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HomeMy WebLinkAboutMN-ILPC-2021-02-16Approved by ILPC: 20, April 2021 1 Ithaca Landmarks Preservation Commission (ILPC) Minutes — February 16, 2021 Present: Ed Finegan, Chair David Kramer, Vice Chair Stephen Gibian, Member Avi Smith, Member Susan Stein, Member Donna Fleming, Common Council Liaison Rod Howe, Supervisor, Town of Ithaca Sue Ritter, Director of Planning, Town of Ithaca JoAnn Cornish, City of Ithaca Director of Planning Bryan McCracken, City of Ithaca Historic Preservation Planner Anya Harris, City of Ithaca staff Absent: Katelin Olson, Member Pursuant to the Governor’s Executive Order 202.1, this meeting was conducted remotely via the online meeting platform Zoom. Chair E. Finegan called the meeting to order at 5:35 p.m. I. AGENDA REVIEW B. McCracken said there were no changes to agenda II. PUBLIC COMMENT ON MATTERS OF INTEREST Chair E. Finegan opened Public Comment. There being no members of the public appearing and wishing to speak, and no written comments submitted to be read aloud, Chair E. Finegan closed Public Comment. III. NEW BUSINESS Rod Howe, Town Supervisor, and Sue Ritter, Director of Planning, attended the meeting to discuss the possibility for a City and Town of Ithaca Historic Preservation Collaboration. The City of Ithaca Director of Planning JoAnn Cornish was also in attendance. Rod Howe said that the Town would be celebrating its bicentennial in 2021 and wanted to look into collaborating with the City on historic preservation efforts. He said they had entered into an MOU with the City. B. McCracken said that for the Town and City to share a single Commission, the Town would have to adopt a landmarks ordinance nearly identical to the City’s. They could share staffing, but it would require action by both the Town and the City. He said it might be challenging to get the language to be the same in both cases in part because the resources in each would be somewhat Approved by ILPC: 20, April 2021 2 different. B. McCracken said a second option would be for the Town to form a separate Commission of its own, and in that case, it would only require the Town to adopt an ordinance and establish their own Commission, potentially with some overlapping members. The Town may or may not become a Certified Local Government. He said that finding members may prove a challenge, as the two Commissions might end up competing for qualified people to serve. He shared an example of another town and village in the state that share a commission. Sue Ritter next discussed a survey of properties the Town had done in the 1990s in conjunction with support from Cornell. She said their Comprehensive Plan identifies the development of an historic preservation plan as well as considering becoming a CLG as goals for the Town. She said there are currently 6 properties in the Town on the National and State Registers. B. McCracken next asked Commission members to discuss. D. Kramer asked if the Town would have to designate historic properties from scratch. B. McCracken said yes. R. Howe said that it wouldn’t have to happen all at once. S. Ritter said that the survey done in the late ‘90s had some recommendations already identified. Chair E. Finegan asked when Town members would become eligible to vote. B. McCracken said as soon as the legislation is passed and members are appointed, they could vote on City applications, and as Town landmarks are added, the City members could vote on projects in the Town. S. Gibian asked if the Village of Cayuga Heights would be included. R. Howe and S. Ritter said it’s an open question for the ad hoc committee and representatives of the Village could discuss. Several members of the Commission volunteered to participate. B. McCracken said the tentative plan would be for the committee to meet a little ahead of the regular meeting at around 5 p.m. to discuss and then if they wanted to, the Town representatives could stay on to watch the ILPC and learn more about their work. The Commission members agreed that for the first meeting or first few meetings, the entire Commission would participate, and then if some find it too much to take on they can opt out at a later time. Director J. Cornish expressed support for and excitement for the proposal. Approved by ILPC: 20, April 2021 3 S Gibian asked about the number of properties identified in the survey, 480, and if they were all historic or if that is the total number in the Town. S. Ritter said they were counting properties 50 years and older. R. Howe and S. Ritter thanked everyone for their time. III. APPROVAL OF MINUTES The December 15, 2020 meeting minutes were approved unanimously with no modifications. The January 19, 2021 meeting minutes were approved unanimously with the addition of several clarifications around the Cascadilla Boathouse restoration from S. Gibian. IV. ADMINISTRATIVE MATTERS • Review: 2020 Ithaca Landmarks Preservation Commission Annual Report The Commission reviewed the annual report to be sent to the Mayor and Common Council. • Zoning Appeal Advisory Review: 222 South Geneva Street, Henry St. John Historic District The ILPC reviewed the proposal, and had no suggestions for modifications to the proposal, as there are no proposed changes to the exterior of the building. S. Gibian noted an inconsistency in that it looks like there may be a removal and/or replacement of a door and window in the back. B. McCracken said he would follow up on that for clarification, and he noted the windows and doors are not original. • Board Elections: Chair and Vice Chair D. Kramer nominated E. Finegan for Chair. S. Stein seconded. In favor: D. Kramer, S. Gibian, A. Smith, S. Stein. Absent: K. Olson Abstain: E. Finegan Approved by ILPC: 20, April 2021 4 E. Finegan nominated D. Kramer for Vice-Chair. A. Smith seconded. In favor: E. Finegan, S. Gibian, A. Smith, S. Stein. Absent: K. Olson Abstain: D. Kramer • Announcement: 2021 New York Statewide Historic Preservation Conference B. McCracken announced Ithaca would host this year’s conference, to be held virtually. Dates TBD. D. Kramer asked if tours would be offered, and he suggested virtual tours if possible. V. ADJOURNMENT On a motion by S. Stein, seconded by D. Kramer, the meeting was adjourned unanimously at 6:34 p.m. Respectfully submitted, Bryan McCracken, Historic Preservation Planner