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HomeMy WebLinkAboutPB Minutes 2017-03-21 TOWN OF ITHACA PLANNING BOARD MEETING Tuesday, March 21, 2017 215 N. Tioga Street, Ithaca, NY 14850 Town Planning Board Members Present: Fred Wilcox, Joseph Haefeli, John Beach,Yvonne Fogarty, Melissa Hill 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 DeAu0stine, Deputy Town Clerk Call to Order Mr. Wilcox called the meeting to order at 7:02 p.m. AGENDA ITEM Public Hearing: Consideration of Preliminary and Final Site Plan Approval for the proposed conversion of the former WINGS space in the East Hill Plaza to Sedgwick Business Interiors, located at 335 Pine Tree Road, Town of Ithaca Tax Parcel No. 62_-21.121, Community Commercial Zone_ The project includes interior modifications to the existing space_ Cornell University Real Estate Department, Owner; Maria B.Maynard, V_P_, Property Management, Ashley Management Corpora- tion, Agent Mr_Wilcox opened the public hearing at 7:03 p.m. Ms_Maynard said the former Wings has abandoned its space and the Sedgwick Business Interiors will take it over. This is a change in use, so it needs planning board approval_ Regarding signage, things have changed since the plaza went in. Because they're the tenant with the least amount of signage, a little more color will help call attention to the business_ Mr. Wilcox liked the way the sign is designed to wrap around the corner. Mr. Wilcox closed the public hearing at 7:07 p.m. To a question by Mr. Haefeli, Ms. Maynard said that there will be a show room,but they don't see it as a retail store_Their primary clients are Cornell and businesses_ PB Resolution No. 2017.024: Preliminary and Final Site Plan, East Hill Plaza - Conversion of Space, Tax Parcel No. 62.-2-1.121 Moved by John Beach; seconded by Yvonne Fogarty WHEREAS: 1_ This action is consideration of Preliminary and Final Site Plan Approval for the proposed conversion of the former WINGS space in the East Hill Plaza to Sedgwick Business Interiors, located at 335 Pine Tree Road, Town of Ithaca Tax Parcel No. 62_-21.121, Community Commer- cial Zone_ The project includes interior modifications to the existing space_ Cornell University Planning Board Meeting 03.21.2017 Page 2 of 7 Real Estate Department, Owner; Maria B.Maynard, V_P_, Property Management, Ashley Man- agement Corporation,Agent; and 2_ This is a Type II Action, as stated in 6 NYCRR Section 6175(c)(2) of the regulations of the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, promulgated pursuant to the State Envi- ronmental Quality Review Act, because the Action constitutes a "replacement, rehabilitation, or reconstruction of a structure or facility, in kind, on the same site, including upgrading buildings to meet building or fire codes," and thus approval of the site plan is not subject to review under SEQR; and 3_ The Planning Board, at a public hearing held on March 21, 2017, has reviewed and accepted as adequate a narrative of the proposal, a floor plan titled "FORMER WINGS SPACE ALTERATIONS, East Hill Plaza, Ithaca, NY," prepared by Kingsbury Architecture, dated 2/22/17, and other application materials; NOW THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED: 1_ That the Town of Ithaca Planning Board hereby waives certain requirements for Preliminary and Final Site Plan Approval, as shown on the Preliminary and Final Site Plan Checklists, having determined from the materials presented that such waiver will result in a significant alteration of neither the purpose of site plan control nor the policies enunciated or implied by the Town Board; and 2_ That the Town of Ithaca Planning Board hereby grants Preliminary and Final Site Plan Approval for the proposed conversion of the former WINGS restaurant in East Hill Plaza to Sedgewick Business Interiors, referenced on the plans listed in Whereas #3 above, subject to the following conditions: a_ That the applicant obtains a sign permit for the proposed sign, and b_ That the applicant obtains a building permit for the conversion of the space_ Vote Ayes: Wilcox, Haefeli, Beach, Fogarty, Hill AGENDA ITEM SEQR Determination: Kardon 2-Lot Subdivision, Bundy Road Mr_ Kardon said they are partitioning off a building lot to construct a single-family residence_They don't have any plans for the other lot. Ms_ Fogarty said she lives on Bundy Road, but doesn't think she'll be affected one way or the other by the project and that it will not impact her vote_ Mr_ Kardon said the company designing the house is Bright Built out of Massachussets, and that the building, which will be assembled in Pennsylvania, will be a net-zero house_ Planning Board Meeting 03.21.2017 Page 3 of 7 Ms_ Kardon said they talked to Andy Zepp from the Finger Lakes Land Trust about conserving the empty lot, and he strongly recommended that they just own it for a couple of years and see what they want to do. Mr_ Bates said that since the home is being built in Pennsylvania, they will need to get a letter from New York State Division of Building Standards and Codes because modulars have to be approved by the state; we can't approve them locally. The Kardons should make sure the modular company has New York certification_ PB Resolution No. 2017.025: SEAR, Preliminary and Final Subdivision Approval, Kardon 2-Lot Subdivision, Bundy Road, Tax Parcel No. 24.4.6.2 Moved by Joseph Haefeli; seconded by Yvonne Fogarty WHEREAS: I_ This is consideration of Preliminary and Final Subdivision Approval for the proposed 2-lot subdivision located on Bundy Road, across from 173 Bundy Road, Town of Ithaca Tax Parcel No. 24_462, Medium Density Residential Zone_ The proposal involves subdividing 2.268 +/- acres from the 67 +/- acre parcel for the construction of a new residence_ Fredric&Marsha Kardon, Owners/Applicants; and 2_ This is an Unlisted Action for which the Town of Ithaca Planning Board is the lead agency in the environmental review with respect to the project; and 3_ The Planning Board on March 21, 2017, has reviewed and accepted as adequate a Short Envi- ronmental Assessment Form Part 1, prepared by the applicant, and Parts 2 and 3, prepared by town staff, a survey map entitled "Survey Map Showing Portion Of Lands Of Frederic&Marsha Kardon, Located On Bundy Road, Town Of Ithaca, Tompkins County, New York," prepared by T.G. Miller, P.C., dated 2/22/2017, and other application materials; and 4_ Town planning staff has recommended a negative determination of environmental significance with respect to the proposed Subdivision Approval; NOW THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED: That the Town of Ithaca Planning Board hereby makes a negative determination of environmental significance in accordance with Article 8 of the Environmental Conservation Law and 6 NYCRR Part 617 New York State Environmental Quality Review for the above referenced action as proposed, based on the information in the EAF Part I and for the reasons set forth in the EAT Parts 2 and 3, and, therefore, an Environmental Impact Statement will not be required_ Vote Ayes: Wilcox, Haefeli, Beach, Fogarty, Hill AGENDA ITEM Planning Board Meeting 03.21.2017 Page 4 of 7 Public Hearing: Consideration of Preliminary and Final Subdivision Approval for the proposed 2-lot subdivision located on Bundy Road across from 173 Bundy Road, Town of Ithaca Tax Parcel No. 24_- 4.62, Medium Density Residential Zone_ The proposal involves subdividing 2.268 +/- acres from the 67 +/- acre parcel for the construction of a new residence_ Fredric&Marsha Kardon, Own- ers/Applicants Mr_Wilcox opened the public hearing at 7:15 p.m.; hearing no one, he closed the public hearing at 7:15 p.m. Ms_ Kardon said they've been trying to contact NYSEG about connecting up to town water and sewer, which involves digging under their transmission line,but they've had no luck.NYSEG has an easement right across the property_ Mr_ Bates recommended they seek legal advice_ Ms_ Kardon asked whether the town requires that they connect up to sewer_ Mr_ Bates responded that the decision would be his. He needs to find out what it would cost to put in a system versus how much it would cost to connect to our system and then whether they can get the necessary easements_They are past the town's connection line, so it would have to be extended to accommodate their property_ If the cost is prohibitive, we might say that if the town extends the line, they would be required to connect to it.At this point, the connection would be at their cost Mr_Thaete said the town would not typically extend the line_ The developer would extend the line to their lot and would have to pay for the extension of the town main_Mr_Thaete suggested they talk to him regarding their options_ PB Resolution No. 2017.026: Preliminary and Final Subdivision Approval, Kardon 2-Lot Subdivision, Bundy Road, Tax Parcel No. 24.46.2 Moved by Yvonne Fogarty; seconded by Melissa Hill WHEREAS: 5_ This is consideration of Preliminary and Final Subdivision Approval for the proposed 2-lot subdivision located on Bundy Road, across from 173 Bundy Road, Town of Ithaca Tax Parcel No. 24_462, Medium Density Residential Zone_ The proposal involves subdividing 2.268 +/- acres from the 67 +/- acre parcel for the construction of a new residence_ Fredric&Marsha Kardon, Owners/Applicants; and 6_ This is an Unlisted Action for which the Town of Ithaca Planning Board, as the lead agency in the environmental review with respect to the project, has on March 21, 2017, made a negative determination of environmental significance, after having reviewed and accepted as adequate a Short Environmental Assessment Form Part 1, submitted by the applicant, and Parts 2 and 3 prepared by the Town Planning staff; and Planning Board Meeting 03.21.2017 Page 5 of 7 7_ The Planning Board on March 21, 2017, has reviewed and accepted as adequate a survey map entitled "Survey Map Showing Portion Of Lands Of Frederic&Marsha Kardon, Located On Bundy Road, Town Of Ithaca, Tompkins County, New York," prepared by T.G. Miller, P.C., dated 2/22/2017, and other application materials; NOW THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED: I_ That the Town of Ithaca Planning Board hereby waives certain requirements for Preliminary and Final Subdivision Approval, as shown on the Preliminary and Final Subdivision Checklists, hav- ing awing determined from the materials presented that such waiver will result in a significant alteration of neither the purpose of subdivision control nor the policies enunciated or implied by the Town Board; and 2_ That the Planning Board hereby grants Preliminary and Final Subdivision Approval for the proposed subdivision located on Bundy Road, Town of Ithaca Tax Parcel No. 24_462, as shown on the survey map entitled "Survey Map Showing Portion Of Lands Of Frederic&Marsha Kar- don, Located On Bundy Road, Town of Ithaca, Tompkins County, New York," subject to the following condition: a_ submission for signing by the Chairperson of the Planning Board of an original and three dark lined prints of the final subdivision plat, prior to filing with the Tompkins County Clerk's Office, and submission of a receipt of filing to the Town of Ithaca Planning Depart- ment. Vote Ayes: Wilcox, Haefeli, Beach, Fogarty, Hill AGENDA ITEM Consideration of a sketch plan review for the proposed expansion of GreenTree at 142 Ithaca Beer Drive, Town of Ithaca Tax Parcel No.'s 33.-3-2.3 and 33.3.25, Light Industrial Zone_ The proposal involves using the existing office and warehouse buildings, along with adding 10,100 +/- square feet of additional space in two phases, for manufacturing, storage, shipping and retail. The proposal also involves adding additional parking, new stormwater facilities, and removing the existing loading dock and reusing the roof structure for a farm product sales location_ GreenTree Ithaca LLC, Own- er/Applicant; John L. Gaunt, Agent Mr_ Gaunt said that soon after he became the owner of Green Tree, he relocated to 606 Elmira Road, a building he rents_ In the last five years, business has gone well, and they've run out of space. He was looking for an opportunity to expand primarily their manufacturing operation, which is a very controlled way of making organic potting soil. When the opportunity came to purchase the property behind them on Brewery Lane, they jumped_They're hoping to relocate all or part of the business to that site.There isn't sufficient space in the existing warehouse on the site, so they want to extend the footprint of the existing warehouse and then link down to a new structure_They'll use that space for storage of raw materials, the manufacturing process, which is done indoors, and storage for the finished product_ Part of their process involves something akin to composting that produces heat_ Planning Board Meeting 03.21.2017 Page 6 of 7 They're interested in trying to capture the heat and reuse it within the building itself to reduce the utility bills and demonstrate the benefits of doing this process_ Ms_ Brenner, architect, said that while the zoning for this business is correct, the type of setbacks and clearances in the light industrial zone wouldn't allow them to construct the building; the setbacks in this zone don't make sense for this site.At some point in the process, she hopes the planning board will visit the site and see how this use fits in with the master planning for this area of the town_ She said they did a careful analysis of the tractor trailers that would deliver materials to site, looking for a way for them to turn around and to back up comfortably_That, combined with the way the ware- house and new extension will function, means that they're within ten feet of the rear yard_ If they can keep all the truck traffic to the end of the site with the warehouse and production, they can have people in cars continue down Ithaca Beer Drive into a parking area along the drive_This way, people would have a route into the building that didn't interfere with the trucks. Ms_ Fogarty asked if the manufacturing operation will create odor_ Mr_ Gaunt said the process is carried out within the confines of the building and there isn't an odor. They're doing the same thing in their present facility_ Ms_ Fogarty asked whether he had received the letter from Dan Mitchell of Ithaca Beer regarding the view from the tap room lawn and the easement over Ithaca Beer Drive_ Mr_ Gaunt said had not seen the letter, but he's had email exchanges with Mr. Mitchell and under- stands his concerns_ He noted that the closer they are to Ithaca Beer's boundary the less risk there is of a line-of-sight issue_ Mr_Wilcox agreed that there should be a conversation with Mr_Mitchell and some landscaping at the back of the building with some trees to mitigate the visual impact, but he pointed out that Mr_ Mitchell has a brewery with silos_ It's a light industrial zone_ Mr_ Gaunt said that one of his ambitions is for Ithaca Beer to use his soil to grow the vegetables for their restaurant There's a lot of synergy between their customer bases_Mr_Mitchell is in a situation in which he owns the road people have an easement over and now he's in a difficult position because he's trying to enter into an arrangement with everyone around that road to have access where everyone has a right to access. He has told Mr. Mitchell that he's willing to share their part of the burden for maintaining the road_ Mr_Wilcox said the road is not very well organized: it's unclear what's private road, what's road that people can drive on, and what's private property_ He hopes that as part of this process, we can make that clearer to help with traffic circulation and safety_ Other than that, he thinks this is a wonderful use of this site and that it's appropriate_ He asked whether truck traffic would enter the site off 13A onto Ithaca Beer Drive_ Mr_ Gaunt said he's watched trucks coming from Ithaca Beer and thinks that where the trucks come out depends on where they're going_ His business is the slip road for Ithaca Beer, where people drive through his existing parking lot at 20 to 30 miles per hour and turn right onto Ithaca Beer Lane_ Planning Board Meeting 03-21-2017 Page 7 of 7 Then there are people who drive down into that area, go around in a circle, and come back up to ask where Ithaca Beer is. So he thinks it would be desirable to clear tip where the roads lead down there. Mr. Thaete asked whether the manufacture of the product creates discharge. Mr. Gaunt said they use reverse osmosis to clean up the water they use, then they discard the part of the water they don't use after they've cleaned it. Their goal is to reuse that as gray water. AGENDAITEM Persons to be heard — No one came forward to address the board. AGENDAITEM PB Resolution No. 2017.027: Minutes of February 28, 2017 Moved by John Beach; seconded by Yvonne Fogarty RESOLVED, the Planning Board approves the minutes of February 28, 2017, as submitted. Vote Ayes: Wilcox, Haefeli, Beach, Fogarty Abstentions-: Hill PB Resolution No. 2017-028: Minutes of March 7, 2017 Moved by Yvonne Fogarty; seconded by John Beach RESOLVED, the Planning Board approves the minutes of March 7, 2017, as submitted. Vote Ayes: Wilcox, Haefeli, Beach, Fogarty Abstentions: Hill Adjournment Upon a motion by John Beach, the meeting adjourned at 7:54.m. Respectfully submitted, �'V�_.,u'� � -'r�f�i4% B:h �A'I i✓'�� \ 4 'Y'.P..AI� Y�l � n IQebra DeAugistine,,Deputy Towh Clerk