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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.