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HomeMy WebLinkAboutPB Minutes 2024-05-21 TOWN OF ITHACA AFFIDAVIT OF POSTING AND PUBLICATION I, Abby Homer, being duly sworn, say that I am the Planning Department Administrative Assistant of the Town of Ithaca, Tompkins County, New York; that the following notice has been duly posted on the sign board of the Town Clerk of the Town of Ithaca and the notice has been duly published in the official newspaper,Ithaca Journal: ADVERTISEMENT/NOTICE Public Notice Q,NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING NOTICE OF ESTOPPEL Originally published on ithacajournal.com on NOTICE OF ADOPTION 05/15/2024 Regarding a public hearing on proposed TOWN OF ITHACA PLANNING BOARD changes to the Official Map of the Town of PUBLIC HEARING NOTICE Ithaca The Planning Board will hold a public hearing on Tuesday, May 21, Location of Sign Board Used for Posting: 2024,starting at 6:30 P.M.on the following matter: Town Clerk's Office 215 North Tioga Street Consideration of a recommendation to the Town of Ithaca Ithaca,NY 14850 Town Board regarding proposed changes to the Official Map of the Town of Ithaca. Town website at http://www.townithacany.gov Date of Posting: May 15, 2024 Members of the public are welcome to attend in-person at Town Hall Date of Publication: May 15,2024 (215 North Tioga Street, Ithaca, NY) or virtually via Zoom. The public will have an opportunity to see and hear the meeting live and provide comments in-person or through Zoom at https:Hus06web.zoom.us_ji83643 764382. Abby Homer If the public would like to attend the meeting for viewing purposes Planning Department Administrative Assistant only, it is recommended to watch the livestream video on YouTube (https://www.�outube.com/channel�/UCC9vy cXkJ6kIV I ib'hhC4 7N-Q' STATE OF NEW YORK) live). COUNTY OF TOMPKINS) SS: TOWN OF ITHACA) Any person wishing to address the board will be heard. In addition.. comments can be sent via email to townclerkig!townithacany.g_ov up Sworn to and subscribed before me this 16'h day of to the end of business the day of the meeting and all comments will May 2024. be forwarded to the board. Additional information is available at https://townithacany.gov;. C.J. Randall, Director of Planning Notary Public ASHLEY COLBERT Notary Public,State of New York No.D 1 C06419580 Qualified in Tompkins County Commission Expires July 12,2025 Ithaca journal Public Notices Originally published at ithacajournal.com on 05/15/2024 TOWN OF ITHACA PLANNING BOARD PUBLIC HEARING NOTICE The Planning Board will hold a public hearing on Tuesday, May 21, 2024, starting at 6:30 P.M. on the following matter: Consideration of a recommendation to the Town of Ithaca Town Board regarding proposed changes to the Official Map of the Town of Ithaca. Members of the public are welcome to attend in-person at Town Hall (215 North Tioga Street, Ithaca, NY) or virtually via Zoom. The public will have an opportunity to see and hear the meeting live and provide comments in-person or through Zoom at https://us06web.zoom.us/j/83643764382. If the public would like to attend the meeting for viewing purposes only, it is recommended to watch the livestream video on YouTube (https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCC9vycXkJ6klVlibjhCy7NQ/live). Any person wishing to address the board will be heard. In addition, comments can be sent via email to townclerk@townithacany.gov up to the end of business the day of the meeting and all comments will be forwarded to the board. Additional information is available at https://townithacany.gov/. C.J. Randall, Director of Planning 5/15/2024 TOWN OF ITHACA PLANNING BOARD Shirley A. Raffensperger Board Room,Town Hall 215 North Tioga Street Ithaca,New York 14850 Tuesday,May 21,2024 6:30 P.M. Members of the public are welcome to attend in-person at Town Hall or virtually via Zoom. The public will have an opportunity to see and hear the meeting live and provide comments in-person or through Zoom at httys://us06web.zoom.us/i/83643764382. If the public would like to attend the meeting for viewing purposes only,it is recommended to watch the livestream video on YouTube (httys://www.youtube.com/channel/UCC9vvcXkJ6klVlibihCv7No /Iive . AGENDA I. State Environmental Quality Review(SEQR)discussion for the proposed Cornell University Meinig Fieldhouse Indoor Sports and Recreational Facility located at Robison Alumni Fields on Tower Road on the Cornell University campus. The project involves replacing the Robison Alumni Fields with a 90,000+/-square foot, 56-foot-tall indoor fieldhouse building and a new synthetic outdoor multipurpose field along with new sidewalks and pedestrian connections, stormwater facilities,landscaping,lighting, and other site elements. The project will be largely located within the City of Ithaca with a portion in the Town of Ithaca. This is a Type I Action under the State Environmental Quality Review Act and is subject to environmental review. The City of Ithaca Planning and Development Board declared their intent to be the Lead Agency to coordinate the environmental review. The Town of Ithaca Planning Board concurred with the Lead Agency declaration on January 16,2024. Cornell University,Owner; Kimberly Michaels,TWM,a Fisher Associates Landscape Architecture Studio,Applicant/Agent. 2. PUBLIC HEARING: Consideration of a recommendation to the Town of Ithaca Town Board regarding proposed changes to the Official Map of the Town of Ithaca. 3. Persons to be heard. 4. Approval of Minutes. 5. Other Business. 6. Adjournment. C.J. Randall Director of Planning 607-273-1747 NOTE:IF ANY MEMBER OF THE PLANNING BOARD IS UNABLE TO ATTEND,PLEASE NOTIFY CHRIS BALESTRA AT 607-273-1747 or CBALESTRA(&TOWNITHACANY.GOV. (A quorum of four(4)members is necessary to conduct Planning Board business.) Accessing Meeting Materials Online Site Plan and Subdivision applications and associated project materials are accessible electronically on the Town's website at https:Htownithacany.gov/meeting-calendar-agendas/under the calendar meeting date. TOWN OF ITHACA PLANNING BOARD MEETING May 21,2024 Minutes Present: Liz Bageant, Acting Chair; Cindy Kaufman, Caitlin Cameron (video), Bill Arms, and Kelda McGurk Absent: Fred Wilcox and Ariel Casper CJ Randall, Director of Planning; Christine Balestra, Senior Planner; Susan Brock, Attorney for the Town; David O'Shea, Senior Engineer; Marty Moseley, Director of Code Enforcement; Dana Magnuson, Senior CEO and Paulette Rosa, Town Clerk Meeting convened and motion made by Mr. Arms, seconded by Ms. Kaufman to nominate Liz Bageant to act as Chair; unanimous. Ms. Bageant opened the meeting at 7:00p.m. Ms. Bageant noted for the public that there is no public hearing associated with the first agenda item; no decision is being made on the project itself. The question is whether or not this Board will be making a recommendation to the Lead Agency, the City of Ithaca, regarding the question of segmentation under SEQR. She asked the Board if they would like to allow public comment. Board members stated that they would like to hear what the public has to say after the applicant's opening presentation. Item 1 State Environmental Quality Review (SEQR) discussion for the proposed Cornell University Meinig Fieldhouse Indoor Sports and Recreational Facility located at Robison Alumni Fields on Tower Road on the Cornell University campus. The project involves replacing the Robison Alumni Fields with a 90,000+/- square foot, 56-foot-tall indoor fieldhouse building and a new synthetic outdoor multipurpose field along with new sidewalks and pedestrian connections, stormwater facilities, landscaping, lighting, and other site elements.The project will be largely located within the City of Ithaca with a portion in the Town of Ithaca. This is a Type I Action under the State Environmental Quality Review Act and is subject to environmental review. The City of Ithaca Planning and Development Board declared their intent to be the Lead Agency to coordinate the environmental review. The Town of Ithaca Planning Board concurred with the Lead Agency declaration on January 16, 2024. Cornell University, Owner; Kimberly Michaels,TWM, a Fisher Associates Landscape Architecture Studio, Applicant/Agent. Ms. Michaels gave an overview of the issue, saying that in January, the project included a field hockey field and an indoor sports facility. The purpose of that project was to add more field space on central campus to provide year round indoor practice space and access for more students to have access to athletics on central campus and to address the need for athletic space on campus. PB 2024-05-21 (Filed 5/24) Pg. 1 The Town's Planning Board agreed that the City of Ithaca would be lead agency as the project is in both the city and the town, but more in the city. Then Cornell began to think more about what would bring the greatest good; the field hockey field could only be used for field hockey, but if they instead turn the field hockey field into a general purpose field, a greater population will be served. That left a question as to where the field hockey field should then be located, and the current idea is to move that field to Game Farm Road. While those conversations were happening, we thought it best to pause the public process because the scope of the project was changing a little bit. The intention and the goals of the project are not changing, but we were talking about a new location for the field, and that location is no longer in the city at all. The two projects are not necessarily dependent on each other, and we are beginning to put materials together for the new location, but what we are here for tonight is the central campus project,Meinig Fieldhouse. The project is about 80% in the City of Ithaca and 20%in the Town of Ithaca. The changes are (1) the use of the outdoor field is changed to multi-use, and as such it got a little larger, and (2) the flagpole, team storage area, shelters for the teams, press box, and spectator seating have all been removed. The scoreboard remains but is in a different location and the light poles moved a little bit and are a bit larger because the field got a little larger. The question tonight is whether the current project is considered a segmentation under SEQR and if so, whether it is a permissible segmentation. A board can legally look at the environmental impacts of two projects that are somehow interconnected and do their environmental review separately if your review is no less protective of the environment as two separate actions than it would be as one combined action. Since these two projects are on different timelines and they're in different municipalities, we would assume that the town would want to be the lead agency for a Game Farm Road Project,which we haven't submitted any plans for yet, although we do plan to in the near future. The request is for you to have a discussion tonight about whether this rationale makes sense to you and is then logical for you to make some recommendations to the City Planning Board and then in their SEQR determination, they would also make a finding that segmentation is appropriate and permissible in this situation for the same reasons. Ms. Michaels went through the tentative schedule of approval processes for the revised Meinig Fieldhouse project. Questions/Discussion Ms. Balestra asked when they thought the Game Farm hockey field project would be submitted to the town and Ms. Michaels said they are targeting the end of June. PB 2024-05-21 (Filed 5/24) Pg. 2 Ms. Cameron asked why there is even a question on segmentation? She felt that the project had simply changed, and that is all. It is still on central campus; the components have just changed. Ms. Balestra responded that it was advertised as one project, the Meinig Fieldhouse, a 90, 000 s.f. indoor field house with an outdoor hockey field. Now the hockey field part of the project is being moved to another location, which is no longer in the City of Ithaca, but in the Town of Ithaca on Game Farm Road. Usually,when a question of segmentation comes up, it is for a second phase of a proj ect that might happen far into the future. But this new proposal for the hockey field will be proposed within weeks of the Meinig Fieldhouse project. Ms. Cameron said she didn't see how the name or type of field or stadium should matter in this question. The project has simply changed and although a piece of it is moving, it is not moving very close to the current project and so they are not joined. Ms. Brock stated that the applicant is asking this board to give an opinion on their request to the city for segmentation. Ms. Michaels added that they are asking for this out of an abundance of caution and to avoid even an appearance of impropriety. Just dotting our is and crossing our is because this main campus project has already been presented and the City Planning and Development Board established themselves as the lead agency in the environmental review. Their stance is that these are two similar projects that are not functionally dependent on each other; one does not have to happen for the other to happen. They are over a mile and a half apart, in two different municipalities and on two different timelines. Knowing that there is another sports field project being planned is mildly related, but not related enough to keep them joined for review purposes. Ms. Michaels used the example of a factory being built and then worker housing. Those two projects would be dependent on each other and have environmental impacts that in some cases would be intertwined (traffic and work shifts) and should be looked at together. These are two sports fields not dependent on each other and not associated in activities other than broadly "sports." The board discussed the two pieces of the project at length, noting that they felt they would give each the close attention and review under SEQR as they needed, and they would not want to give up lead agency for a project wholly in the Town of Ithaca. Ms. Brock stated that one of the criteria for determining segmentation is if there is some kind of an overall plan, and this could be considered an overall plan because they have decided to change the main campus plan and the use and move the previously included field and details out to another location. That is an overall plan. Another is to look at whether by segmenting, you would not be looking at all of the impacts together and if done together, you felt there could be a significant impact and this would be a way to avoid that determination. It is difficult to answer because we have no details on the plans for Game Farm Road. PB 2024-05-21 (Filed 5/24) Pg. 3 Ms. Cameron suggested that the board make no recommendation at all to the city.As the city was the lead agency in the environmental review for the Meinig Fieldhouse, the city could make the determination without the Town Planning Board's input. She was confident that the town would provide a thorough SEQR review on the project(s)regardless of the segmentation vote. Ms. Bageant outlined the options for the board to consider. The board can make no recommendation to the city; the board can make a recommendation based upon the information received in the packet; the board could make no recommendation and just forward planning staff's memo as additional information for the city to have. Discussion continued, with Ms. Bageant saying the board could put this off until the next meeting as two members were absent. Ms. McGurk said she was comfortable deciding tonight and that the other members could watch it on the recording if they wanted to. Mr.Arms agreed, saying he would not like to cause a delay for the applicants on that basis. The majority of the Board wished to move forward. Ms. Cameron moved to make no recommendation and instead send the staff memo to the City Planning and Development Board. PB RESOLUTION 2024 - 013: Forward the memorandum prepared by Town Staff regarding the issue of SEQR segmentation of the Meinig Fieldhouse Indoor Sports and Recreational Facility proiect to the City of Ithaca Planning and Development Board Resolved,that the Town of Ithaca Planning Board requests that the Town of Ithaca Planning staff forward the memo prepared by Christine Balestra, Senior Planner, dated May 14, 2024, submitted to the Town of Ithaca Planning Board for their May 21, 2024, meeting,to the City of Ithaca's Planning and Development Board. Moved: Cindy Kaufman Seconded: Bill Arms Vote: ayes—Kaufman, Arms, McGurk, and Cameron nays —Bageant Public Comment The Board invited those wishing to speak on this project a chance to speak. (Written comments submitted after posting of the official mailout packet and 24 hours after the meeting can be found in the updated packet online and will be filed permanently with the project folder along with any other comments received after the post meeting deadline.) Yayoi Koizumi, Founder, Zero Waste Ithaca, spoke on behalf of her grassroots organization to urge the Board to reject segmentation and urged a significant environmental effect is ruled to focus on the artificial turf aspect of the project. She referenced articles that the applicant used to PB 2024-05-21 (Filed 5/24) Pg. 4 justify artificial turf were from entities she felt were illegitimate and outlined her concerns and gave examples of other municipalities that have rejected artificial turf. Bethany Ojalehto Mays summarized her written comments highlighting her concerns with artificial turf. Comments were closed. Ms. Kaufman noted that natural fields would limit the use of the fields and not be equitable to all because they are unusable in our climate many times and there are a lot of chemicals used to try and keep the field usable. She understands it is a trade-off, but there is a great need for people to be able to get outside and exercise, and a grass field will not programmatically support the needs of the students and the community. Mr.Arms added that there will be a SEQR discussion and that will be the time to discuss this type of concern. He added that written comments are really appreciated, so that we can read them very carefully and be prepared when that SEQR discussion occurs. Ms. Michaels was asked to comment on Ms. Kaufman's statement. Ms. Michaels said the only thing she can speak to directly as a landscape architect is that there is a growing season here in Ithaca that is very short and does not align with having multiple sports programs throughout the school use if this field is kept as grass. You can do your best to maintain it, but if the grass isn't growing, there is no fix. She said she would bring additional people to speak to other aspects of the comments and added that referring to the current field at Game Farm as a"living meadow" is inaccurate and she would bring pictures to the next meeting. Ms. Bageant noted that the two public speakers were indicating they would like to respond, but she would not be allowing a second speaking opportunity. She suggested they submit written comments as Mr.Arms suggested. Item 2 PUBLIC HEARING: Consideration of a recommendation to the Town of Ithaca Town Board regarding proposed changes to the Official Map of the Town of Ithaca. Mr. O'Shea gave an overview, saying this was a standard updating of our map and Ms. Balestra's memo covered everything nicely. Ms. Bageant asked why the town's preserves and the State parks were different shades of green and the town's parks were a completely different color so that you cannot see all town space as a whole. She said she likes to know where public land is. She got confused by the coloring on the map. PB 2024-05-21 (Filed 5/24) Pg. 5 Mr. Coakley responded that the State parks were on the map for information and help in establishing context and landmarks people are used to, but he could change the colors if that was needed. Ms. Bageant asked what the "approved"road from Conifer Dr over to West Hill Dr was. Mr. O'Shea responded that it is an approved road with easement/dedication that has been on the books for a while and because we have rights to it, under statute, it appears on the map. Ms. Bageant opened the public hearing at 7:27 p.m. There was no one wishing to speak on the revisions to the town map and the hearing was closed. Motion made by Mr.Arms, seconded by Ms. McGurk to forward the adoption of the revised Official Town Map to the Town Board without suggested changes; unanimous. Item 3 Persons to be heard Ms. Bageant noted that Ms. Koizumi's hand was raised, and stated for her benefit that this item is for comments regarding items that are not on the agenda. Item 4 Approval of Minutes Ms. Kaufman asked that her reference to collapsable bollards be added to the May 71h minutes. Ms. Rosa agreed with the request and will add it to the two paragraphs where requested. Motion made by Ms. Kaufman, seconded by Ms. McGurk to approve the minutes of March 19th and May 7th as amended; unanimous. Item 5 Other Business There are no agenda items for the June 41h meeting. Motion made by Ms. Kaufman, seconded by Mr.Arms to cancel the meeting; unanimous. Subm' e y Paulette Rosa, Town Clerk PB 2024-05-21 (Filed 5/24) Pg. 6