Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAboutCOC Packet 2023-07-12 DEPARTMENT OF PLANNING 215 N. Tioga St 14850 607.273.1747 www.town.ithaca.ny.us 7/5/2023 TO: Codes and Ordinances Committee: Rob Rosen, Chair Bill Goodman Eric Levine Eva Hoffmann Chris Jung Ariel Casper FROM: C.J. Randall, Director of Planning RE: Next Codes and Ordinances Committee Meeting – July 12, 2023 The next meeting of the Codes and Ordinances Committee is scheduled for Wednesday, July 12, 2023, at 5:30 pm in the Aurora Conference Room, located in Town Hall at 215 North Tioga Street. A quorum of the Town of Ithaca Town Board may be present at this meeting. However, no official Town Board business will be conducted. The following items are attached: 1. Minutes from the June 14, 2023, COC meeting. 2. Excerpted public engagement planning outline. If you cannot attend this meeting, please notify Abby Homer as soon as possible at (607) 273- 1747, or ahomer@town.ithaca.ny.us. cc: Susan H. Brock, Attorney for the Town Dan Tasman, Senior Planner Marty Moseley, Director of Code Enforcement Abby Homer, Administrative Assistant Paulette Rosa, Town Clerk (email) Town Administrative staff (email) Town Board Members (email) Town Code Enforcement staff (email) Town Planning staff (email) Town Public Works staff (email) Media TOWN OF ITHACA CODES AND ORDINANCES COMMITTEE 215 North Tioga Street Ithaca, New York 14850 (607) 273-1747 PLEASE NOTE: This meeting will be held in person in the Aurora Conference Room, Town Hall, located at 215 North Tioga Street, Ithaca, NY, with an option for members of the public to join the meeting via Zoom. The Zoom link is below. Join Zoom Meeting: https://us06web.zoom.us/j/83796797265 Meeting ID: 837 9679 7265 Dial in #: 1(929) 436-2866 Meeting of July 12, 2023– 5:30 P.M. AGENDA 1. Member comments/concerns. 2. Review minutes from June 14, 2023, COC meeting. 3. Discuss potential public engagement processes for Subdivision of Land regulations (existing regulations: https://ecode360.com/8660770). 4. Other business: • Consider meeting in the Board Room for future meetings (which requires a different meeting day, such as the third Thursday). • Next meeting agenda. Town of Ithaca Planning Department July 5, 2023 1 TOWN OF ITHACA CODES AND ORDINANCES COMMITTEE (COC) Meeting of June 14, 2023 – 5:30 pm Town Hall Aurora Conference Room Draft Minutes Members present: Rob Rosen, Chair, Ariel Casper, Eric Levine, Eva Hoffmann & Bill Goodman (via Zoom). Member Absent: Chris Jung Staff Present: Dan Tasman, Senior Planner; C.J. Randall, Director of Planning; Susan Brock, Attorney for the Town & Christine Balestra, Planner (via Zoom). Guests: None The meeting was called to order at 5:37 p.m. noting 5 of the 6 COC members in attendance. 1. Member comments/concerns. Rob requested the COC members sit in order of seniority with staff on one side and committee members on the other. Identification name plates were requested as well to keep the seating arrangement consistent for each meeting. Rob also mentioned requesting the meeting room location to be changed to the Town Board room; however, staff noted a time conflict with Town Court as well as audio/visual quality issues on the Zoom recording. A PDF of the previous month’s subdivision presentation was requested by the committee. It was noted that the Zoom recordings of current and recent COC meetings have not been posted on YouTube; however, recordings are available upon request. Eva requested the last meeting recording due to being unable to attend and wanting to see and hear the initial subdivision presentation. 2. Review minutes from May 10, 2023, COC meeting. Eric moved to approve the May 10, 2023, minutes; Ariel seconded. All members voted in favor of approval. 3. Approve scope of work for Chapter 234: Subdivision of Land regulations. C.J. noted this document was sent with the May meeting materials and only one minor change was made, removal of an accidental comment left in the text on page 2, 4th bullet point from the bottom. The option was given to the committee to table the approval if additional time was needed for review. COC comments/changes were for a clearer outline format, possibly using line numbers, letters and or numbers as opposed to bullets. If changes in the scope occur as the project moves forward, the document could be amended. Eric moved to approve the scope of work with the formatting comments provided and deletion of text noted; Eva seconded. All members voted in favor of approval. 4. Review technical memorandum for Chapter 234: Subdivision of Land regulations prepared by Dan Tasman, Senior Planner. Dan shared a follow up slideshow presentation on how subdivision regulations work (next task in scope of work). The title was Recoding Ithaca-Land division and community design. The design standard process entitlement processes were explained. Street types and designs were reviewed and park and open space types, amount and siting, utilities, and stormwater management. The two standard types of major or minor subdivisions were noted. The preliminary and final stages of the review process were described along with the performance bond process. In summary, the intent for the new subdivision regulations is proactive planning for future development. 2 The committee shared a few questions during the presentation relative to how the existing regulations and practices are implemented. There was discussion that there is no current financial guarantee written in the regulations that a project must have the funding or feasibility to be completed after approval. An approval can be granted and expire a certain number of years later with no substantial action taken by the developer after the plat is filed. The completion of the infrastructure and improvements have been built into approval resolutions in the past with the building permit contingent on them as an alternative. Occasionally performance bonds have been required by the Planning Board as well. A brief discussion about the need for detailed street design technical specifications within town law took place. C.J. noted the Planning Committee is taking part in a “complementary initiative” along with the intermunicipal Safe Streets 4 All transportation planning project. One of the outcomes of the project discussion is the need to have detailed technical road specifications within the local municipal code for streets. This would be working with town public works and engineering to design and implement technical road specifications along with the Town Complete Streets policy and a relative manual for all new development/ construction of town roads. Time did not permit review of the technical memorandum prepared; this will carry over onto next month’s agenda however the presentation was a complement to the memo and Dan will be prepared for any questions the committee has at the next meeting or he offered e-mail or phone in the interim. Rob asked about the general process of subdivision code updating. Dan explained it would be a clean slate and would be applied in a suburban role context for everything that is outside of a TND. He followed up by saying that Town Planner Chris Balestra began this research last year to for the update process and he has added to the work started. C.J added that the initial draft would be prepared by staff internally; planning department staff will then review and distribute to codes, engineering, legal and public works all before the initial draft will be formally presented to the committee. 5. Other business: • The Timing of draft minutes distribution was discussed. Rob asked about draft meeting minutes being done and distributed to the committee right after the meeting. Previously they were circulated to planning staff internally and then to the committee with the packet. The discussion concluded that the draft minutes would continue to be distributed to the committee with the packet. The retention of the Zoom recordings was discussed; the time to retain was unknown and would be clarified with the Records Management Officer. Any committee member or member of the public can currently request a link to view any of the town meeting recordings that are not posted on the YouTube channel. • Next meeting (7/12) agenda. Carryover, review technical memorandum for subdivision regulations, Chapter 234, questions/answers. Next step on scope of work is the identifying of stakeholders and potential public engagement process (website, newsletter, public meetings, etc.), clarify internal roles and responsibilities. The meeting was adjourned at 6:59 p.m. There may not be a checklist for the perfect public engagement plan, but there are principles and pieces that are present in every well designed plan that will increase the likelihood of achieving your goals. Principles of Public Engagement In order to ensure that public engagement activities are meaningful, the following key principles are critical: 1. Careful Planning and Preparation Through adequate and inclusive planning, ensure that the design, organization, and convening of the process serve both a clearly defined purpose and the needs of the participants. 2. Inclusion and Demographic Diversity Equitably incorporate diverse people, voices, ideas, and information to lay the groundwork for quality outcomes and democratic legitimacy. 3. Collaboration and Shared Purpose Support and encourage participants, government and community institutions, and others to work together to advance the common good. 4. Openness and Learning Help all involved listen to each other, explore new ideas unconstrained by predetermined outcomes, learn and apply information in ways that generate new options, and rigorously evaluate public engagement activities for effectiveness. 5. Transparency and Trust Be clear and open about the process, and provide a public record of the organizers, sponsors, outcomes, and range of views and ideas expressed. 6. Impact and Action Ensure each participatory effort has real potential to make a difference, and that participants are aware of that potential. Getting Started 7. Sustained Engagement and Participatory Culture Promote a culture of participation with programs and institutions that support ongoing quality public engagement. (Adapted from a collaborative project by the National Coalition for Dialogue and Deliberation, the International Association for Public Participation [IAP2], the Co-Intelligence Institute, and other leaders in public engagement) Things to Remember About Public Engagement: • Not a silver bullet for complex issues. • Not suitable for every situation. • Using it incorrectly or at inappropriate times can do more harm than good. • Once feedback is received, there must be follow through or participants may feel that their contribution was ignored or pointless. – Note: This doesn’t mean that feedback is automatically implemented, but why or why not and how must be communicated. • Engagement strategy must be considered during the initial stage of project planning. • Input (if part of outreach) should be open during the planning stages to allow it the chance to help inform and/or influence decisions. Public Engagement is a Dialogue, Not a Presentation • The Town and public both speak and listen • Ideas are shared and discussed • There is a flow of information, insights, and opinions • Additional resources are available and conversation can continue How to Create a Public Engagement Plan (PEP) This is the roadmap for you and your team. It will take time and thought, but is a vital resource through a project. There are several examples on the Project Management page under Real Life Examples. Prior to any public engagement plan, a statement of purpose should be developed outlining the overall goal of the project or program. Every plan should start with the question, “Why are we doing this?” There is a place to include your statement of purpose on the Stakeholder Assessment Worksheet which is explained later in this guide. 6 Characteristics of Successful Plans 1. Clear Purpose 2. Education 3. Outreach 4. Audience 5. Records 6. Follow Up Determine the Appropriate Level of Public Engagement Public engagement does not mean inviting as many people as possible or making a profile on every social media platform. Sometimes one event is sufficient, other times you’ll need several. Use the table above to determine the appropriate level of engagement. Determining the accurate level of engagement is the foundation for your entire plan. The level of public engagement can range from keeping the public informed to involving the public’s participation in the decision-making process. Involving the public early and at the appropriate level helps create buy-in for both the process and the final decision. CONSIDER THIS OPTION WHEN … Routine or fairly routine matter Time and/or budget constraints Clear legal process Manageable level of controversy Fairly simple set of interests Most issues have been heard, addressed through earlier processes Parties have tried but are unable to come to resolution Active and mobilized groups with competing views Strong need for dialogue (not just input) Need for multiple types of input designed for different groups Fair amount of controversy Complex issues Intense controversy, mobilized groups with competing views Need for education and buy-in by key constituencies Long-term, far-reaching effects Multiple jurisdictions Parties willing to meet, discuss (vs. referendum, court, etc.) Recommendation likely to be followed by decision makers MAY NOT BE BEST OPTION WHEN … Unclear or competing jurisdictions Policy matters with unclear effects Strong controversy or polarized parties Public input will have no effect Need for two-way dialogue Intensive input will not satisfy need of public to influence the decision Time and/or budget constraints Too expensive for amount of controversy No negotiating room Other groups or individuals may intercede to invalidate any forthcoming proposals Key parties unwilling to meet POTENTIAL TOOLS & TECHNIQUES Fact sheets - FAQs Public comment (via web, in writing, hearings) Newsletter Media releases and events Informal surveys Presentations to civic groups, B&Cs, HOAs, at Open Houses, etc. Workshops, charrettes Stakeholder meetings Focus groups Techniques from Inform and Consult Citizen advisory committee Participatory decision-making Consensus-building CITIZEN ROLE Citizen Role: Residents engage to be informed and to influence Citizen Role: Residents engage to advocate and to help frame issues - Residents engage to understand technical issues and how to effectively advocate - Residents engage to help define problem and find solutions Citizen Role: Residents are collaborators - Residents engage to identify different stakeholder interests - Residents engage to make informed decisions and forge effective compromises COLLABORATEINFORM & CONSULT INVOLVE Adapted from IAP2 1. Who will be impacted positively or negatively? a. Consider geography – who lives, works, or plays nearby? 2. Who NEEDS to know about this? a. Is there a legal requirement? b. Is there a group with an imperative interest (i.e., historical groups being aware of Butterfly Building Project) 3. Who can or will contribute to this conversation? a. Who are the experts? b. Where are the outside sources that discuss this same topic? 4. Who or what is missing? a. Each stakeholder list should include i. Experts ii. Clubs iii. Personal interest groups iv. Citizens v. Professionals vi. Hard-to-reach populations 5. Who could stop this project? a. Is there anyone who will dislike this idea or be impacted to an extreme extent? 6. Who could make it better? a. How could this be more entertaining to the public? b. Who would have a unique perspective? 7. What questions would I ask as a citizen? a. If you were on the outside of this issue, what would you want to know? 8. Whose life or schedule stands to be altered by an aspect of this project? How to Create a List of Stakeholders: From your answers, develop your Stakeholder Assessment Worksheet. This spreadsheet of organizations and individuals will also include up- to-date contact information. Though the general public has a stake in the outcome and are considered stakeholders in the broad sense of the term, your stakeholders are a distinct list of people, businesses, and organizations that are affected by the project and should be strategically engaged. While the broader “public” should be informed and included on a project, the stakeholder groups generally spend more time and effort contributing throughout the project. Think about both external and internal stakeholders. External stakeholders include other governmental agencies, non-profit community groups, special interest groups, businesses, and individual residents. Internal stakeholders may be other Town departments or committees that could be impacted or included.