nothing common about it. He thinks it's very beautiful and tranquil. He would like the new development to pick up on it. He has seen the type of building they're proposing a thousand times. He wants it to resemble the best parts of Eastwood Commons. In Eastwood Commons, the utilities are built into the fences.Just because it's affordable doesn't mean it can't have unique qualities. The beauty of Eastwood Commons is that it fits into the landscape. He thinks the fronts of the proposed project are nice, but the backs are neglected. Eva Hoffmann commented that the big thing is the traffic on Honness Lane ever since the land north and south of Honness lane has been built up. It's not just local traffic, but also through traffic cutting through the neighborhood. She understands that it's not easy to create affordable housing and agreed with Mr. Freeman that one should try to make the development as nice as possible.A lot of the hous- ing built around Ithaca that's less expensive looks alike. She'd like to see them look into energy effi- ciency - not just providing affordable housing sources, but making living here more affordable. She went to a Save the Rain presentation at the library about using techniques, such as creating things to slow down the water, to prevent polluted water from draining into Onondaga Lake. It costs more up front, but there are savings in the long run. She thought that concrete next to the asphalt will make the water rush through. She asked about guest parking. Mr. Hebdon responded that the save-the-rain concept is good in many ways. He pointed out that the Town does not have a combined sewer system - stormwater does not go through our sewage treat- Planning Board Minutes 05-20.2014 Page 12 of 13 ment plant. Most older cities have combined sewer and stormwater systems. We're a newer communi- ty in that our water and sewer systems are completely separate. Mr. Trowbridge said there are topological differences between Eastwood Commons and the proposed project. There's a six-to-eight foot vertical grade change; it's a 3:1 slope between Eastwood Commons and the closest townhouses in their project. It would be difficult for people to walk up the slope be- tween the two projects; it's more likely that people will walk on the sidewalks. Ms. Erb said that shrub hedges would discourage children from climbing up the slope to sled down. Some additional barriers besides gradient might protect it. Mr. Trowbridge replied that they're not shrubbing it out. They would have to assess whether creating a barrier is the best thing for all parties - sometimes the beauty of the landscape is a shared landscape rather than a segregated landscape. Mr. Reynolds addressed energy efficiency. Like all INHS projects, all these homes will be LEED certi- fied and Energy Star certified. INHS typically certifies at a high Gold, almost Platinum, level. Their homes qualify for Energy Star, but are usually about 30 percent lower than the Energy Star standard - typically less than half of the building code. Holly Creek Phase I just won a national sustainability award from the Department of Energy Challenge Home Program for its total look at energy efficiency and sustainability. These homes are based on that model. Mr. Trowbridge said that the number of parking spaces is based on INHS's past experience with simi- lar projects. Mr. Wilcox commented that there will be confusion with the use of the term "affordable" - he's al- ready heard someone say "low income." Their target market is 80% or less of median income. Mr. Reynolds said these units will be in their housing trust, in which INHS owns the land in perpetu- ity. Under that model, the units are also permanently affordable. They accomplish this through a shared equity arrangement,where they cap the gain people make in return for a lower price. The units will sell in the range of$120,000 to $140,000. Typical incomes are in the $40,000 to $50,000 range, depending on family size and unit size. Family sizes tend to be small, which is common in Itha- ca. As part of the housing trust, they require owner occupancy and they check owner occupancy every year. If not, they're in violation of their lease and have to leave their home. That never happens; they always work it out and it's usually a misunderstanding.As far as income guidelines, you have to make enough money to get a bank mortgage, but not so much money that you're above the income guide- lines. That tends to make the bank of qualified buyers relatively narrow. It's just not possible to get a bank mortgage - even with INHS's down payment assistance - making under those income guide- lines. Cornell's vision is that it will be primarily Cornell employees. Whether that turns out to be the case isn't of interest to INHS. There's a huge pent-up demand, as seen by Holly Creek, so they don't expect to have any problems selling these units. Mr. Bosak said he appreciates the LEED certification. That's nothing like a passive house or zero en- ergy use: that would be expensive.A recent applicant who did passive house construction estimated that the units would sell for about$300,000, which is not INHS's price point. He understands that. Even so, it would make him feel good if they could do what they can beyond just LEED certification; Planning Board Minutes 05-20-2014 Page 13 of 13 for example, it's not that problematic or new tech to put in some solar water heaters. What they can do will be appreciated. Mr. Reynolds said they're building right at the limit that's affordable as far as energy efficiency. Every dollar additional that goes toward energy efficiency, they have to raise additional subsidy, and they don't get any of the return. Their houses downtown, for example, have gas bills that typically average $60 per month and electric bills of $30 to $40, so there would be very little return for the people and they're not willing to pay more, so it squeezes INHS's market more and more because people have to fit into the slot. Regarding runoff, Mr. Bosak said what will happen is that they'll engineer it for the current code, and our engineer is going to sign off on it, and Mr. Bosak is going to be very unhappy because what they've started to see is that the current code no longer accords with reality. The one hundred year flood is four inches in 24 hours; he got almost five inches in 24 hours last year. In Groton a couple weeks ago, it was reported that some people got six inches in less than 24 hours. The Board can't le gally force INKS to overengineer this, but he'll be unhappy if they don't when it comes to runoff be cause that's the real condition. Ms. Fogarty asked how Cornell will get the word out to their employees that this housing is available to them. Mr. Reynolds responded that they've started to work with Cornell's human resources people to de velop ongoing education as well as outreach in preparation for this. Cornell's supposition is that if you build it, they will come, and that some proportion will come from outside the county and move in. He's not sure whether they'll accomplish this through job classifications, etc. Ms. Fogarty stated that the community she spoke of in Colorado is also affordable housing, and what they did was wire all the houses so they could be solar-ready and gave the buyers the option to put in solar or not. AGENDA ITEM Persons to be heard - Nobody came forward to address the Board. AGENDA ITEM Adjournment Upon a motion by Hollis Erb, the meeting adjourned at 9:34 p.m. Respectfully submitted. Debra DeAugi^tme, Deputy \Clerk