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Home My WebLink AboutPB Minutes 2018-08-07TOWN OF ITHACA Pl,.A.-N,,NJNG BOARD Shirley A. Raffensperger Board Room, Town Hall 215 North'i-loga Street Ithaca, New York 14850 TA da -y A ._-.9_�usti,.2018 AGENDA 7 : 0() P. N4 SEOR Deterininatiow Sprint Co -Location or) Tompkins Count.y South Hill Conninu n Ica( ion Tower, Ithaca (,olleoe Campus. C� 7:00 P.M. PUBLIC HEARIN(,: Consideration of Prehirrinary air(] Final Site Plan Approval for the proposed wireless telecorrimunication facility located at 953 11kiriby Road (NYS Route 96B),Town of Ithaca Tax Parcel No. 41.-1- C),2, Mediurn Density Residential Zone. The proposal involves co-locallillu six wireless teleco I III nu 11 icati oils antennas onto the existing Tompkins C(itnity Eniergency Communication Tower, located on the, Ithaca College Campus. 'file antenna will be mounted al the 74.5' level oil the existing tower, The proposal also includes installing equipment cabinets on, a 10' x 10' equiptilent platforrn within the existing fenced cornpt°)und. New electrical and fiber utilities will be installed to the proposed equipment platforni. Ithaca College, Owner; Sprint(7orn, Inc., Applicant; Robert Willson, [),roject Manager, Pyrat'i'lid Network Services, LU, , , Agent. 7:15 RN4. C."onsideration ofconcurrence with the City offthaca Planning and Development Board as the lead agency to, co(m,dinate the environmental review of the proposed Cornell University North CallIpUs Residential Expansion. Cornell University proposes to construct two residential corn,plexes (one for sophomores and the other for freshmen) located oil North CarnpLus between Tripharniner Road, Jessup Road, Pleasant (3rove Road and Cradit 1"arin Drive, The sophomore village will have four residential buildings with 800 new beds and associated program space totaling 299,,900 St° and a 1,20�O wart, 6O SFAirling facility. 1-7 C, Buildings for the sophomore village will be located entirely in the city, while a small porlior) ol tile site work is proposed for the Village of Cayuga Heights. The freshman village will have three new residential buildings, each spanning the City arid Town of Ithaca tritinicipal line, with a total of 401,200 SF zinc] 1,200 new beds and associaled prograin space — 223,400 SF of'which, is in the city and 177,8(110 SF of which is 1n, the town. 'rhe building heights will be between two and six stories, The proJect is in three zoning districts: the, U-1 zoning district in the ciLy; Low, Density Residential zone in the town; and the. Multiple Housing District wvithin the village. The pro.ject also illCkides VatiOUS OUtdoor amenities, including phiza, amphitheater, open lawns, landscaped spaces, and walkways, Cornell University, Owner/Applicant; Kimberly Michaels, Trowbridge Wolf Michaels L�,,aidscape Architects LLP, Agent, 1� 4, Persons to be licard Approval of Minutes: R11)" 17, 2018 6. Other Business AdJOL11-11111CIA Susan Ritter. Director of Planning 273-1747 N(aTE: IF ANY "w OFTHE PLANNING BOARD IS I INABLE,rOATTEND, PLEASE NOTIFY SANDY POLCE AT 273-1747 err SI1()LCE(,n, I OYN N,l I'l I NCA.NYJ'S. ... ....... A qcal" f four (4) members is necessary to conduct Planning Board business,) Accessing Meeting Materials Online Site Plan and Subdivision applications and, associated pr(rjcct inaterials are accessible electronically oil the Town's welisite under "Planning Rmird" on the "Meeting Agendas" pagetw� Lug L TOWN OF ITHACA PLANNING BOARD NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARINGS Tuesday, August 7, 2018 By direction of the Chairperson of the Planning Board, NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that a Public Hearing will be held by the Planning Board of the Town of Ithaca on Tuesday, August 7, 2018, at 215 North Tioga Street, Ithaca; N.Y., at the following time and on the following matter: 7:00 P.M. Consideration of Preliminary and Final Site Plan Approval for the proposed wireless telecommunication facility located at 953 Danby Road (NYS Route 96B), Town of Ithaca Tax Parcel No. 41.-1-30.2, Medium Density Residential Zone. The proposal involves co - locating six, wireless telecommunications antennas onto the existing Tompkins County Emergency Communication Tower, located on the Ithaca College Campus. The antenna will be mounted at the 74.5' level on the existing tower. The proposal also includes installing equipment cabinets on a 10' x 10' equipment platform within the existing fenced compound. New electrical and fiber utilities will be installed to the proposed equipment platform. Ithaca College, Owner; SprintCom, Inc., Applicant; Robert Willson, Project Manager, Pyramid Network Services, LLC, Agent. Said Planning Board will at said time and said place hear all persons in support of such matters or objections thereto. Persons may appear by agent or in person. Individuals with visual impairments, hearing impairments or other special needs, will be provided with assistance as necessary, upon request. Persons desiring assistance must make such a request not less than 48 hours prior to the time. of the public hearing. Susan Ritter Director of Planning 273-1747 Dated: Monday, July 30, 2018 Publish: Wednesday, August 1, 2018 TOWN OF IT AC AFFI'DAVITCIF POSTING AND PUBLICATION 1, Sandra Polce, being duty sworn, depose and say that. I am as Senior Typist for the'rown of Ithaca,Tompkins County, New Yoi,-k-, that. the following Notice has been duty posted on the sign L-1 board of the Town oflthaca and that sifid Notice has been duty published in the local new,spapel" The Ithaca JOLImal. Notice Of Public fjearing!i�o-he Digid�i�_tlia Town ol'Ithaea Planningp,, in theTown oflthaca To w i i H a 11 21 N Orth Ti S jj e �ct, I tI m �ca N e �w Y �or k -,--L 1 T arc Aad -Lw st7,2018coji.i..i.i..i..e ncin, at 7:00 P.M., asvei� attached. Location of Sian Board USCd for- Posting: Towi, Cl -kSigLi 215 North T. Lo pec 1, i-- et Date ot'Posting: July 30, 2018 Date of Publication: AugUS1,01,2018 Sandra Polce, Seniot,Tyfaint Town of Ithaca STA-rEOFNEWYORK), SS� COUNTY OFT(. MPKINS) Sworn to and SUbscribed, before me this 1" day of August 2018. Notary PLiblic '4 DEBORAI-4 KELLEY Notary R b �c&ae of New York No. OIKE6025073 OuaNfied in Schuy!ar CfcLjnty Commi6sion Exp�res May f7,20il T144, CFA Town of Ithaca Planning Board 215 North Tioga Street August 7, 2018 7:00 p.m. PLEASE SIGN -IN Please Print Clearly. Thank You Name Address TOWN OF ITHACA PLANNING BOARD MEETING Tuesday, August 7, 2018 215 N. Tioga Street, Ithaca, NY 14850 Town Planning Board Members Present: Liebe Meier Swain (Chair), John Beach, Yvonne Fogarty, Jon Bosak Town Staff Present: Susan Ritter; Director of Planning; Chris Balestra, Planner; Bruce Bates, Director of Code Enforcement; David O'Shea, Civil Engineer; Susan Brock, Attorney for the Town; Debra DeAugistine, Deputy Town Clerk Call to Order Ms. Meier Swain called the meeting to order at 7:07 p.m. AGENDA ITEM SEQR Determination: Sprint Co -Location on Tompkins County South Hill Communication Tower, Ithaca College Campus Robert Willson was present on behalf of Sprint. He stated that this is a straightforward colocation; it's what the tower was built for. The tower is getting full, so they're installing the antenna as high as they can, at 74.5 feet. Inside the fenced compound around the base of the tower they'll install a 10 -ft by 10 -ft platform on concrete piers. The platform will hold cabinets, and some cables will run from the platform up the inside of the monopole to the antennas. There's already an electrical service and an empty meter slot to plug in the meter. Ms. Balestra explained that we needed a full EIS because that's how our telecommunications law is written. Mr. Bosak took issue with how item k in Part 1, page 7 of the EIS was answered. He stated that this is the second of three applicants in the last couple of years who have thought that a question about annual electricity demand would be answered in amps. An amp is a measure of instantaneous current flow; this is requiring an answer in kilowatt hours or megawatt hours. The reason is so we can determine whether the annual energy demand rises to a certain level. He doesn't think it would, but without a number, lie can't say that. Ms. Brock suggested putting less than 2500 kW hours per year. Mr. Bosak used figures from the table in Section 5 of the Radio Frequency - Electromagnetic Energy Compliance Report from the packet to calculate the worst-case energy usage scenario. If the transmit- ters are all broadcasting at that stated power 24/7, you come out with a little under 4000 kW hours per year. He said he'd feel comfortable saying that it would be no more than 4 MW hours per year. He requested that staff start keeping an eye out for things like this. PB Resolution No. 2018-026: SEQR, Sprint Telecommunication Facility Co -Location, 953 Danby Road, Tax Parcel No. 41.4-30.2 Planning Board Minutes 08.07.2018 Page 2 of 6 Moved by John Beach; seconded by Yvonne Fogarty WHEREAS: I. This action is Consideration of Preliminary and Final Site Plan Approval for the proposed wireless telecommunication facility located at 953 Danby Road (NYS Route 96B), Town of Ithaca Tax Parcel No. 41.4-30.2, Medium Density Residential Zone. The proposal involves co -locating six wireless telecommunications antennas onto the existing Tompkins County Emergency Communication Tower, located on the Ithaca College Campus. The antenna will be mounted at the 74.5' level on the existing tower. The proposal also includes installing equipment cabinets on a 10'x 10' equipment platform within the existing fenced compound. New electrical and fiber utilities will be installed on the proposed equipment platform. Ithaca College, Owner; SprintCom, Inc., Applicant; Robert Willson, Project Manager, Pyramid Network Services, LLC, Agent; and 2. This is an Unlisted Action for which the Town of Ithaca Planning Board is acting as lead agency in the environmental review with respect to the telecommunications proposal; and 3. The Planning Board, on August 7, 2018, has reviewed and accepted as adequate a Full Environ- mental Assessment Form Part 1, submitted and prepared by the applicant; Parts 2 and 3, prepared by Town Planning staff; a narrative, drawings titled "Sprint NSB, Upstate New York Central, AL90XC462A, 953 Danby Road, Ithaca, NY 14850, Tompkins County," prepared by C & S Engineers, Inc., including sheets T-1, SP -100, C-101, C-201, C-501, and C-502 , dated 7-18-18, and other application materials; and 4. The Town Planning staff has recommended a negative determination of environmental signifi- cance with respect to the proposed project; 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 action 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, an Environmental Impact Statement will not be required. Vote Ayes: Meier Swain, Beach, Fogarty, Bosak AGENDA ITEM Public Hearing: Consideration of Preliminary and Final Site Plan Approval for the proposed wireless telecommunication facility located at 953 Danby Road (NYS Route 96B), Town of Ithaca Tax Parcel No. 41.4-30.2, Medium Density Residential Zone. The proposal involves co -locating six wireless telecommunications antennas onto the existing Tompkins County Emergency Communication Tower, located on the Ithaca College Campus. The antenna will be mounted at the 74.5' level on the existing tower. The proposal also includes installing equipment cabinets on a 10' x 10' equipment Planning Board Minutes 08.07.2018 Page 3 of 6 platform within the existing fenced compound. New electrical and fiber utilities will be installed to the proposed equipment platform. Ithaca College, Owner; SprintCom, Inc., Applicant; Robert Willson, Project Manager, Pyramid Network Services, LLC, Agent Ms. Meier Swain opened the public hearing at 7:25 p.m. Hearing no one, she closed the public hearing at 7:25 p.m. To a question from Mr. Bosak regarding coverage outside the city, Mr. Willson said that lie has two more projects coming up in the town of Ithaca, both towers owned by Cornell. PB Resolution No. 2018-027: Sprint Telecommunication Facility Co -Location, 953 Danby Road, Tax Parcel No. 41.4-30.2 Moved by Yvonne Fogarty; seconded by John Beach WHEREAS: This action is Consideration of Preliminary and Final Site Plan Approval for the proposed wireless telecommunication facility located at 953 Danby Road (NYS Route 96B), Town of Ithaca Tax Parcel No. 41.4-30.2, Medium Density Residential Zone. The proposal involves co -locating six wireless telecommunications antennas onto the existing Tompkins County Emergency Com- munication Tower, located on the Ithaca College Campus. The antenna will be mounted at the 74.5' level on the existing tower. The proposal also includes installing equipment cabinets on a 10' x 10' equipment platform within the existing fenced compound. New electrical and fiber utilities will be installed on the proposed equipment platform. Ithaca College, Owner; Sprint - Com, Inc., Applicant; Robert Willson, Project Manager, Pyramid Network Services, LLC, 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 proposal, made a negative determination of envi- ronmental significance, after having reviewed and accepted as adequate a Full Environmental Assessment Form Part 1, submitted and prepared by the applicant, and Parts 2 and 3 prepared by staff; and The Planning Board, at a public hearing on August 7, 2018, has reviewed and accepted as adequate a narrative, drawings titled "Sprint NSB, Upstate New York Central, AL90XC462A, 953 Danby Road, Ithaca, NY 14850, Tompkins County," prepared by C & S Engineers, Inc., including sheets T-1, SP -100, C-101, C-201, C-501, and C-502 , dated 7-18-18, and other applica- tion materials; NOW, THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED: That the Planning Board hereby waives certain requirements for Preliminary and Final Site Plan Approval, as shown on the Preliminary and Final Site Plan Checklists, having determined from the materials presented that such waiver will result in a significant alteration of neither the pur- pose of site plan control nor the policies enunciated or implied by the Town Board; and Planning Board Minutes 08.07.2018 Page 4 of 6 2. That the Town of Ithaca Planning Board hereby grants Preliminary and Final Site Plan Approval for the proposed wireless telecommunication facility located at 953 Danby Road (NYS Route 96B), Town of Ithaca Tax Parcel No. 41.4-30.2, as shown on the plans and materials referenced in Whereas #3 above. Vote Ayes: Meier Swain, Beach, Fogarty, Bosak AGENDA ITEM Consideration of concurrence with the City of Ithaca Planning and Development Board as the lead agency to coordinate the environmental review of the proposed Cornell University North Campus Residential Expansion. Cornell University proposes to construct two residential complexes (one for sophomores and the other for freshmen) located on North Campus between Triphammer Road, Jessup Road, Pleasant Grove Road and Cradit Farm Drive. The sophomore village will have four residential buildings with 800 new beds and associated program space totaling 299,900 SF and a 1,200 seat, 66,300 SF dining facility. Buildings for the sophomore village will be located entirely in the city, while a small portion of the site work is proposed for the Village of Cayuga Heights. The freshman village will have three new residential buildings, each spanning the City and Town of Ithaca municipal line, with a total of 401,200 SF and 1,200 new beds and associated program space - 223,400 SF of which is in the city and 177,800 SF of which is in the town. The building heights will be between two and six stories. The project is in three zoning districts: the U -I zoning district in the city; Low Density Residential zone in the town; and the Multiple Housing District within the village. The project also includes various outdoor amenities, including a plaza, amphitheater, open lawns, landscaped spaces, and walkways. Cornell University, Owner/Applicant; Kimberly Michaels, Trowbridge Wolf Michaels Landscape Architects LLP, Agent Ms. Meier Swain stated that this project creates a conflict for her, so she'll have to recuse herself. This meant that the board couldn't vote on the lead agency resolution because there weren't enough members for a quorum. Ms. Ritter noted that three members informed staff that day that they couldn't attend the meeting. Ms. Brock said the lead agency status would have to be voted on by August 26th. Catherine Wolf, Trowbridge Wolf Michaels Landscape Architects LLP, said they had submitted their EIS and supporting studies. They were at the city planning board meeting two weeks ago when the city declared their intention to be lead agency. She said the project will create an environment that meets the developmental and programming needs for the students at this stage of their academic career. This will result in building a cohesive community. It will improve the student experience, provide support in their formative years, and provide surge space for Cornell to be able to undertake some deferred maintenance, specifically Balch Hall. Once the project is completed, it will allow Cornell to admit 900 additional undergrads and provide housing for them. The project also supports municipal and county housing goals. It is predominately located in the city with a small amount of sidewalk work in Cayuga Heights. The sophomore site, which is entirely in the city, will contain 800 beds and the new dining facility. The first-year site, which spans the city and the town, will have 1200 Planning Board Minutes 08.07.2018 Page 5 of 6 beds. The project will be constructed consistent with the existing zoning. One structure will be removed. The two-story dining facility on the sophomore site will serve all of North Campus and will replace the dining that currently exists at Robert Purcell Union, which will continue as a conference and community center. The first-year site will be a traditional quadrangle. The existing parking lot adjacent to Appel Commons will be reduced in size to accommodate the building, and two of the existing recreation fields and one basketball court will be removed. Ms. Wolf said the report they submitted touches on aesthetic resources, energy, and transportation. It contains views from many different viewpoints as they exist now and with the proposed buildings inserted. The placement, massing, and heights of buildings will not change from what is in the report; the architectural details are being developed and are evolving. Taitem Engineering prepared a detailed study of the energy. At the September 4th meeting, they'll give a detailed presentation focused on the content and conclusions of the energy study. A special study was done on traffic and transportation; it revealed that most North Campus students walk, bike, or bus to central campus. As a result, there's not a large demand for parking on North Campus, so parking will be reduced by 396 underutilized spaces. Vehicular traffic impacts to the surrounding street network are expected to be minimal. Twice a day, two TCAT buses have reached capacity; the university is working with TCAT on solutions to that. This issue will also be addressed in more detail at the next meeting. Regarding dissemination of information, she said that because the project spans three municipalities, they're working with all three municipalities on a parallel track. They're communicating with the planners to coordinate sharing of information and coordinating the process of how information will flow among the three planning boards. They're giving the same presentation to all three municipalities. Mr. Bosak wondered if the city automatically becomes lead agency if the town board does nothing and lets it time out. Ms. Brock said yes, and asked if any board members had an issue with the city being lead agency; no one indicated having a problem with it. Ms. Ritter pointed out that if the board doesn't need a big discussion, we can just hold a special meeting at some point when we can get a quorum. It can happen any time, not just in the evening. The sole purpose is to vote on the resolution. Staff said they'd poll board members to find a time to hold a quick meeting. AGENDA ITEM PB Resolution No. 2018-028: Minutes of July 17, 2018 Moved by Yvonne Fogarty; seconded by Jon Bosak RESOLVED, the Planning Board approves the minutes of July 17, 2018, as amended. Vote Ayes: Meier Swain, Beach, Fogarty, Bosak Planning Board Minutes 08.07-2018 Page 6 of 6 AGENDA ITEM Persons to be heard - No one came forward to address the board. Adjournment Upon a motion by John Beach, the meeting adjourned at 8:04 p.m. Respectfully Submitted, 6,-b,ra DeAugi,,9tinP,-Deputy,,,,T,o' w"n" lerk