HomeMy WebLinkAboutCOC Minutes 2023-07-12 TOWN OF ITHACA CODES AND ORDINANCES COMMITTEE (COC)
Meetingof f 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
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
the public awareness portion overall has been a town board and staff topic and is beyond the COC scope
alone to improve.
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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.
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