HomeMy WebLinkAboutPC Minutes 2022-07-21 Town of Ithaca Planning Committee
Thursday, July 21, 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 Chris Balestra& Dan Tasman,
Director of Code Enforcement Marty Mosely.
Guests: Representing the seasonal luxury campground proposal on Danby Road- Justin McGuire &
Natalie. Representing RaNic Golf Club-Noah Demarest-STREAM Collaborative, Jason Demarest,
Adam Fishel-Marathon Engineering and Richie Lou-Hotel Hospitality consultant. Bruce Brittain, Carl
Franck, Clover Drinkwater, general comments for RaNic proposal.
1. Persons to be heard:
Bruce Brittain commented he would like to see the RaNic golf club kept as open space and that the
proposed PDZ, if approved, does not allow more housing units then the current zoning allows.
Carl Franck commented he appreciated the (RaNic)proposal for the concession for public use
opportunities. He also expressed appreciation for the Town Planning Committee, the governing
documents and measures that protect the future interests of the Town, for example, such as if the current
owner changes, what uses would be allowed.
Clover Drinkwater asked for clarification as to what step in the process the RaNic re-zoning proposal
currently is in and encouraged the Town to continue the plan for as much open space as possible for the
community. Rich replied that no formal applications have been made, the proposal is in design phase
and a draft local law proposal to change the zoning is being discussed at the committee level. The
general timeline for the committee is to review the draft local law in detail over the next couple months
before making its formal recommendation to the Town Board. Rich followed up by stating there is time
and opportunity for public input on design modifications.
Rich thanked the public for weighing in and sharing their comments with the Committee.
2. Committee announcements and concerns: None.
3. Approval of June meeting minutes: Rich moved; Rod seconded. June 16, 2022, minutes were
approved as presented.
4. Seasonal luxury campground proposal (tax parcel 36.-1-6.2/Danby Road): Justin McGuire shared a
concept proposal for the 55-acre parcel on Danby Road next to the current La Tourelle & Firelight
camps. The concept includes a 29-unit luxury seasonal campground including accommodation options
such as small cabins and yurts on raised wooden platforms. Nineteen of the proposed 29 sites would
have indoor plumbing and private bathrooms and the remaining 10 sites would utilize a shared central
bath house. All units would have electricity. ADA compliance for accessibility is proposed as well as an
850' two-way roadway and a camp loop broken into two half-moons with a one-way driveway. An add-
on feature for a seasonal ice cream shop with a camp office at the campground entrance was also noted.
Typical camping actives are proposed for guests including hiking trails connecting to the abutting State
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Park and a Saturday yoga class open to the public. Clearing and disturbing as little of the property to
retain the current land character and wildlife was also noted as the intent.
Planning Committee members general questions/comments included: some of the A-frame cabins seem
large and permanent in nature, may need traditional building standards rather than the platform proposal
(applicant replied that the detailed design is not complete, possible concrete pillars will be recommended
by the engineers). The proposal is a seasonal business, however, the buildings would remain during off
season (applicant stated they would be winterized, and the internal roads would be maintained).
Electricity access or hard wired? (Underground wiring). Connection to the trail system at the State Park
will need to be granted.
Staff comments/questions:
Marry mentioned the NYS Energy Code would not apply to the buildings if not being heated or cooled,
however, the Town of Ithaca Energy Code would apply, and the certificate would note the building is
not a conditioned area. Fire Access would need to be maintained and fire hydrant flow established as
well as overall road standards and capabilities. It was noted that ADA enforcement is federal not local,
however, the ICC sister codes would be part of the local code inspection process that includes a
percentage of accessible units.
Sue stated the proposal would not conform to existing Low Density Residential Zoning regulations.
Options, if the committee is open to the use and overall proposal, are to somehow merge the new uses
into the existing adjacent La Tourelle PDZ or create an all new PDZ. Rich was open to amending the
neighboring PDZ with the limits of the uses that are proposed. Rod was favorable to the proposal with
the acknowledgement of details needing to be worked out.
No objections were raised for the overall concept of the seasonal luxury campground proposal. The
applicant was encouraged to proceed with the process of submitting a formal sketch plan and other
subsequent steps of the review process.
5. RaNic Golf Club site development proposal/draft proposed PDZ update: Noah Demarest of
STREAM Collaborative presented a revised development plan and draft PDZ language that would be
applicable to both the Village of Cayuga Heights and Town. The language was based on the
Maplewood PDZ and Noah acknowledged that some of the provisions may not be relevant to the RaNic
proposal and it is still a working draft. Comments received from Town planners will be incorporated
into a revised version for consideration. Some of the comments pertained to proposed uses that may not
be applicable or appropriate for the site as a whole, but instead ancillary to the clubhouse (i.e. daycare,
office, etc.). Noah stated that this presentation will be provided to the Village at their upcoming meeting
and he hopes for the project to remain on a similar track for both municipalities.
Highlights from the discussion included that the large subarea PD-16-G represents the open golf course
space. The plan was to include three single family home lots in the PDZ, but these will likely be moved
to outside the PDZ given that the use is allowed in the existing LDR zone, although the proposed lot
sizes may not comply. The two PD-16-M subareas are proposed for the higher intensity
hospitality/townhome uses, with one subarea fronting along Warren Road to include proposed "stay and
play"units. The Village PD-1 would encompass the proposed hotel and several townhouses with the
remaining zoning in the Village not changing from the existing residential zone. The existing clubhouse
that is divided by the municipal line will be renovated and two new outlets are proposed on Hanshaw
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Road for ingress/egress to serve a sixteen-unit townhome area. Another twelve-unit townhome cluster
area is proposed using a new internal driveway. Adam Fishel noted the process with the County for the
proposed new curb cuts is in early discussion.
Staff comments/questions: Sue Ritter noted that a sketch plan review with the Planning Board would be
the initial step before any consideration of SEQR and preliminary site plan. The full preliminary
submission requires a 30-day review by the County and for other interested and involved agency
referrals before any board action.
Committee comments/questions: Rich asked if the roadways would be private (yes) and then asked
about short term rentals (STR)noted in the use table and whether this would fall under the same criteria
as the town's existing STR law. Noah responded that the intent for short term rentals is different from
lodging and is expected to follow the town's regulations. In addition, the short-term rentals would/could
be managed by the hotel rather than the typical Airbnb situation. It was also noted that accessory
dwelling unit and accessory home occupation were listed as permitted uses in PD-16-G, but there are no
dwelling units allowed and this was noted as a mistake to be removed. The 14'-170' width at front
(sidewalk or ROW edge) for Site and Building Design configuration was questioned as not applicable to
the PD-16-G and Noah indicated more applicable revised numbers would be proposed for the Hanshaw
Road fronting buildings. The proposed townhouse height of 2-3 stories was commented on by both staff
and Rich, Noah mentioned that 2.5 story may be closer to the intent. The Sign section and applicable
standards were questioned and will need location clarifications as well, most likely relevant to the
Hanshaw and Warren Road driveway fronting sections.
The tentative approval schedule was reviewed and discussed; Sketch Plan submission anticipated for the
second August Planning Board meeting and another refined clean version of the PDZ from Noah back to
the Planning Committee in August as well, with redlined edits showing any changes.
Town Planning staff commented on the need for more screening, with some sort of buffer or
landscaping, between the existing homes and the proposed townhome clusters. Architectural elements
for the townhomes were raised as concerns too. Chris B clarified that the house next to one of the
proposed townhouse driveways is owned by the applicant and proposed to be removed. Noah mentioned
that the site plan review will likely identify a buildout process and schedule for the improvements as
they won't likely all happen at the same time.
Noah asked for clarification on the SEQR process with the two municipalities, and whether one would
be the Lead Agency and the other an Involved Agency. Planning staff recommended the Town conduct
the SEQR review as Lead Agency due to quantity of the project in the Town. This was supported by the
developer with support anticipated by the Village too. Chris B stated that once the Full SEQR and
preliminary site plan is submitted letters declaring the Town as Lead Agency will be sent out to all
interested and involved agencies giving them the opportunity to concur or otherwise respond to the
Town's intent.
6. Discussion of draft Inlet Valley Overlay Zone proposal: Rich stated that committee comments and
suggestions had been incorporated and he did not flag anything in the most recent revision. This version
did incorporate initial Attorney comments as well as Code Enforcement Director comments. A final
attorney review may not be able to occur before the next Planning Committee meeting. It is anticipated
that all current edits will be accepted and that only new attorney changes will show up in any subsequent
version. If there are no major changes, the committee was agreeable to the minor ones being
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summarized to the committee and the document moving forward to the Town Board without an
additional discussion due to all the time at the committee level to date.
7. Staff updates and reports: Sue reported that the Limited Historic Commercial Overlay draft
amendments are anticipated to be back before the Committee in August. A submission for a self-storage
facility in Inlet Valley is still anticipated per a recent staff inquiry with the developer's consultants.
Noted as a use allowed in the current zoning but not in the overlay proposal.
Rod and Marry briefly noted a meeting with Cornell that focused on utilities and areas that may need
improvements to accommodate future development.
Rod noted that information has been supplied to Cayuga Heights as requested for sewer capacity
concerns. An error in calculation from the airport flow has alleviated some immediate capacity concerns
but surrounding development is still being monitored closely.
8. Next meeting date and upcoming agenda items: next meeting Aug. 18, 2022. Topics: RaNic PDZ,
LHC draft amendments.
The Planning Committee meeting concluded at 4:12 pm.
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