HomeMy WebLinkAboutPC Minutes 2024-03-21 Town of Ithaca Planning Committee
Thursday,March 21,2024
(3:00 PM Aurora Conference Room and on Zoom)
Minutes
Committee members: Rich DePaolo, Chair; Rod Howe &Margaret Johnson.
Board/Staff members: Director of Planning C.J. Randall; Senior Code Enforcement Officer Dana Magnuson;
Civil Engineer Justin McNeal.
Guests: None
1. Persons to be heard: None.
2. Committee announcements and concerns: None
3.Approval of February meeting minutes: Rod moved, Rich seconded. The February 15, 2024, minutes
were approved with non-substantive changes. 2-ayes, 1-abstention.
4. Reviewed transportation planning implementation matrix excerpted from Tompkins County Joint
Safety Action Plan Task 2: Document Review. C.J. reviewed the 9/15/2022 Planning Committee meeting
recording and minutes,respectively, on transportation priorities based on the Town's 2007 Transportation Plan
Pedestrian and Bicycle Corridor Needs maps. Those notes were transposed into the document review for the
current, larger multi jurisdictional Safe Streets 4 All (SS4A)project. She asked if the items were still an
accurate reflection of the committee and if there were any exclusions or other priority projects that needed to be
included? Tompkins County and Ithaca-Tompkins County Transportation Council (ITCTC, the MPO for the
Ithaca region) documents as well as City and Town of Ithaca plans were included in the excerpt for reference.
She noted the Inlet Valley area(NYS-13) will need to be called to the attention of NYS DOT again as well.
The next steps in the project are multi jurisdictional meetings, advisory groups (Comell, DOT, IC,law
enforcement, municipalities, etc.),public meetings and online tools such as a (forthcoming)interactive map for
the public to give feedback. A preliminary report and recommendation are anticipated by the end of 2025.
Margaret suggested that recent accident data be included and considered as well as extending the sidewalk
beyond where the Cornell/Judd Falls multiuse path ends along Pine Tree Road all the way to Rt. 79/Slaterville
Road. C.J. mentioned the City may include the Floral Ave as part of their Better Bike Network project.
Rich mentioned the goal to have a walkway from Juniper drive to the back entrance of Ithaca College and the
right-of-way issues on Coddington Road that may prohibit that. Going directly across Juniper Drive to the IC
Woods without the County Road right-of-way issues and other size/length impediments could be easier.
C.J. mentioned the Town has completed standalone studies for a portion of East Shore Drive;NYS-96; and
NYS-9613; those projects are the most likely to advance to the preliminary stage if funding becomes available.
The sections the committee members highlighted were listed in the essential and recommended projects under
the Transportation Plan and this overall project will also help inform the town's Capital Improvement Plan.
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Rod mentioned the next phase will have public input; the priorities will be aggregated along with
recommendations by the consultants (Cambridge Systematics).
5. Continued discussion of implementation of NYS Cannabis Law-Adult Use License. C.J. distributed the
regulations adopted by NYS in 2023 regarding definitions,preemptions, prohibitions and municipal
rulemaking, authorizations, and other applicable section pursuant to the Cannabis law. The committee reviewed
the state regulations to determine to what extent the Town needs to or can regulate the businesses who receive
the NYS Adult Use License. There are distances required between other facilities, churches, schools, timing and
hours of operation restriction as well as many other details that the cannabis board considers for each license
granted.
Two applications are still pending in the Inlet Valley area on Elmira Road; Dana added that those respective
locations are approximately 2500 feet apart. NYS just issued a data viewer map of locations from the dataset of
applicants and licensees who have obtained proximity protection for proposed or existing adult-use retail and
medical dispensaries. C.J. will share that information with the committee after the meeting.
The committee did not identify any specific areas of concern within the NYS Regulations; however, Margaret
noted the Inlet Valley area being the gateway to the Town and asked if it was allowed within the new zoning
overlay? C.J. said it depends on where and what type of license, Ag &Markets was referenced and various
types of possible licenses. A retail operation would likely be subject to Site Plan Review as well as Inlet Valley
design standards and other regulations. Rod did not see a big disconnect with the economic development vision
of the area and the potential adult use cannabis license being woven into an existing location and business.
6. Staff updates and reports. C.J. updated about the SS4A project one-on-one meeting with the consultants
and town staff(just prior to this meeting)to focus on the areas highlighted in the Transportation Plan as well as
other areas of improvement. Next steps of project, public input, etc, proposed preliminary recommendation by
December 2025.
Initial discussions have begun for future expansion of the Maplewood complex. The team intends to develop a
new Planned Development Zone (PDZ), which will ultimately need town board approval as part of the overall
project. C.J. asked if the committee would like an overview of the proposed project at the April meeting or if a
full town board introduction first?The committee agreed that the initial project can be informally presented on
the committee level with an update to the town board as the planning board review process progresses.Again,
noted the new PDZ would be town board action with recommendation by committee and staff. Town staff
developed the PDZ 15 language; consultants will prepare new PDZ for this project rather than an amendment to
the existing PDZ 15, geographical and environmental; therefore a draft will be presented by the applicant team.
Third-party review may be needed in areas and the initial water and sewer availability consideration is being
reviewed by town engineering and public works committee, however important to also be introduced early to
this committee as well. Draft schedules have been prepared along with detailed consideration of staff capacity
as well as required board and committee meeting deadlines. Whitham Planning and Design, CBT Architects,
and T.G. Miller Engineers are the design team for the project so far.
South Hill TND development plan continues to coalesce before the GEIS process begins.
RaNic (Country Club of Ithaca) still for sale as well as Strawberry Hill. No communications on either.
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Conifer is beginning to show interest in the West Hill property/project they own, north of Linderman Creek
Apartments.
Interest has been communicated about a large parcel on the city line and Westhaven Road although there are no
known projects or plans.
The SouthWorks design team is moving forward as a potential project though Maplewood II is likely the next
area in the town slated for development review. The costs of materials are beginning to stabilize, so the market
may open up for development.
7.Next meeting date and upcoming agenda items: April 18, 2024, 3:00 p.m.
Agenda: Potential Maplewood II overview presentation by the project's design team.
The Town of Ithaca Planning Committee meeting concluded at 3:51 pm.
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