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HomeMy WebLinkAboutCOC Minutes 2023-05-10 TOWN OF ITHACA CODES AND ORDINANCES COMMITTEE(COC) Meeting of May 10, 2023—5:30 pm Town Hall Aurora Conference Room Minutes Members present: Rob Rosen, Chair, Ariel Casper, Eric Levine &Chris Jung. Members excused: Eva Hoffmann & Bill Goodman. Staff Present: Christine Balestra, Planner; Dan Tasman, Senior Planner; C.J. Randall, Director of Planning; Marty Moseley, Director of Code Enforcement; Susan Brock, Attorney for the Town (via Zoom). Guests: None The meeting began at 5:35 p.m. 1. Member comments/concerns. Rob mentioned the town's website "add to calendar" feature shows only one hour for the COC meeting. Chris B clarified that the committee has always met for two hours.The committee discussed the calendar; it was determined the COC prefers an end time added to the online calendar meeting. This topic was discussed further under Other Business and was finalized later in the meeting. Rob confirmed the COC members in attendance. Chris B mentioned that Eva called the town hall prior to the meeting but staff was unable to connect to verify if she would be attending. Chris sent Bill a message from the meeting, and he confirmed he needed to be excused as well. It was noted that the COC is a six-member committee and requires four members in-person for a quorum. Chris B introduced Senior Planner Dan Tasman as the planning staff member taking over the COC meetings as coordinator and Planning Department staff support. Chris B will slowly phase out of the regular COC meetings. However, her role as a Planner in the department will continue and she will provide assistance whenever needed. Eric thanked Chris B for her"fantastic" long time service to the committee. 2. Review minutes from February 15,2023,COC meeting. Small corrections were made by the attorney. Eric moved to approve the February 15, 2023, minutes as corrected; Ariel seconded. All members voted in favor of approval. 3. Review 2023 Codes and Ordinances Committee Work Plan. CJ explained that the proposed work plan was drafted with input from Public Works and Engineering Departments, Attorney for the Town, and Codes Department staff. Four Town Code sections were noted as priority-the highest being the need to revise the Subdivision regulations to be consistent with NYS Law and the Town's Comprehensive Plan goals.The three others included developing Institutional Zoning, amending Stormwater Management Erosion and Sediment Control regulations, and 1 amendments to the Town Water and Sewer Code. CJ welcomed any comments or questions on the draft 2023 COC Work Plan and noted that it is a guide for the future work of the committee. Rob asked for a general breakdown of the Planning Department staff and asked about the interconnections with Engineering Department staff resources. CJ shared the Town's organizational chart on the screen,which showed the various departmental positions and roles. She explained each of the Planning Department positions and roles and briefly noted the Engineering and Public Works positions and roles as well. Dan Tasman then shared an informative slideshow that summarized the issues and potential solutions associated with the Town Subdivision regulations, highlighting that some of the existing rules have led to undesirable outcomes (e.g., indiscriminate use of flag and odd shaped lots, underdeveloped land with high density zoning capability, cluster subdivisions with open space of questionable value and poor road interconnectivity, etc.). Dan explained that the town needs more detailed and current subdivision regulations, along with road specifications, and design standards to apply to new developments to eliminate substandard roads, and rural type roads in more suburban and urban settings and outdated provisions.The overall intent is to replace the subdivision law with an easy to use and administer set of regulations that give more certainty to subdividers and stakeholders, prevent waste of land, create better places to live, help implement the 2014 Comprehensive Plan and other adopted plans, and make today's best practices in subdivision design and resource protection the standard. The committee applauded Dan for the presentation and had no suggested changes to the proposed 2023 Work Plan. 4. Review proposed scope of work for Chapter 234:Subdivision of Land regulations:The scope of work that was included in the COC mailout was reviewed.A summary of the project was included with the policy issues, the resources needed, and the key deliverables with tasks on proposed committee schedule. CJ explained that this COC meeting was the "kick off" for the scope of work, and that the end draft/final deliverable suitable for Town Board adoption was anticipated by mid-June 2024. One COC member noted that the schedule was ambitious, and CJ assured the member that the timeline was realistic.The next step will be a technical memo containing the vision process and a conceptual storyboard for development. This is expected at the next COC meeting in June. CJ noted that identifying the stakeholders in the process was a priority. Rob recommended that the committee review the scope of work presented for the project in detail and consider it for approval at the next meeting. In the meantime, staff will work on the technical memo for the June meeting. 5. Other business: • Discuss next meeting date(June 14,2023);future dates and times.The COC decided to keep the meeting dates the same, but to reduce the length of the meetings to 90 minutes long,from 5:30pm to 7:OOpm. Staff will add this to the town website's online meeting calendar. • Discuss digital packets versus paper mail outs. Chris B offered members the option to receive digital meeting packets versus paper mail outs. Members changing to digital packets include Ariel and Chris J (Bill was later added to the digital list). Rob and Eric 2 would still receive paper copies for the mailout (Eva later added to remain on paper list). • Rob requested an earlier mailout/committee receipt of meeting materials. He suggested that the committee receives materials a full week prior to the COC meetings. Staff noted that internal administrative deadlines would need to be adjusted. • One member suggested using a SharePoint repository for electronic document access and C.J. noted that this could be explored if file set up and administration were handled closely. FOIL and public document records, public access, and the Open Meetings Law were also briefly discussed in relation to SharePoint. • Next meeting(6/14)agenda. C.J. and Rob noted they would meet to set up the monthly meeting agendas. Susan Brock thanked Chris Balestra again for her"spectacular" service to the COC and noted that she has been an incredible asset and will be missed. Rob seconded this sentiment. The meeting adjourned at 7:13 p.m. The next meeting of the Town of Ithaca Codes and Ordinances Committee (COC)will be held Wednesday,June 14, 2023 from 5:30 pm to 7 pm. 3