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HomeMy WebLinkAboutMN-PEDC-2023-04-19Approved at the June 21, 2023 PEDC Meeting City of Ithaca Planning and Economic Development Committee Meeting April 19, 2023 Minutes Committee Members Attending: Rob Gearhart, Chair; Alderpersons Cynthia Brock, Phoebe Brown, and Ducson Nguyen Committee Members Absent: Alderperson Tiffany Kumar Other Elected Officials Attending: Mayor Laura Lewis Alderperson George McGonigal Staff Attending: Lisa Nicholas, Director, Planning and Development Department; Nikki Cerra, Planning and Development Department; Jeanne Grace, City Forester; Nels Bohn, Director, IURA; Anisa Mendizabal, IURA; Bryan McCracken, Planning and Development; Megan Wilson, Deputy Director; and Deborah Grunder, Executive Assistant Others Attending: Caleb Thomas, Ithaca Murals; Laura Mattos, Visum Chief Operating Officer; Liddy Barger, Director of Housing Initiatives 1) Call to Order/Agenda Review Chair Gearhart read the emergency evacuation procedures and then called the meeting to order at 6:04p.m. There were no changes to the agenda. 2) Public Comment/Written Comments Theresa Alt, 206 Eddy Street, worried about the voting items on the agenda. She supports Continuum of Care. Joe McMahon, camping does a lot to natural areas. Does not agree with the Breeze overlook project. Chain-link fences keep the view of the overlook hidden. Zach Winn, spoke against the encampments proposals. Fencing is not the answer. Ithaca should be known as if you continue to camp on City land you will be helped. David Cutter, Planning Office, CU, spoke in favor of the proposed private tree ordinance. Response to public speakers: Alderperson Brown thanked Theresa Alt for her comments Approved at the June 21, 2023 PEDC Meeting 3) Special Tree Ordinance – Presentation Nikki Cerra, Environmental and Landscape Planner provided the presentation to the group. That presentation is attached to these minutes. Jeanne Grace, City Forester, also commented that the City will work with homeowners before they cut a tree down. There may be other options. Alderperson Brown also asked about the trees that have been taken down. Are the property owners notified? City Forester Grace responded they do notify them, but the property owners don’t have any say in what they’re doing. Grace stated that most trees being cut down are because they are interfering with the power lines. Alderperson Nguyen stated he is very much in support of this. In fact, he and another colleague brought this forward a few years back. It was decided that Nikki and Jeanne will continue working on this and bring it back to this committee. 4) Announcements, Updates, Reports a) Smokestack Public Outreach Results and Next Steps Two key questions were asked: Should the smokestack be preserved? And should the City help pay for it? There were also 100s of comments sent in addition to the survey. Alderperson Brown stated she is disheartened by the results. History is important. We must remember that this facility did produce guns and given the current state of the world is in with mass shootings, etc. Alderperson Brock agreed with Brown. She further stated that when the factory was taken down there wasn’t any concern or nostalgia at that time, but there is to the smokestack. The City has many more things to pay for and hopes that people will be willing to help with the cost of its preservation. Alderperson McGonigal stated that the guns made at Ithaca Gun were not assault weapons. They were tools for farmers, hunters, etc. This will be returned next month for a vote on whether the City should help preserve it. b) FEMA Open House FEMA will be in Ithaca on April 26 and 27 to discuss the proposed new flood maps and insurance Approved at the June 21, 2023 PEDC Meeting 5) Discussion a) Breeze Overlook – Design Update Visum provided more updates to their proposal after receiving additional feedback from the Committee. Director Nicholas stated that a site visit was done. They came up from the bottom. Giving all the limitations of that site we thought it would be better to confine them to a small area. Alderperson Brock stated this proposal makes her very uncomfortable. Mayor Lewis stated more City staff, i.e., the attorney’ s office will review this thoroughly. McGonigal suggested the fire department should also be included in the review. b) Unsanctioned Encampments on City Property: Approval of Draft Policy Concept Director Nicholas provided a summary of the reason behind this proposed policy. She stated that this policy looks at the use of City property. It does not review the homelessness issue here in Ithaca and elsewhere. Nels Bohn reviewed the different areas of this policy. Mayor Lewis thanked all who have worked on this very important and challenging topic. The City will continue to work with professionals to help make these areas safer and healthier for this group of people. Alderperson Brown also thanked the group. She asked whether the law would be changed to allow camping without fear of prosecution? She hopes this isn’t an “out-of-site out-of-mind” situation. Alderperson McGonigal stated the fence is not the solution. It’s a temporary thing. It has nothing to do with the Chamber of Commerce. It’s meant to keep that area free of vandalism, theft, etc. The purpose of the fence is to give the City time to clean the area up. There are also the homeless who just want to be left alone. 6) Voting Items (To Council) a) Authorization for Funds from 2023 Restricted Contingency Moved by Alderperson Brock; seconded by Alderperson Nguyen. Carried 4-0. Approved at the June 21, 2023 PEDC Meeting Release of Funds from Restricted Contingency to Address Homelessness, Draft Resolution May 3, 2023 WHEREAS, as part of the 2023 Authorized City Budget, Common Council included $100,000 in restricted contingency funding to address homelessness, and WHEREAS, staff is requesting that up to $73,700 be released for the following purposes: 1) $60,000 to lease or rent one two-station portable toilet and shower. The units will be transported to the City-owned southwest property on a yet-to-be- determined regular weekly schedule for the purpose of providing basic hygiene facilities to those experiencing homelessness. (Rental = approx. $6,000/ month for 10 months = $60,000). 2) $5,000 to place and maintain a dumpster on the City -owned southwest property for the purpose of providing basic sanitation facilities. ($500/ month for 10 months) 3) $8,700 to purchase fencing materials to be erected on the city-owned Brindley St property. The purpose of the fencing is to limit access to the property and prevent re-establishment of campsites on this sensitive site during 2023. Staff will strive to develop a design and program for site restoration and public use; now, therefore be it RESOLVED, That Common Council hereby releases up to $73,700 from Account A1990 Restricted Contingency and transfers the funds to the appropriate account for the purpose of funding these activities in for 2023. Alderperson Brock asked if City staff will oversee these areas or will there be an RFP. Bohn stated it will be on site and removed to b e cleaned, etc. and returned by City staff. b) Ithaca/Tompkins County Continuum of Care Plan to Address Unsheltered Homelessness Liddy Barger and Simone Gatson from Ithaca Housing Initiatives joined the group for this discussion. Liddy went through the slide show that was available in the agenda packet. The slide show is also included with these minutes. Endorsement of “Home, Together: Tompkins” Plan to Address Unsheltered Homelessness Moved by Chair Gearhart; seconded by Brock. Carried 4-0 WHEREAS, the City of Ithaca is a member of the Ithaca/Tompkins County Continuum of Care (CoC), the local planning organization charged with coordinating the local homeless response system, and WHEREAS, the CoC commissioned the Homeless and Housing Needs Assessment for Tompkins County, completed in March 2022, that concluded a shortage of permanent supportive housing units and affordable rental housing units creates a bottleneck to move unhoused persons to housing in a timely manner, and WHEREAS, in December 2022, the CoC adopted a community-wide action plan to reduce unsheltered homelessness titled Home, Together: Tompkins (HTT Plan), and Approved at the June 21, 2023 PEDC Meeting WHEREAS, the HTT plan recommends the following strategies to reduce unsheltered homelessness: • Build 100 units of permanent supportive housing units • Expand emergency shelter capacity • Organize and implement a “housing surge” to move unsheltered persons to housing • Enhance and coordinate housing navigation services, and WHEREAS, the CoC recognizes the HTT Plan will only be effective if municipalities, non-profits, housing developers, and other stakeholders work collaboratively to implement the plan, and WHEREAS, unsheltered homelessness is a persistent and growing challenge in the community, and WHEREAS, endorsement of the HTT Plan will strengthen the competitiveness of funding applications seeking to implement strategies contained in the plan, and WHEREAS, under its Rules of Procedure, the Common Council is authorized to “accept,” “endorse,” or “adopt” a plan, where “acceptance” acknowledges receipt and thanks its author, “endorsement” is defined to mean it concurs in the plan’s findings and/or recommendations, and “adoption” is defined to mean it commits itself to implementing the plan’s recommendations, and WHEREAS, on March 23, 2023, the Ithaca Urban Renewal Agency (IURA) endorsed the HTT Plan and recommended Common Council endorse the HTT plan; now, therefore, be it RESOLVED, on recommendation of the IURA, that the City of Ithaca Common Council hereby endorses the Ithaca/Tompkins Continuum of Care’s Home, Together: Tompkins plan to reduce unsheltered homelessness, and be it further RESOLVED, this endorsement shall not constitute an obligation of the Common Council to fund any specific initiative or project contained in the plan. c) HOME-ARP Allocation Plan – HUD Entitlement Grant Anisa Mendizabal explained the allocation plan. Moved by Alderperson Gearhart; seconded by Alderperson Brown. Carried 4-0. WHEREAS, the City of Ithaca (City) is eligible to receive an annual formula allocation of funds to address community development needs through the U.S. Department of Housing & Urban Development (HUD) Entitlement program from the Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) program and the HOME Investment Partnerships (HOME) program funding sources, and Approved at the June 21, 2023 PEDC Meeting WHEREAS, the City has contracted with the Ithaca Urban Renewal Agency (IURA) to plan, administer, implement and monitor the City’s HUD Entitlement program in compliance with all applicable regulations, and WHEREAS, The American Rescue Plan (ARP) Act of 2021 provides a special $5 billion appropriation of HUD’s HOME funds to alleviate homelessness and housing instability in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic through a special program known as HOME-ARP, and WHEREAS, the City, as a HUD Entitlement Community, is eligible to receive a one-time allocation of $1,211,000 in HOME-ARP funds upon submission of a satisfactory HOME-ARP Allocation Plan, and WHEREAS, the IURA staff developed a draft HOME-ARP Allocation Plan in compliance with mandated consultation and public participation procedures and all applicable regulations, and WHEREAS, at their March 23, 2023, meeting, the IURA adopted the draft HOME-ARP Allocation Plan and submitted it to HUD for review prior to the March 31, 2023, deadline, and WHEREAS, as a final step to access grant funds, the HOME-ARP Allocation Plan must be approved by the Common Council as a substantial amendment to the 2021 HUD Action Plan; now, therefore, be it RESOLVED, the City of Ithaca Common Council hereby approves the “City of Ithaca HOME-ARP Allocation Plan,” dated March 23, 2023, as a substantial amendment to the 2021 HUD Entitlement Action Plan, and be it further RESOLVED, that the Mayor, in consultation with the IURA Chair, is authorized to make minor modifications and clarifications to the allocation plan to address any issues raised by HUD. d) Electrical Boxes Caleb Thomas, Ithaca Murals explained the process for selecting the artwork chosen for the electrical boxes throughout the City. Resolution to Select Artwork for City-Owned Electrical Boxes Moved by Alderperson Brock; seconded by Alderperson Nguyen. Carried 4-0. WHEREAS, in 2012 the City’s Public Art Commission launched a project to beautify 21 municipal electrical boxes through the creation of mini- murals, and subsequent rounds of the project were completed in 2014, 2016, and 2017 and WHEREAS, Ithaca Murals and Get Your GreenBack (GYGB) Tompkins have proposed a new project to install murals on 15 electrical boxes throughout the City, and WHEREAS, the project, titled Thriving Futures, focuses on the theme of building a future where all people and living environments thrives, and Approved at the June 21, 2023 PEDC Meeting WHEREAS, the Board of Public Works approved several locations for future murals and street art, including municipal electrical boxes throughout the city, by resolution on May 19, 2010, and all of the proposed locations are included in this approval, and WHEREAS, Ithaca Murals and GYGB Tompkins issued a call for proposals, and their review committee selected 15 proposals for the project, WHEREAS, the project will be privately funded and will be budget- neutral to the City; now, therefore, be it RESOLVED, that the City of Ithaca Common Council selects the submissions of the following artists for Thriving Futures: Bethany Parisi; Cruz Newman; Joshua Swartwood; Karolina Piorko, Maya Kamaeva, and Ami Mehta; Muhamed Kafedzic Muha; Kel Swensen; Rachel Feirman; Stacia Humby; Vivinne Williams; Susan Eschbach; Emily Hoyt; Isaac Sharp; Samarra Khaja; Dorothy Lovelace; 2023 Be Mitzvah class at Tikkun v’Or Reform Temple; (as shown in “Thriving Futures Mural Proposals (2023)”); and be it further RESOLVED, that the selected artists may proceed with the installation of their murals on their appointed electrical box upon the execution of an agreement with the City (as reviewed by the City Attorney). 7) Vote to Circulate a) B-Zone Off-Street Parking Megan Wilson explained the proposal. No ordinance has been proposed. Once feedback is received the draft ordinance will be proposed and circulated. Alderperson Brock stated this should be circulated. She further stated that a table that states the lot coverage and existing parking requirements would be very helpful. Vote to circulate moved by Alderperson Gearhart; seconded by Alderperson Brock. Carried 4-0. b) B-2b Rezoning This zone includes only four properties. Vote to circulate moved by Brock; seconded by Alderperson Nguyen. Carried 4-0. 8) Review and Approval of Minutes a) March 2023 Moved by Alderperson Nguyen; seconded by Alderperson Brock. Passed unanimously. Approved at the June 21, 2023 PEDC Meeting 9) Adjournment Alderperson Nguyen moved to adjourn the meeting; seconded by Alderperson Brock. The meeting adjourned at 9:58 p.m.