HomeMy WebLinkAboutMN-PEDC-2023-02-15Approved at the
March 22, 2023 PEDC Meeting
City of Ithaca
Planning and Economic Development Committee Meeting
February 15, 2023
Committee Members Attending: Rob Gearhart, Chair; Alderpersons Cynthia
Brock, Phoebe Brown, Ducson Nguyen, and
Tiffany Kumar
Committee Members Absent: None
Other Elected Officials Attending: None
Staff Attending: Lisa Nicholas, Director, Planning and
Development Department; Bryan McCracken,
Historic Preservation and Neighborhood Planner;
and Deborah Grunder, Executive Assistant
Others Attending: Laura Mattos, Chief Operating Officer, Visum
Development Group
1) Call to Order/Agenda Review
Chair Gearhart read the emergency evacuation procedures and then called the
meeting to order at 6:07 p.m. There were no changes to the agenda.
2) Public Comment/Written Comments
Todd Kurzweil, 511 N. Aurora Street and Owner of Sunny Days, spoke on his ongoing
legal issues with Jeffrey Rimland. Rimland is now counter suing them.
Theresa Alt, 206 Eddy Street, spoke on the low-paying jobs currently held by City
employees, CIITAP, unsanctioned encampments, and sustainability.
Alderperson Brock responded regarding the first speaker’s comments. She stated
unfortunately Council cannot undo or change a project that has been successfully
approved by the Planning and Development Board.
Alderperson Brown thanked both speakers. She enjoys hearing from people face-to-face.
It is nice to put a face with the name.
Approved at the
March 22, 2023 PEDC Meeting
3) Announcements, Updates, Reports
a) Unsanctioned Encampments – Working Group Update
Planning Director Nicholas informed the group that the working group crafting the
policy has now met ten times, along with homeless services providers, and a draft
City policy is being drafted. The current plan is to have the policy circulated with a
vote to take place in April.
She further stated the progress on the policy is good, and we’ll be able to bring it
forward. One of the approaches the group started to take is that we need
something for the very short term, i.e., this year. That might be different from what
we put forward for next year.
There was a cleanup of the peninsula area done by DPW. They were It able to
take advantage of a break in the weather.
Alderperson Brock, who is part of the working group, said that once the cleanup is
done, the next step is to look at how policies will be put in place to keep these areas
clean and well-maintained. These are other considerations that the group is trying
to develop a policy around.
More updates will be provided at next month’s PEDC meeting.
4) Voting Items (to Council)
a) No Voting Items
5) Discussion Items
a) Feedback on Falls Overlook Design
Laura Mattos, Chief Operating Officer, Visum Development Group, provided
drawings and input of the proposed Falls Overlook Design. Along with their
proposed 77-unit apartment building, “The Breeze”, located at 121-125 Lake
Street (the former Ithaca Gun site) Visium is proposing a public benefit known
as “the Island”.
Last month, Common Council approved a revised and amended Development
Agreement (DA) between the City of Ithaca and Visum pertaining to the
Breeze and the Island. Under the terms of the DA, Visum must build and
maintain access to the Island. Director Nichols stated that because it is going
Approved at the
March 22, 2023 PEDC Meeting
to be on City property, comments are requested as they make their final
submission.
This overlook would provide a prefabricated bridge from the parking area to a
new Ithaca Falls Overlook with seating, historic signage, viewing pad and
protective railings and fencing. “The Breeze” project is in the home stretch for
project review. The Board of Zoning Appeals granted the requested variances
for the four-story building. The project is now eligible for preliminary Site Plan
Approval at the next Planning Board meeting which would allow them to
pursue site prep and foundation work permits.
Members of the committee voice their concerns of the proposal. Some of
those concerns are steep slopes on the sides, a 25-foot drop down, the
anticipation of people going over the side of the wall, the edge, etc . if the area
is not “chained in.” There will require some level of education and review.
Chair Gearhart, noting Brock’s concerns, stated that the provided renderings
didn’t do a good job illustrating safety features, and further images would be
needed to show how they would be implemented.
Laura Mattos stated they are installing a new fence around the actual
overlook, and they are connecting that one to the existing chain-link fence.
Mattos estimated the current overlook project cost at about $300,000 plus
maintenance costs. Alderperson Brock wanted the northern flank more tightly
fenced in.
Alderpersons Kumar and Brown also voiced their concerns for the safety of
the project.
This item will be returned next month for further discussion.
b) Smokestack Discussion
Bryan McCracken, Historic Preservation Planner, provided ILPC’s memo and
arguments to the board along with a presentation. The presentation is
included with these minutes. McCracken stated the estimated conditions
assessment would cost between $15,000 and $30,000. The City is being
asked to pay for half.
Alderperson Brown was uncomfortable with the preservation of the
smokestack due to its association with guns. She stated she doesn’t agree
with this request and is not something she wants to invest in. She further
stated that preserving the smokestack is like preserving those statues that,
their meaning today isn’t the same as it was back then.
Approved at the
March 22, 2023 PEDC Meeting
McCracken responded that gun violence was definitely going to be part of the
conversation. It is unavoidable. McCracken further stated that the retention of
the stack allows us the opportunity to interpret this beyond just the wor d ‘Guns’
on the side of the structure. There are ways to come out strongly in opposition
to guns and use the stack as a bold statement by the community saying that
we are opposed to this. It is a difficult situation. Just imagine a big round
mark that crosses out GUNS. You immediately know our opposition.
Alderperson Kumar agreed with Alderperson Brown. She stated that it is not
only the association with guns and gun violence, but the association with
environmental contamination that Ithaca Gun has. That’s not history that she
feels deserves commemoration. She knows this conversation is just to have a
study, but it shows our privilege, and that money could be going toward
services.
Chair Gearhart stated we don’t want to lose sight of the opportunity to show
deference to the past of Ithaca that we don’t have much of anymore and what it
meant to this community. This is by far one of the historical legacies of the
manufacturing economy of Ithaca and one of the few things that remains.
Alderperson Brock stated that the smokestack is a beacon not just a monument
that we would preserve as a representation of who we are. It is a beacon you
can see from miles and miles away. She further stated that if our monuments
and how we spend our time and resources are a symbol of what we value, she
doesn’t think that this is an appropriate use of our resources. This is not how
she would choose to have a monument represent our community. It would not
be something that she would support maintaining.
Alderperson Brown stated that to continue to have something representative of
or trying to make it about Ithaca’s manufacturing, there are really other things.
She votes “no.”
The City plans to solicit public comment to have a conversation about whether
the smokestack is worth preserving. If it is, the best way to acknowledge the
controversial history of the site and the guns that were manufactured there will
be considered.
6) Review and Approval of Minutes
a) January 2023
Moved by Alderperson Brock; seconded by Alderperson Ducson. Passed
unanimously.
Approved at the
March 22, 2023 PEDC Meeting
7) Adjournment
Alderperson Brock moved to adjourn the meeting; seconded by Alderperson
Ducson. The meeting adjourned at 7:20 p.m.