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HomeMy WebLinkAboutMN-PEDC-2020-06-10 Approved at the November 18, 2020 PEDC Meeting City of Ithaca Planning & Economic Development Committee Wednesday, June 10, 2020 – 6:00 p.m. Common Council Chambers, City Hall, 108 East Green Street Minutes Committee Members Attending: Joseph (Seph) Murtagh, Chair; Cynthia Brock, Stephen Smith, Donna Fleming, and Laura Lewis Committee Members Absent: Other Elected Officials Attending: None Staff Attending: JoAnn Cornish, Director, Planning and Development Department; Tom Knipe, Deputy Director for Economic Development; Nels Bohn, Director, IURA; Anisa Mendizabal, Community Development Planner, IURA; and Deborah Grunder, Executive Assistant Others Attending: Chair Seph Murtagh called the meeting to order at 6:00 p.m. 1) Call to Order/Agenda Review Chair Murtagh called the meeting to order at 6:00 p.m. 2) Public Comment Chair Murtagh read into the record two comments, one from Nancy Webster on the Break-in-Access topic and the other from John Guttridge on the C-PACE topic. Both of which are attached to these minutes. Approved at the November 18, 2020 PEDC Meeting 3) Special Order of Business a) Public Hearing – COVID-19 Grant Funds Alderperson Brock moved to open the public hearing; seconded by Alderperson Fleming. Carried unanimously. No one from the public spoke on this topic. Alderperson Brock moved to close the public hearing; seconded by Alderperson Fleming. Carried unanimously. 4) Announcements, Updates, Reports None 5) Action Items (Voting to Send on to Council) a) COVID-19 Grant Funds Alderperson Brock asked the thinking behind the amount of funding each gro up would receive. Anisa Mendizabal explained how agencies asked for funding. Alderperson Lewis commented that the IURA (Anisa and Nels) have done an incredible job getting the information out to the public. The considerations made regarding the daycare funding was well planned out seeing that people are going back to work. They will need day care. Proposed Resolution Planning & Economic Development Committee June 10, 2020 2020 CDBG-CV: SECOND ALLOCATION Moved by Alderperson Brock; seconded by Al derperson Lewis. Carried unanimously. WHEREAS, the April 6, 2020, City of Ithaca (City) has received an initial supplemental funding allocation of Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) funds from The Coronavirus Aid, Relief, & Economic Security (CARES Act), which funding is hereafter referred to as CDBG-CV, and Approved at the November 18, 2020 PEDC Meeting WHEREAS, the CDBG-CV allocation to the City provides $321,299 to invest in CDBG- eligible activities to support community development efforts in response to the COVID -29 pandemic, and WHEREAS, the City contracts with the Ithaca Urban Renewal Agency (IURA) to administer, implement and monitor the City’s HUD Entitlement program in compliance with all applicable regulations, and WHEREAS, the IURA has identified the following priority community needs: 1. Renter households whose ability to pay rent has been reduced by COVID-19 impacts 2. COVID-related relief, prevention, or recovery of persons experiencing homelessness 3. Small businesses adversely impacted by public health mandates and guidelines 4. Anchor non-profits entities with at least 51% earned income adversely impacted by public health mandates and guidelines, and WHEREAS, the first allocation of CDBG-CV funds was directed to assist renter households by providing $190,000 for the emergency rental assistance program, leaving $131,299 remaining to be allocated, and WHEREAS, the IURA issued a public call for funding proposals for CDBG-CV funds with a May 26, 2020 deadline, and WHEREAS, at their May 28, 2020 and June 4, 2020 meetings, the IURA reviewed 17 proposals requesting a total of $620,107 and recommended funding seven proposals at a total of $122,479; and WHEREAS, a public hearing on this matter was held on June 10, 2020; now, therefore, be it RESOLVED, that the City of Ithaca Common Council hereby approves allocation of $122,479 of CDBG-CV funds to the projects identified in the attached table titled “IURA- Recommended Project Funding for 2nd Allocation of CDBG-CV Funds”, dated June 4, 2020. Approved at the November 18, 2020 PEDC Meeting b) Route 13 Break-in-Access Alderperson Brock asked for a reminder of the difference in delay times of the 3- way and 4-way. Deputy Director Nicholas stated she doesn’t recall a significant difference between the two. Either option will cause delay. Alderperson Brock doesn’t recall having any discussion on Fifth Street being one way exiting on to Route 13. Is it too late to make Fifth Street one way to mitigate traffic in the area? Chair Murtagh asked for the committee’s preference. Alderperson Fleming stated she prefers the four-way stop. She likes the argument that there are commercial enterprises that need access to Route 13. She is in sympathy with those that live on the dead-end street. We need to be consistent with the comprehensive plan. She thinks that the four-way will benefit. Alderperson Fleming moved to support the four-way option; Smith seconded it. Chair Murtagh still prefers the three-way stop. There will be a lot of traffic from the Carpenter Business Park. Is it possible to approve the three-way and change it later down the road if necessary? Deputy Director Nicholas stated that negotiations with DOT would have to done be all over again. A break-in-access is very much defined. Alderperson Fleming stated we should start with the four-way and then change it down the road if need be. Chair Murtagh stated we could mimic the streets/intersections across from Tops currently, but he doesn’t see it making a serious change to the neighborhood. Alderperson Lewis stated she read a number of comments from the Northside neighborhood that favor the three-way intersection plan. She’s not really persuaded that the four-way would change the nature or feel of the Route 13 area. There is a lot of traffic on Hancock. She is concerned that people from Carpenter Park would cross through the neighborhood. Alderperson Brock stated she would like to see more avenues that people can go around the area. Traffic will avoid the development they’ll turn on Willow and proceed down the neighborhoods to avoid the congestion. Approved at the November 18, 2020 PEDC Meeting Alderperson Lewis wants to do what is best for the City. She values the input from staff in making these decisions. She stated that many deliveries are also made in this area which travel pretty fast. Alderperson Smith agrees with both Alderpersons Lewis and Fleming. Dead ends are often not good for the City. The three-way option carried 3-2. The four-way option vote carried 3-2. DRAFT Planning Committee Resolution to authorize staff to pursue a Break ‐In‐Access on Rte 13 at Fifth St June 10, 2020 Moved by Alderperson Fleming; seconded by Alderperson Lewis See above. WHEREAS: Break‐in‐Access (BIA) refers to a modification to a State road that provides vehicular, pedestrian and/or bike access where there is currently no access, and WHEREAS: A local government must apply to NYSDOT for a BIA. Such application must analyze transportation impacts and demonstrate that the proposed BIA has community‐wide benefits, and WHEREAS: Upon NYSDOT approval of a BIA, the local government and affected property owners must enter into agreements that define terms for, among other things, any transfer or purchase of real estate and construction of the BIA, and WHEREAS: The City has long envisioned the transformation of Rte 13 into and urban boulevard – including sidewalks, landscaping and an intersection at Rte 13 and Fifth St as described in the 2015 Comprehensive Plan, the 2019 Waterfront Plan and a Federal Build Grant submitted by the City in 2018 and 2020 to fund the design and study needed to implement this idea, and WHEREAS: The Project Sponsor of the Carpenter Circle Redevelopment Project has proposed a new intersection at NYS Route 13 and Fifth Street, to provide enhanced vehicular access and required emergency access to the project, and WHEREAS: Community‐wide benefits of the proposed BIA include: 1. Implementing the concept of Route 13 as an Urban Boulevard by re‐establishing a street grid connecting the growing west side and urbanized east side of Rte 13 by, among other things, slowing traffic, providing pedestrian and bike amenities and improved crossings, adding an intersection at fifth street, installing landscaping and sidewalks and encouraging new developments to face the street 2. Developing a project that will provide up to 150 jobs, a medical facility, retail and 210 housing units on the same site in close proximity to two grocery stores, the Famers Market, services, Approved at the November 18, 2020 PEDC Meeting the Cayuga Waterfront Trail and other recreational amenities and will preserve the 2.5-acre community gardens 3. Building 45 permanently affordable housing units 4. Constructing a restricted (transit and emergency vehicle only) road connecting Third Street to Cascadilla St 5. Realizing the development of a long‐vacant parcel in a highly visible and accessible location that will provide an estimated yearly $2 million in total local taxes, including an estimated $714,000 in new City taxes (not considering 7‐10-year tax abatements) 6. Providing a full-service medical facility, with services for Medicare eligible clients, within the City limits, accessible by transit walking and biking, and WHEREAS: Transportation Impact Analyses provided by the Project Sponsor and reviewed by City and NYSDOT staff indicate that the project and the intersection will have a negative impact on vehicular traffic within the Rte. 13 Corridor, meaning that it will take more time for vehicles to travel through the corridor at the peak morning and evening hours, and WHEREAS: The Project Sponsor has proposed physical/infrastructure and programmatic mitigations for impacts to vehicular traffic. These include reduced and shared parking, implementation of a Transportation Demand Management Plan (TDMP), and improved pedestrian and bike access across Rte 13, and WHEREAS: The Project Sponsor, in coordination with Engineering and Planning Staff, has developed two schematic designs for the intersection: 1) A signalized 3‐way intersection with vehicular access on the west side only and pedestrian and bike crossings of Rte 13 with a protected median refuge and 2) A signalized 4‐way intersection with vehicular access on both the east (Fifth street ) and west sides of Rte 13 and pedestrian and bike crossings of Rte 13 with a protected median refuge and WHEREAS: the Planning Board, acting as Lead Agency in Environmental Review, did on May 26, 2020 issue a negative Declaration of environmental Significance for the Carpenter Circle Redevelopment Projects, stating that through the mitigations mentioned above, and more clearly described in the Full Environmental Assessment Form (FEAF) Part 3, the applicant had mitigated the impacts to transportation to the maximum extent practicable, and WHEREAS: the Planning Board, did, on May 26, 2020 Grant Preliminary Site plan approval to the Project conditioned upon, among other things, acceptance of a more detailed TDMP and acceptance by the City of a plan and schedule for the financing and implementation of transportation and emergency access improvements detailed in the FEAF Part 3, or other alternative improvements deemed equally appropriate and effective by the City, and WHEREAS: The applicant as well as Engineering and Planning staff continue to coordinate with NYSDOT Region 3 to reach a mutually acceptable balance between vehicular impacts and community benefits including those to multimodal transportation, and Approved at the November 18, 2020 PEDC Meeting WHEREAS: Staff has conducted outreach by email to Northside residents and business and Common Council has considered all comments received, and WHEREAS: Common Council has received and considered recommendations from Planning and Engineering staff and has reviewed the 5/26/20 Negative Declaration of Environmental Significance for the Carpenter Circle Project, and WHEREAS: Common Council understands that the BIA will require conceptual approval from NYSDOT Region 3, Final Approval from the NYSDOT Commissioner, and future legal agreements between the City, NYSDOT and the Project Sponsor, now therefore be it RESOLVED: That Common Council does herby direct staff to take any and all actions to work with NYSDOT and the Project Sponsor to pursue a BIA at Rte 13 and Fifth St for a (THREE- WAY or a FOUR- WAY) intersection and associated improvement. c) PACE – Property Assesses Clean Energy Sarah Smiley, Director of EIC, was in attendance for questions. Authorization for Municipal Agreement with the Energy Improvement Corporation to Implement the Energize NY Open C-PACE Financing Program Alderperson Brock stated out of all the presentations on this topic, she likes this one best. She has concerns that this is only limited to commercial businesses and not residential use. There is no accelerating the payment duration on this type of financing. With this particular financing, an owner might find it difficult to receive other funding elsewhere. This proposal eliminates all responsibilities away from the City. It takes it off the tax rolls. What makes PACE unique and beneficial to the owner is that there is no acceleration of the terms. The finance runs with the property so if the financing isn’t paid by the current owner, it follows to the new owner. Alderperson Fleming asked for clarification as to why the municipality is involved. Alderperson Smith stated that this funding through the municipality helps the municipality be able to get the benefits of the improvements made to these properties. Moved by Alderperson Lewis; seconded by Alderperson Fleming. Carries 4 -1. (Brock) WHEREAS, by Local Law No. 2015-2, the City of Ithaca created the Energize NY Benefit Financing Program (also known as the Sustainable Energy Loan Program) utilizing the Energy Improvement Corporation (EIC), a local development corporation acting on behalf of the City, to provide Property Assessed Clean Energy (PACE) Approved at the November 18, 2020 PEDC Meeting financing to assist qualified property owners who undertake energy efficiency measures and install renewable energy systems; and WHEREAS, in 2015 the City entered into a Municipal Agreement with EIC to administer the Energize NY Benefit Financing Program; and WHEREAS, in 2018 the City amended the NY Benefit Financing Program by local la w No. 2018-1 and modified its agreement with EIC to enable changes made by New York State at the local level, and WHEREAS, in 2019 EIC launched a new PACE financing program called Open C - PACE which replaces EIC’s former PACE program and enables municipalities to offer the public benefit of PACE without incurring any administrative or financial obligations, and WHEREAS, in June 2019, Common Council adopted the Ithaca Green New Deal which included a goal to achieve a carbon neutral city by 2030 and with w hich Open C-PACE is in alignment, and WHEREAS, by local law No. 2020-XX, known as the “Energize NY Open C-PACE Financing Program”, the City of Ithaca repeals and replaces the City’s former PACE law embodied in the provisions of Article VII, Chapter 4 of the City Code, and WHEREAS, a new Municipal Agreement is required to establish the roles, responsibilities, and obligations of EIC and the City in the administration of the new Energize NY Open C-PACE Financing Program; now therefore be it: RESOLVED, That the Mayor, upon review of the City Attorney, is hereby authorized to enter into a Municipal Agreement with the Energy Improvement Corporation, a local development corporation, to implement the Energize NY Open C-PACE Financing Program; this program will allow EIC, acting on behalf of the City, to make funds available to qualified property owners to fund renewable energy systems and energy efficiency measures on commercial properties; and be it further RESOLVED, that said agreement shall be at no cost to the City; and be it further RESOLVED, that said agreement shall be in substantially the same form as the Agreement attached hereto as "Appendix A" subject to the approval of the City Attorney. 6) Review and Approval of Minutes a) February 2020 Moved by Alderperson Lewis as amended; seconded by Alderperson Fleming. Carried unanimously. Approved at the November 18, 2020 PEDC Meeting 7) Adjournment Moved by Alderperson Fleming; seconded by Alderperson Lewis. Carried unanimously. The meeting was adjourned at 7:10 p.m. The next PEDC meeting will be on the third Wednesday of July.