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HomeMy WebLinkAboutMN-PEDC-2022-04-17 Approved at the July 2022 PEDC Meeting City of Ithaca Planning & Economic Development Committee Wednesday, April 20, 2022 – 6:00 p.m. Common Council Chambers, City Hall, 108 East Green Street Minutes Committee Members Attending: Laura Lewis, Chair; Cynthia Brock, Phoebe Brown, Rob Gearheart, Patrick Mehler Committee Members Absent: Other Elected Officials Attending: Alderperson George McGonigal Staff Attending: Lisa Nicholas, Acting Director, Planning and Development Department; Luis Aguirre- Torres, Sustainability Director; Rebecca Evans, Sustainability Planner; Tom Parsons, IFD Chief; Aaron Lavine, City Attorney; Tom Knipe, Deputy Director, Economic Development; Megan Wilson, Zoning Administrator; James Gatch, Housing Supervisor; and Deborah Grunder, Executive Assistant Others Attending: TIDES (The Ithaca Dedicated Encampment Site): Jerry Dietz, Michael Carpenter, Chris Teitelbaum, Richard John, and Carmen Guidi Chair Laura Lewis called the meeting to order at 6:00 p.m. 1) Call to Order/Agenda Review No changes were made to the agenda. 2) Public Comment Chair Lewis reminded all that comments are limited to three (3) minutes. Patrick Braga, 226 Cecil Malone Drive, Suite 3, Ithaca, Vice President for Visum Development. Visum provided a proposal for the old fire station. He believes their proposal should be included in the process. It should be more opaque. Approved at the July 2022 PEDC Meeting Regi Teasley, 201 Cliff Park Road. Ithaca, spoke of the Green New Deal. We must all roll up our sleeves and get to work. This is rethinking public safety. Have members of Common Council thought thoroughly about this project? Please remember to include green space while developing. 3) Special Order of Business No special order of business 4) Announcements, Updates, Reports a) Green New Deal Update- Electrification Kick Off Luis Aguirre-Torres provided a thorough presentation of the proposed electrification kick off. Attached to these minutes is the PowerPoint presentation presented at the meeting. Approved at the July 2022 PEDC Meeting b) East Hill Fire Station – Concept & Timeline City Attorney Ari Lavine started the presentation as to how the City got to this point. Chief Tom Parsons went through the slides available in the agenda packet. Acting Director Lisa Nicholas provided the timeline of the project, future resolutions and resolutions. The IURA will work closely on the transfer of the property during May and June. The final vote will happen at the July Common Council meeting. Nels Bohn explained the financial statements also provided in the agenda packet. Questions from Gearhart and Mehler. City Attorney Lavine reiterated the extensive project process and the City was not at all thrust upon by any developers. Mehler thanked the project team. Approved at the July 2022 PEDC Meeting c) Draft Concept Report – TIDES (The Ithaca Dedicated Encampment Site) Alderpersons Brock and McGonigal as well at IURA Director Nels Bohn were instrumental in bringing this project to the Committee. There was also a large volunteer group involved. Bohn explained Chris Teitelbaum explained how their group interacts with the homeless individuals to figure out the best location for them. Some will not do well in a shelter or a hotel setting. This is a temporary stop on the way to obtaining long- term housing. Carmen Guidi George McGonigal stated this is the best time we have had. We have financial support so that the City isn’t stuck with the bill. He thinks this is the time to do this. Lewis agreed with McGonigal with it’s time to come up with a solution. It would be a terrible thing if we were to move too quickly causing the project to fail. We are talking about this tonight as a concept. There are many people who have been very involved. It is her hope that the group can agree on a concept. Rich John provided the next steps. We want to bring this to the County as well, not just the City. It is a serious health issue, a crime issue, etc. The spring is the time when the camps rejuvenate themselves. He would like to see some sort of concession of their thoughts and what the next steps will be. It is on City land. The City must be on board. They have to be the leader on this. He will be the fiercest support to the County. Alderperson Brown stated that as a woman of color the statement, “not in my backyard” is certainly aware of this. She thanked all who have wo rked so hard to bring this to fruition. Many of these encampments have few people of color. She further stated she would like to join any future meetings. Alderperson Brock stated we will return to this committee next month and in the meantime, we will be reaching out to the County and local businesses. Mayor Lewis understands that the City has land, and there is the need for land. Water and sewer are also in desperate need. Chris Teitelbaum reiterated that there are a fair number of individuals who cannot wrap themselves around the idea of living indoors, etc., but would rather stay in the encampment. Approved at the July 2022 PEDC Meeting Alderperson Brown thanked Teitelbaum for his genuine concern of all people. Chair Lewis asked for a nod of support of this complex issue. All st ated they were in support. Approved at the July 2022 PEDC Meeting 5) Action Items (Voting to send onto Council a) Proposed Acceptance: Definition for Climate Justice Community It was pulled from the April Common Council due to the criteria change. Rebecca Evans addressed the Committee stating that the criteria had changed slightly after the resolution was presented at the March meeting. Changes to this resolution come from the State criteria change. The City would also remove the word “percent” from the blue table. PLANNING AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT COMMITTEE: Acceptance of the Definition of “Climate Justice Community” - Resolution Moved by Alderperson Brock; seconded by Alderperson Gearhart. Passed unanimously. Whereas, the City of Ithaca has demonstrated its desire and commitment to be a leader in sustainability and social equity, as exemplified by the adoption of the Ithaca Green New Deal; and Whereas, the City of Ithaca has further demonstrated its commitment to social and racial equity and sustainability, as exemplified in the City of Ithaca Comprehensive Plan, Plan Ithaca and the City’s 2017 Assessment of Fair Housing; and Whereas, to fulfill the social equity ambitions of the IGND, a transformative effort must be made to prioritize populations that are and have been historically marginalized; and Whereas, current and historic marginalization can manifest in ways that are not well- represented solely by income; and Whereas, establishing an explicit definition for Climate Justice Community will shape future IGND programming in a way that ensures benefits of the IGND are distributed in ways that reduce historic inequities; and Whereas, the effects of climate change may combine with other stressors such as marginalization, inequality and social injustice, becoming a threat multiplier and disproportionately affecting vulnerable population groups; and Whereas, as a result of the pandemic and the economic downturn some vulnerable populations may be more likely to be affected by the consequences of climate change; and Whereas, prioritizing vulnerable populations and designating them “Climate Justice Communities” in program planning will result in a more just and resilient Ithaca for all residents; and Whereas, prioritizing vulnerable populations and designating them as “Climate Justice Communities” may result in a more equitable distribution of the economic, social and environmental benefits of the IGND among all residents; and Approved at the July 2022 PEDC Meeting Whereas, the U.S. EPA defines Environmental Justice as, “The fair treatment and meaningful involvement of all people regardless of race, color, culture, national origin, income and educational levels with respect to the development, implementation, and enforcement of protective environmental laws, regulations, and policies.”; and Whereas, the Center for American Progress has provided guidance on implementing the federal Justice40 program under President Joe Biden, which seeks to advance environmental justice and economic opportunity across the United States; and Whereas, in 2019 the State of New York signed the Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act (Climate Act), which committed New York State to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 40% by 2030 and at least 85% by 2050; and Whereas, the Climate Act created the New York State Climate Action Council to prepare a Scoping Plan to achieve the State’s bold clean energy and climate agenda; and Whereas, the Climate Action Council appointed a Just Transition Working Group to make recommendations to ensure benefits of the State climate agenda are shared equally among all New Yorkers; and Whereas, the Just Transition Working Group defines Disadvantaged Communities as, “communities that bear burdens of negative public health effects, environmental pollution, impacts of climate change, and possess certain socioeconomic criteria, or comprise high- concentrations of low- and moderate-income households”; and Whereas, in 2021, the state of Massachusetts set a precedent of law codification by adopting an extended and more appropriate definition of Environmental Justice Communities that more accurately represents the vulnerable populations in the state of Massachusetts; therefore be it RESOLVED, that the City of Ithaca officially accepts the following definition of a Climate Justice Community: Climate Justice Communities are communities, including but not limited to individual households, that bear unfair and disproportionate burden of the negative impacts of climate change; are least able to prepare, withstand and recover from the effects of climate change; possess certain health, environmental and socioeconomic attributes; include disproportionate concentrations of low- and moderate-income households; or are associated with other present or historical social factors that act as threat multipliers on a warming planet with limited resources. The establishment of Climate Justice Community criteria is critical to ensure that “the benefits of the Ithaca Green New Deal are shared among all of our local communities to reduce historical social and economic inequities”, as described in the Ithaca Green New Deal Resolution adopted in 2019. For a household to be considered a Climate Justice Community in the City of Ithaca, it needs to meet either the state documented criteria or at least three of the following criteria: • Residents are experiencing homelessness • Residents and/or their children are eligible for needs-based local, state, or federal financial assistance • Residents 25 years of age or older do not possess a high school diploma or GED Approved at the July 2022 PEDC Meeting • Residents experience food insecurity or low child nutrition levels • Residents make less than 65% of the County’s median annual income • Residents spend more than 15% of their total income on household energy costs • Residents are undocumented immigrants currently working in Tompkins County For a neighborhood to be considered a Climate Justice Community in the City of Ithaca, it needs to include at least 51% of households classified as Climate Justice Community. RESOLVED, that the city will continue to support the development and implementation of strategies to accelerate the development of programs to meet the goals established by the Ithaca Green New Deal. 6) Discussion Items a) Short Term Rental Acting Director Nichols stated they wanted the group to know that short- term rentals consists of zoning and housing code together. Zoning Administrator Wilson stated that in the City of Ithaca does not allow renting single rooms. Listen to tape. b) Existing Regulations and Housing Inspection Process c) Updated Data & Software Tools 7) Review and Approval of Minutes a) February 2022 Moved by Alderperson; seconded by Alderperson. Carried unanimously. Approved at the July 2022 PEDC Meeting 8) Adjournment Moved by Alderperson; seconded by Alderperson. Carried unanimously. The meeting was adjourned at p.m.