HomeMy WebLinkAboutPC Minutes 2022-06-16 Town of Ithaca Planning Committee
Thursday, June 16, 2022
(3:00 PM via Zoom)
Minutes
Committee members: Rich DePaolo, Chair; Rod Howe & Margaret Johnson
Board/Staff members: Director of Planning, Susan Ritter; Planners, Dan Tasman and Nick Goldsmith;
Director of Code Enforcement Marty Mosely, Director of Engineering, Dan Thaete.
Guests: Noah Demarest, Jason Demarest, Bruce Brittain, Kyig Yaw, Adam Fishel, Alex Nading and
Scott Jhanke.
1. Persons to be heard: none
2. Committee announcements and concerns: None.
3. Approval of May meeting minutes: Rod moved; Rich seconded. May 19, 2022, minutes were
approved as presented.
4. RaNic Golf Club site development proposal update: Noah Demarest of Stream Collaborative
briefly presented the development plans for the RaNic Golf Club property that is divided by the Village
of Cayuga Heights and Town of Ithaca municipal boundaries. The original development proposal was
for more townhouse units on the Village side, however, after discussions with the Village and feedback
from the public and stormwater considerations, the plan now is for the clubhouse renovation, proposed
hotel and 8 townhome units in the Village and two separate townhome areas in the Town section with 28
proposed units. Slight changes to the driving range and one or more of the golf greens playing areas
were noted as well. Sidewalks and street trees are proposed to maintain a thoroughfare standard and
street feel from the internal driveway and dual ingress/egress is proposed on the Hanshaw Road side.
The proposed townhome block will have a buffer between it and the parking lot for the clubhouse.
A draft Planned Development Zone (PDZ)to alter the zoning was presented with two zones, a medium
density PD-16-M and a low density/golf/open space PD-16-G zone which would accommodate single
family homes as well if future phase plans develop. The Warren Road side of the property with the barn
and large house is intended to be kept and used for the hospitality end of the business, possibly event
space. It was noted that the stormwater and traffic considerations will be analyzed under full build-out
potential of the property in mind.
Rich asked about the density of full buildout with the current zoning. Dan Tasman responded that the
Comprehensive Plan addresses the site and describes a preferred scenario if the golf course use were to
cease. That information would be shared with the committee by Dan. Rich also noted the short-term
rental aspect, possibly management would be onsite, addressed with an HOA or be harmonized with the
Town's current regulations.
Rod asked about the development proposal status within the Village. Noah explained that a"white
paper" or summary of the proposal with facts and figures is being drafted for the Village Trustees and
will be submitted to the Town as well with the formal draft PDZ. The project is in the same phase with
both municipalities at the time of the meeting. Rod also asked if the Village noted any infrastructure
concerns, Adam noted there was some water flow and sewer items that need to be navigated.
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The draft PDZ has not been fully reviewed by staff yet and therefore was not discussed in detail. There
was no committee opposition to the revised general development proposal and members agreed to
review the draft PDZ for discussion at the next meeting.
5. Draft Inlet Valley Overlay Zone proposal: The revised overlay boundary map was discussed and
approved with the slight modification of moving three single family home parcels on the southeast
portion of the IV-C to the IV-T zone as they are currently in the Low Density Residential and not
commercial in nature. The overlay map showed the new boundary being drawn outside the existing PDZ
area for Ithaca Beer and its associated roadway/driveway.
The draft language reviewed by the committee included previous member comments, as well as
Attorney comments through 5/18/22. Staff met internally and provided additional suggested revisions
that were read and explained by Sue. There were no oppositions to the draft as presented or with the
additional staff comments and recommendations. The next version will incorporate all the remaining
clarifications and comments made by the staff, committee members, and attorney and will be presented
again for committee review and approval. A summary of the clarifications and changes discussed
include but are not limited to:
Modification on building height as an interior average measurement
More than one principal use on a lot is allowed in non-residential areas
Make(roadside)farm stand consistent term with existing zoning and move to accessory uses for LDR,NC and
LI zones with note that within the Ag zones the underlying existing provisions for roadside farm stands apply
Add nursery growers to the retail plant nursery use
Retreat/Event venue,limit to existing buildings only with historical significance in the IV-T and allow in new
or existing buildings in the IV-C
Small scale recreation support-move restaurant/cafe into retail section and remove the restriction of the
outdoor permanent seating,remove the size restriction of the equipment,re-word the retail location part for
clarity.
Winery/distillery/brewery/cidery-production capacity-remove technical terms and limit to percent of floor area
Cultural facility,do not limit to indoor
Farmer's market-not intended to be permanent,remove the reference
Gallery: special vintage,limit outdoor display to 200 sq ft.
Solar Energy,match height to solar law which will change from 25 ft to 20 ft to be consistent.
Wireless facility-be consistent with the Telecommunications law.
Accessory use section-remove Drive-through facility and make sure it says no drive thru in the restaurant/cafe
section also, fix times in Outdoor Entertainment to 12pm 9pm-note/refer to noise ordinance and double check
where its permitted(no marks in the table);lastly remove the redundant Retreat/event venue section as its
listed under Commercial principal use section.
Design standards-perennial groundcover, eliminate"but not common garden weeds". Parking and vehicle
circulation-remove part about the Planning Board may consider a request to have more parking,Parking lot
siting section would only apply to new parking lots.Pedestrian and bicycle facilities-Pedestrian connectivity-
note not required in the TV-T,Bicycle parking-remove the public transit shelter requirement for covered bike
parking spaces or lockers(TCAT provides). Signs-additional input needed.
6. Proposed modifications to the Limited Historic Commercial Zone: The newest version of the
proposed modifications to the LHC zone language included the Attorney comments/edits as well as staff
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comments and edits. Rich noted that this zone would be property specific and that the committee was
interested in a means to ensure that the financial benefits derived from the commercial use are used to
maintain the historical integrity of the property. Staff proposed instituting a periodic review process that
would work with the current legislation allowing the Town Board to rescind the LHCZ after a public
hearing if the property did not seem to be meeting its objective and was in disrepair. A baseline
assessment of the property would be necessary and possibly submission of an improvement plan as part
of the application process. A review timeframe of 3 or 5 years was mentioned, along with possible
involvement by the future City/Town Landmarks Commission (with designated Town officials). All
uses except the conversion of a non-residential building to a residential use would require a special
permit from the Planning Board and the building would need to be either historically eligible or already
on the Federal/State Registry of Historical Places or be in the Town Historic Resource Inventory to
apply for the district.
The discussion concluded with the feedback above being incorporated into the draft language including
the Attorney comments (other than incorporating the term "District" or "Zone" and clarification on the
short-term rental provision incorporation) and then be shared with the City Historic Preservation Planner
before the next Committee meeting.
7. Proposed amendments to the New Neighborhood Code: A memo was submitted by Planner Dan
Tasman with recommended amendments to the New Neighborhood Code to address some minor issues
that came up in the design and pre-application process for the South Hill TND regulating plan. The
proposed changes have been sent to the Attorney for a full review, as well as the Town Engineer for the
storm water section.
Dan explained the 11 proposed amendments which are to the following sections: § 272-103.3: Public
buildings, structures, and uses, § 272-306.2 D: Alleys , § 272-306.2 E: Block side and perimeter length,
§ 272-306.2 F: Increasing maximum block side or perimeter length, § 272-306.2 G: Conceptual
thoroughfares , § 272-307.2 to 6: Pedestrian street/ alley/yield street/local street/through street, §
272-308.1 A: Minimum parkland area , § 272-309.1 A: Essential utilities, § 272-310.2: TND
stormwater management principles, § 272-803.3 A: Subdivision >Additional and special requirements
> Consistency with the regulating plan and § 272-803.5 B: Subdivision >Expiration and revocation>
Preliminary plat: subdivision with phases.
Rich had a few comments/suggestions including removing "but a way to celebrate rain and its journey"
from 272-310.2 B System design practices to read"Consider a stormwater management system as more
than just"drainage", but a way to celebrate rain and its journey, and add value to a project site or
neighborhood." and also remove "Use Ithaca's varied topography as a canvas for moving and holding
stormwater in an artistic way" as a bullet point in the same section. There were no other committee or
staff comments, suggestions or oppositions to the amendments proposed. If no major changes result
from the Attorney and Engineer review, the Committee was comfortable moving the amendments to the
Town Board for the local Llaw change process.
8. Discussion of Community Choice Aggregation Draft Local Law: Rod, Rich and Nick have been
participating in meetings with Sustainable Tompkins, City of Ithaca and the local power representative
in an effort to advance the draft local law for establishing a Community Choice Aggregation (Energy)
program.
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There were still questions regarding the voluntary investment in Distributed Energy Resource's (DER)
and the shares/equity component. The biggest change from the previous draft presented to the committee
is the ability for the Town to hire a separate CCA Administrator from the City. The city will not act as
the CCA administrator. Nick explained other changes including modification to Energy Loan Account
definition to differentiate from CCA administrator; adding reminder that the program implementation
plan needs to be submitted to NYSERDA with more details; clarification on the Town/City relationship;
clarification on how the structure relates to other municipalities participation with more details; adding
"where allowed by law" in terms of making all Town owned rights of way available for DER
infrastructure; and other minor changes.
There was no additional suggestions or comments, the committee recommended the draft be sent to the
Attorney for review and be forwarded to the Town Board with a memo for one of the July meetings.
Margaret noted possibly a comparison of this draft and other model laws/templates or similar municipal
communities' language maybe helpful if available. Nick noted the NYSERDA template was used, and
the Town/Village of Lima language reviewed. The direction the committee and Town have taken has
varied from the examples but have been used in conjunction with the draft. A memo will preface the
draft local law to the Town Board including the components of the Implementation Plan.
9. Staff updates and reports: Sue updated on the Rumsey property next to the entrance of Buttermilk
Falls State Park. It was used in the past as a bed and breakfast and the current family would like to
continue that use, but with a non-owner residing on site. Currently a B&B must be hosted onsite by the
owner. Possibly this is a property where the new LHC Zone would be beneficial. The owner was
directed to Historic Ithaca and other agencies for assistance and as a potential applicant for consideration
of the LHC Zone.
Staff had an informal meeting on a potential "high end" self-storage facility in Inlet Valley with a couple
of consultants. Sprinkler requirements were mentioned as well as some site constraints, however, overall
the proposal could potentially work on the site. The use is currently allowed but not in the overlay
proposal. They are tentatively planning to apply for sketch plan review in July after a meeting with
Engineering and Codes staff. Sue will forward any information she receives.
Rod noted to be aware of Cannabis commercial retail and growing license progress on the State level
and the need to identify appropriate local regulations if conflicting with the State guidelines (example
on-site consumption, growing and retail mixed use, etc.). Someone with more expertise with the
licensing may need to be sought to help the Town through the process. Margaret noted the Association
of Town had a session on the topic and there were municipalities with experience that participated and
could be contracted.
10. Next meeting date and upcoming agenda items: next meeting July 21, 2022. Topics: RaNic PDZ,
camping proposal next to La Tourelle (PDZ), LHC Zone and Inlet Valley Overlay Zone proposal.
The Planning Committee meeting concluded at 5:25 pm.
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