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Home My WebLink AboutPB Minutes 2017-02-28 TOWN OF ITHACA PLANNING BOARD MEETING Tuesday, February 28, 2017 215 N. Tioga Street, Ithaca, NY 14850 Town Planning Board Members Present: Liebe Meier Swain, Linda Collins, Joseph Haefeli, John Beach, Yvonne Fogarty, Jon Bosak Town Staff Present: Susan Ritter, Director of Planning; Dan Thaete, Town Engineer; Bruce Bates, Director of Code Enforcement; Susan Brock,Attorney for the Town; Debra DeAugistine, Deputy Town Clerk Call to Order Ms_Meier Swain called the meeting to order at 12:30 p.m. AGENDA ITEM Continuation of consideration of Final Site Plan Approval for the proposed Maplewood Apartments Redevelopment Project located between Maple Avenue and Mitchell Street, Town of Ithaca Tax Parcel No. 63.-2-10.2, High Density Residential Zone_The proposal involves demolishing the existing Maplewood Apartments housing complex and redeveloping the +/- 17 acre site with up to 500 residential units (studios and 1.4 bedroom units) in a mix of townhomes, stacked flats, and multi- family apartment buildings_ The project will also include some small retail, new interior streets, parking areas, pedestrian facilities, open spaces, storm water facilities, and a community center_ Cornell University, Owner/Applicant; EdR Trust,Applicant; Scott Whitham, Whitham Planning & Design, LLC, Agent Mr_Thaete said they've satisfied 99.9 percent of his comments on the SWPPP, and they're at a point where the project is approvable. He put together a memo for utility issues. It's a lengthy comment letter,but it's concerned with minor details. He's comfortable with the applicant being granted final approval,but not being granted building permit until the letter is satisfied. They're meeting tomorrow at 8 a_m_to take care of the issues_What he's looking for is that the plans be revised to satisfy each comment.The consequence of their not complying with all the requirements listed in the comments is that they won't get a building permit. PB Resolution No. 2017.017: Final Site Plan Approval, Maplewood Redevelopment Project, Tax Parcel No. 61-2-10.2, Between Maple Avenue&Mitchell Street Moved by Yvonne Fogarty; seconded by John Beach WHEREAS: 1_ This project involves Consideration of Final Site Plan Approval for the proposed Maplewood Apartments Redevelopment Project located between Maple Avenue and Mitchell Street, Town of Ithaca Tax Parcel No. 63.-2-10.2, High Density Residential Zone_The proposal involves demolish- ing the existing Maplewood Apartments housing complex and redeveloping the +/- 17 acre site with up to 500 residential units (studios and 1.4 bedroom units) in a mix of townhomes, stacked flats, and multi-family apartment buildings_ The project will also include some small retail, new Planning Board Minutes 0228.2017 Page 2 of 5 interior streets, parking areas, pedestrian facilities, open spaces, storm water facilities, and a com- munity center_ Cornell University, Owner/Applicant; EdR Trust, Applicant; Scott Whitham, Whitham Planning& Design, LLC,Agent; and 2_ The proposed project, which requires site plan and special permit approvals by the Planning Board and a rezoning to a Planned Development Zone (PDZ)by the Town of Ithaca Town Board, is a Type I action pursuant to the State Environmental Quality Review Act, 6 NYCRR Part 617, and Chapter 148 of the Town of Ithaca Code regarding Environmental Quality Review; and 3_ The Town of Ithaca Planning Board established itself as lead agency to coordinate the environ- mental review for the proposed Maplewood Redevelopment project and issued a positive deter- mination of environmental significance at its meeting on May 24, 2016, in accordance with Arti- cle 8 of the Environmental Conservation Law(also known as the New York State Environmental Quality Review Act) for the above-referenced action as proposed, and confirmed that a Draft Environmental Impact Statement(DEIS) would be prepared; and 4_ The Town of Ithaca Planning Board held a Public Scoping Meeting on June 21, 2016 to hear comments from the public and interested and involved agencies regarding the scope and content of the DEIS, and on July 19, 2016, accepted the revised Final Scoping Document as being ade- quate to define the scope and content of the DEIS for the Maplewood Redevelopment Project, after amending the document at its meetings on July 5, 2016, July 12, 2016 and July 19, 2016; and 5_ The applicants prepared the DEIS, dated August 2, 2016, and submitted said DEIS to the Town of Ithaca Planning Board for consideration of acceptance as complete; and 6_ The Town of Ithaca Planning Board reviewed said DEIS on September 6, 2016 and adopted a resolution that found the DEIS was not satisfactory with respect to its scope, content, and ade- quacy for the purpose of commencing public review because of the deficiencies and corrections listed in Resolution No. 2016.047; and 7_ The Town of Ithaca Planning Board accepted the DEIS on September 20, 2016 as complete and adequate for the purpose of commencing public review, pursuant to 6 NYCRR Part 617.9, find- ing that the DEIS still contained deficiencies listed in Resolution No. 2016.053; and 8_ The Town of Ithaca Planning Board held a public hearing on Tuesday, October 18, 2016 to obtain comments from the public on potential environmental impacts of the proposed Maple- wood Redevelopment Project as evaluated in the DEIS, and accepted written comments from the public regarding the DEIS until October 31, 2016; and 9_ The applicants prepared and submitted a Final Environmental Impact Statement WEIS), dated November 8, 2016, to the Town of Ithaca Planning Board for consideration of acceptance as complete; and 10_The Town of Ithaca Planning Board reviewed and revised the FEIS at its meetings on November 15, 2016 and November 22, 2016; accepted the FEIS on November 22, 2016; filed a Notice of Planning Board Minutes 0228.2017 Page 3 of 5 Completion of FEIS on November 30, 2016, and distributed the FEIS to involved and interested agencies and the public, as required by 6 NYCRR Parts 617.9 and 617.12; and 11_The Town of Ithaca Planning Board, on December 6, 2016 and December 20, 2016, reviewed and discussed the Findings Statement for the Maplewood Redevelopment project; and 12_The Town of Ithaca Planning Board, at its meeting on December 20, 2016, adopted the Findings Statement for the Maplewood Redevelopment project and granted preliminary site plan approval for the project; and 13_The Town of Ithaca Planning Board, at its meetings on February 7, 2017, February 21, 2017, and February 28, 2017, has reviewed a final site plan packet, prepared by the applicant team, titled "Maplewood Redevelopment Project, Reenvisioning Graduate and Professional Student Housing For Cornell University, Town of Ithaca Planning Board, Final Site Plan Review, Submission: January 24, 2017," consisting of pages 1 through 145 and containing sheet numbers C101-C120, C201.202, C301-0501, GOAL-A510 (Apartment buildings), GOAL-A504 (Townhouse units), Site Envelope Configuration Drawing, sheets L000-L601, revised Utility Drawings dated February 22, 2017, containing sheet numbers C109.120, C201.203, C301.306, C401.407, C501, photo- metric plans, and other application materials; NOW THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED: That the Town of Ithaca Planning Board hereby grants Final Site Plan Approval for the construction of the Cornell University Maplewood Apartments Redevelopment project, as described in Whereas #13 above, provided that the following conditions are satisfied: 1_ Prior to issuance of building permits: a_ Obtaining coverage from the SPDES General Permit(GP-0.15.002) for the development, b_ Obtaining plumbing permits from Bolton Point before the installation of any building foun- dations, c. Revision of Sheets L301, L302, L303, to remove any significant plantings and structures with- in the sewer easement and over the sewer mains, and further revision of Sheet L302, to clarify the location of the evergreens that are proposed to block car headlight spillage from the park- ing arking lots on the west side of the site, adjacent to the East Ithaca Recreation Way, d_ Submission to the Town Public Works Department of revised materials, satisfactory to the Town Engineer, noted in the memo written by Daniel Thaete, P_E_, Town Engineer, dated February 27, 2017, e_ Submission to the Town Planning Department of one original, large-size set of the approved final site plan drawings, revised per this resolution, including all revised civil engineering drawings, signed and sealed by the registered land suiveyor(s), engineer(s), architect(s) or land- scape architect(s)who prepared the site plan materials, and two sets of paper copies, £ As noted in the EIS and required in the Findings Statement, submission of a financial contri- bution of$30,000 toward (1) the installation of speed humps on the 700 block of Mitchell Planning Board Minutes 0228.2017 Page 4 of 5 Street and other areas determined by the town and (2) signage on Mitchell Street to alert mo- torists of the need for reduced speed entering the Maplewood project area, g_ Submission of a copy of the City of Ithaca street permit application for any improvements to the portion of Maple Avenue that is located in the City of Ithaca_ Such application may re- quire removal and maintenance of vegetation to ensure proper site distance along Maple Ave- nue, and It. Full execution and filing of a stormwater "Operation, Maintenance, and Reporting Agree- ment" (including any stormwater easements) among Cornell University, EdR Trust, and the Town of Ithaca, satisfactory to the Attorney for the Town and the Town of Ithaca Public Works Department 2_ Prior to issuance of certificates of occupancy: a_ Submission, approval by the Town Board, full execution and filing of sanitary sewer and water main easements, satisfactory to the Attorney for the Town and the Town of Ithaca Public Works Department, b_ Completion of all stormwater facilities and required utilities, to the satisfaction of the Town of Ithaca Public Works Department, Bolton Point and the Tompkins County Health De- partment, c. The grant to the Town of a permanent easement(s), or other long term property interest ac- ceptable to the Town Board, on the Cornell-owned land that will be the location of the new water tank, water main, and supporting infrastructure that will serve the project and sur- rounding area, and completion of the water tank, water main, and associated tasks to make the tank and main operational, or, alternatively, a plan to provide a temporary water supply acceptable to the Town Board while the new tank is being completed, d_ Acceptance by the Town Board of the water and sanitary sewer mains and related infrastruc- ture to be conveyed to the Town, e_ As noted in the EIS and required in the Findings Statement: (1) Installation of curbing and associated drainage, asphalt milling and repaving, landscap- ing and street trees on Mitchell Street and Maple Avenue along the project frontage, (2) Installation of street trees and other landscaping in front of Cornell's High Voltage Lab on Mitchell Street, and (3) Installation of raised crosswalks at the intersections of the East Ithaca Recreation Way at Mitchell Street and Maple Avenue, I. Submission of record of application for and proof of receipt of all necessary permits from county, state, and/or federal agencies_ 3_ General conditions of approval: a_ As noted in the EIS and required in the Findings Statement, noise-related construction activi- ties shall be limited to 8am to 6pm Monday through Friday_ Work shall not be routinely scheduled for Saturdays,but will be permitted if required by extenuating circumstances, such as severe weather, subject to approval by the Director of Code Enforcement_ Construction Planning Board Minutes 02-28-2017 Page 5 of 5 shall be prohibited all day on Sundays and federal holidays, except emergency repairs (such as to stormwater facilities) will be allowed on any day, b. All outdoor lighting shall comply with the Town of Ithaca Outdoor Lighting Iaw, Chapter 173, and proposed "Cyclone" lighting (labeled as Ll and L2 on photometric plans) shall be fully shielded on all sides, c. The utilization of Town of Ithaca Tax Parcel No. 62.-1-5 for contractor parking off of Pine Tree Road and Mitchell Street is governed by and subject to Ithaca Planning Board Resolu- tion No. 201.7.003, dated 1/3/2017, d. All Transportation Demand Management initiatives noted on pages 3.42 and .3.43 of the DEIS shall be implemented, and e. As noted in the EIS and required in the Findings Statement, the project: (1) Shall be built to meet Energy Star certification and shall include all of the Energy Conservation Measures listed in Table 5.2 of the DEIS, and (2) Shall utilize 100%energy from renewable sources (renewable source being defined as a source that is not depleted when used e.g. solar, wind, hydro power). The applicant shall submit a letter of proof from the renewable energy provider for the project to the Town Planning Department every July for 10 years and henceforth upon request by the town. Vote Ayes: Meier Swain, I laefeli, Beach, Fogarty, Bosak Nays Collins AGENDA ITEM Persons to be heard - No one came forward to address the board. Adjournment Upon a motion by Jon Bosak, the meeting adjourned at 12:59 p.m. Respectfully submitted, cora kAugistftl,�CT-Dep ury Towp C leak