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Home My WebLink AboutCOC Packet 2023-08-10 DEPARTMENT OF PLANNING 215 N. Tioga St 14850 607.273.1747 www.town.ithaca.ny.us 2023-08-04 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 – August 10, 2023 The next meeting of the Codes and Ordinances Committee is scheduled for Thursday, August 10, 2023, at 5:30 pm in the Town Board chambers, 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 July 14, 2023, COC meeting. 2.Draft public engagement plan for amended Chapter 234: Subdivision of Land regulations. If you cannot attend this meeting, please notify Abby Homer as soon as possible at (607) 273- 1747, or ahomer@town.ithaca.ny.us. 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 Susan H. Brock, Attorney for the Town Dan Tasman, Senior Planner cc: TOWN OF ITHACA CODES AND ORDINANCES COMMITTEE 215 North Tioga Street Ithaca, New York 14850 607-273-1747 This meeting will be held in person in the Town Board chambers at Ithaca Town Hall, 215 North Tioga Street, Ithaca, NY, on August 10, 2023 at 5:00 PM. Members of the public may join the meeting via Zoom. • Join Zoom meeting: https://us06web.zoom.us/j/83796797265 • Zoom meeting ID: 837 9679 7265 • Dial in phone: 929-436-2866 AGENDA: Meeting of August 10, 2023 - 5:30 P.M. 1. Member comments / concerns. 2. Review minutes from July 14, 2023, COC meeting. 3. Discuss draft public engagement process for amended Town Code Chapter 234: Subdivision of Land regulations. 4. Other business: • Preferred seating; preferred computer. Town of Ithaca Planning Department August 4, 2023 1 TOWN OF ITHACA CODES AND ORDINANCES COMMITTEE (COC) Meeting of July 12, 2023 – 5:30 pm Town Hall Aurora Conference Room Minutes Members present: Rob Rosen, Chair, Ariel Casper, Eric Levine, Eva Hoffmann, Bill Goodman & Chris Jung. Staff Present: C.J. Randall, Director of Planning; Marty Moseley, Director of Code Enforcement, Dan Tasman, Senior Planner. Guests: none The meeting began at 5:30 p.m. 1. Member comments/concerns. 2. Review minutes from June 14, 2023, COC meeting. Bill moved to approve the June 14, 2023, minutes with one minor correction; Rob seconded. All members voted in favor of approval. 3. Discuss potential public engagement processes for Subdivision of Land regulations. Senior Planner Dan Tasman presented a brief slideshow on the public engagement process and options for the “Recoding Ithaca” subdivision code re-write. The is the next step in the task in the Scope of Work for the project along with identifying the involved stakeholders. Public outreach was described as soliciting input and comments about a specific project. Community Engagement was described as an ongoing process to form a strong network. Examples and benefits of both for the government and the stakeholders were discussed. A “Getting Started” checklist for Public Engagement was included in the meeting packet and C.J. referenced this when asking for committee guidance. She noted at minimum, a page on the town’s website would be created as a central repository, updated with technical reports as progress is made along with any draft documents as well as a possible “story map”. Facebook Page posts were mentioned as well as Town Newsletter project updates. She mentioned virtual designated office hours where a zoom link could be open to anyone with questions for the Planning Director as well as designated in person time questions. C.J. then requested the committee to assist in developing the stakeholder list such as other town committees and departments, possibly the Board of Realtors. The differences between passive, reactive and then proactive public engagement was also touched on as well as the intent to not over inundate the public with information when various important projects are underway in the town such as Safe Streets for All. Using different “tools in the toolbox” for individual projects was also noted. One committee member noted the very low percentile of subscribers on the town’s YouTube channel compared to the population and that being an easy way to drive and increase public engagement. How many hits on the town website and the usability of it was also noted as areas to highlight and improve public awareness. Town Newsletter delivery subscribers are low as well, compared to the overall number of residents. It was asked if there was an overall town policy for public engagement or advertisement of projects, there was not anything specific that was mentioned however C.J. stated that having these conversations in COC is beneficial in developing project specific guidance as well as looking at the process more broadly and appropriate based on the informing and collaborating spectrum. All agreed that 2 the public awareness portion overall has been a town board and staff topic and is beyond the COC scope alone to improve. The committee gave some general feedback on the level of engagement and public outreach the subdivision code re-write would benefit best from however also noted they would take in all the information provided that evening. Mainly the committee deferred to the staff suggestions as they are not familiar with what controversy or what typical community involvement in this particular code would benefit from. It was said that the timing and overall level of the public engagement is very important and should be done before the final decisions are made and present simple, informative easy to understand information. A member thought it may be helpful to have the changes highlighted in a simple list to be looked at individually to decide what would warrant deeper input beyond staff and committees. C.J. stated this list of most impactful items could come from the Scope of Work and could also be a part of the webpage and newsletter articles and disseminate other places as needed. A brief summary or roadmap of the intended tools to use for this specific public engagement process and the overall project will be prepared by staff as well for the August meeting. The initial draft of the proposed regulations is still scheduled for September. 4. Other business: • Rob requested to move the meeting location to the town board room. The sound system and often necessary IT support was noted which staff often have to troubleshoot and fix at the time of the meeting. Committee members agreed to a trial move to the town board room location for the remainder of 2023, which leads to the meeting date needing to change due to room use conflict. The second Thursday was agreed on by the committee, with the same 5:30-7:00 p.m. time. A motion was made by Rob and seconded Bill, all members voted in favor. Rob stated a new seating chart would be made with the senior people in the middle, the newer members on the edge, the way the standard set up seems for the formal board meetings. • Next meeting agenda-continued Recoding Ithaca-subdivision rewrite per the Scope of Work. A motion to adjourn was made and seconded at 6:53 p.m. All members voted in favor of approval. Recoding Ithaca: Town of Ithaca Subdivision Code Draft Public engagement plan 2023-08-01 ❶ The project Recoding Ithaca is a long-term Town of Ithaca Planning Department initiative to rewrite, modernize, and reform the Town’s planning and development regulatory framework. The intent is to ensure planning and development regulations provide more certainty, are easy to use and understand, reflect current best practice in planning and environmental conservation, and implement the 2014 Town of Ithaca Comprehensive Plan. In November 2020, the Town Board adopted the New Neighborhood Code, a unified set of regulations that guide development of traditional neighborhood development projects. The Comprehensive Plan recommends consolidating the Town’s zoning, subdivision, and development regulations into a single unified development code or ordinance (UDC, UDO). However, there’s a more immediate need to overhaul the Town’s increasingly antiquated subdivision regulations, which control lot platting, layout, and related improvements. In June 2023, Planning Department staff restarted work on writing new subdivision regulations. This project will result in an entirely new subdivision code, built from the ground up; not another set of amendments or changes to existing rules. ❷ Purpose of this plan This plan is a guide to approaches for public engagement. It’s not meant as a checklist of required actions. Some aspects of this plan may change as work on the new subdivision code progresses. ❸ Goals Public engagement for the subdivision code rewrite project aims to: • Educate residents, stakeholders, and other interested people about the purpose and importance of subdivision regulations, how existing subdivision regulations shaped the Town’s built environment (positive and negative), and current best practices that can guide future development. • Learn more about social, financial, and environmental factors that shape the form of development in the Town of Ithaca. • Raise interest in planning issues, to garner more public participation for upcoming programs (Safe Streets For All, unified development code, etc.). • Develop relationships with certain groups of stakeholders. • Ensure that the process of drafting and adopting a new subdivision code is transparent. ❹ Level of engagement Public engagement for the subdivision code rewrite project will focus more on education – what subdivision regulations do, why they’re important, how they helped shape the form of the Town, and current best practices – and somewhat less on soliciting opinions about what should or shouldn’t be in the code. [learning about conditions …] While subdivision regulations are an important tool for shaping the built environment, their impact on most Town residents, businesses, and institutions is indirect. Because new subdivision regulations will address many of the shortcomings of current regulations, its effect will be felt the most on new projects, lot splits, and streets. Planning Department staff expects that upcoming projects, like Safe Streets For All, a unified development code (which the subdivision code will be merged into), and specific neighborhood or topical plans, will warrant higher public engagement levels. Nonetheless, it’s important that the Town is transparent about work on new subdivision regulations. ❺ Audience Public engagement efforts for the subdivision code will focus on these groups: • Residents with an interest in planning and development issues. • Local real estate industry representatives; specifically, those dealing more with raw land. • Town of Ithaca Agriculture Committee. • Town of Ithaca Conservation Board. • Town of Ithaca Planning Board. • Town of Ithaca Public Works Committee. ❻ Types of public engagement Public engagement efforts will include the following. • Ongoing Planning Department staff technical contact. • Extended office hours for the public to talk with Planning Department staff during published evenings and weekend hours. • Email: subdivision@town.ithaca.ny.us (or future domain name) • Town Web site: subdivision code section. o Subpages: what subdivision regulations do, why a new code, FAQ, existing code, draft codes, and contacts. o ESRI story map. • Article in Town newsletter about the subdivision code rewrite project, the Web site, and special technical contact hours . • Notices and updates on the Town’s Web site, and social media (Facebook). • Short press release with a project description, link to the Web site, and contact for questions. • Presentations to the Town committees / boards listed in ⑤. • In-person meeting with real estate industry representatives. ❼ Resources Planning Department staff will conduct public engagement as a part of their everyday work duties. Work on public engagement will not strain Planning Department resources. Any work that goes beyond the 37.5 hour work week will be credited as comp time to hourly staff. Planning staff may earn comp time for committee/board presentations, and some extended office hours for special “meet the planner”-type events. Planning staff will need editor / contributor / administrator access on the Town’s Web site content management system (CMS). Staff will also need access to ESRI story mapping software, and the ability to integrate a story map into the Town’s web site. In general, resources that Planning staff needs for public engagement include: • Time: staff time for public engagement efforts mentioned in ⑥. o Dan Tasman, Senior Planner: lead technical contact. o C.J. Randall, Planning Director: support and coordination. • Software: Microsoft Word, Microsoft PowerPoint, ESRI ArcGIS StoryMaps, photo editing software. • Privileges: ability to edit and add pages to the Town’s Web site, ability to post updates to the Town’s Facebook page. • Materials: paper for handouts and draft codes. • Other: use of a Town or personal vehicle to visit stakeholders, gasoline. ❽ Timeline The following is the expected timeline for public engagement efforts. • Web site Create in August 2023, go live in September 2023, update regularly throughout the rewrite and adoption process NOTIFY, EDUCATE • Newsletter article, Facebook announcement. September 2023 NOTIFY • Press release September 2023 NOTIFY • Extended office hours Late September / early October 2023 EDUCATE, CONSULT • Committee / board meetings and presentations October / November / December 2023 EDUCATE, LISTEN • Meetings with real estate professionals November 2023 EDUCATE, LISTEN • Summarize the outcome of public engagement for the Codes and Ordinances Committee January 2024 FOLLOW THROUGH ❾ Followup Planning staff will report the outcome of public engagement efforts to the Codes and Ordinances Committee in January 2024. # # # Version control Town of Ithaca Planning Department – 8/1/2023