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HomeMy WebLinkAbout1994-05-31 - MP i TOWN OF ULYSSES MASTER PLAN COMMITTEEE MEETING MAY 31 , 1994 TOWN HALL PRESENT : CO - CHAIRS : SUE POELVOORDE , GARY MEYERS ; MEMBERS : JOANN MOLINO , RUTH KAHN , DAVID TYLER , CATHERINE STOVER , RANDY BROWN , PETER PENNIMAN ; TOWN SUPERVISOR : DOUG AUSTIG , TOWN BOARD MEMBER : BOB WEATHERBY ; IUD / ZONING OFFICER : an RACHUN ; SECRETARY : ROX NNE SMITH The meeting came to order at 7 : 35 PM . Randy Brown and Peter Penniman have been invited to be on the Master Plan Committee . There was a brief round of introductions . Catherine Stover stated that she felt as the Town Board ' s representative on the Master Plan Committee , that the two groups needed to have input from one committee to the other . There are three things that the group as a whole should 'talk about . They are as Follows : WHAT IS A MASTER PLAN ? This is a comprehensive , complex document . There are a lot of issues / concerns that need to be dealt with . Sue stated that she sees it as a road map for long term management and development for an area . WHERE THE MASTER PLAN COMMITTEE IS AT In the year that Sue has been involved the Members have accomplished a lot . They have spent time with the maps that the County generated ( through a small contract . ) These are the Land Use Maps , the PUCE / Inning Maps . All of the existing Land Use Maps were checked over . The Members came Of with some different land use categories that they felt better ✓ epresented the Town . Once that task was completed ( which involved a great deal of volunteer tine ) , the Members tried to come up with base line information ( environmental , population features ) . Sue brought in as e xisting Master Plan from another, township , and from that , the Members developed their own outline . They took each item and started filling in information that they felt was applicable to the Town of Ulysses . This took three months . It then came to the point where more information was n eeded . The facts and figures needed to be put into an easily readable format . This is where the Members hit a stumbling block . It takes a lot of time / legwork . The Committee is all volunteers and all the Members h ave obligations during the day . The County had suggested to Alex that t hey might be able to help out . They have the time , along with a circut ✓ ide : . The County has a proposal . At the next Board Meeting the County will be available to present their contract . Sue said that they have been provided with the outline and all past meeting minutes . The County said they would create the raps , and write the ONYNIrent . This would allow the Committee to move forward and begin work an the Comprehensive P lan . The Members have looked at the existing document that was put toget - h er. by previous Members . There were no resources , :footnotes , references . It is important that they have the most current information available . Some of the mapping has yet to be done . WHAT DO WE NEED TO DO NON ? Hopefully the contract will be approved by the County . They will gather all the base line information about how the Town exists now . The Members decided that the issues needed to be identified . Identify what makes the Town of Ylsses the place that keeps / brings people here . identify what the current issues / situations are that threat - e n / impact these features . Identify what changes in the Town could be assimilated without negatively impacting the , : eatures of this Town that IV 11 TOWN OF ULYSSES 2 MASTER PLAN COMMITTEE MEETING MAY 31 , 1994 TOWN HALL make it a community , and what residents hold dear . This part of the t ask will be the toughest to deal with . It is important to really listen to what each other and the Town residents are saying . The Committee can not be representing their own personal interests . They n eed to be able to open up to all the concerns , issues , projections of where the Town could go , and still maintain the character that exists . ® The approach to take to accomplish this , could be to do a Town wide survey . The last one was in 1988 . Another approach could be to hold open forums ; still another could be door - to - door surveys . ITS BEGINNINGS David Tyler gave a little . history of the Master. Plan Committee . The Town Board was the body that originally constituted the Master Plan Committee as a sub - committee of the Planning Board . It ' s the Planning Board that actually adopts the Comprehensive Plan . When it is adopted , o r amendments to it are adopted , that becomes the " road map " for the Town B oard then to . enact various changes to local ordinances that will im - plement what the Comprehensive Plan is . When the Master Plan Committee g ets a little further along , the Planning Board will take an active part . DEVELOPMENT Gary Meyers pointed out that when development is discussed , it won ' t be pertaining just to Commercial development , but it will deal w ith all aspects . For instance , cluster housing , allowing for green space . Alex pointed out that presently , where would a large development go ? There isn ' t a place now . Maximum , 300 feet deep is what ' s available . That should just be the buffer zone . The Town of Ulysses has Commercial space that is being used as Residential . Bob Weatherby pointed out t hat people fear what will happen because of Master Planning . There will be some winners / losers . Alex stated that you have to zone legislatively - n ot on demand as we have been doing ( SPOT ZONING ) . More than one area should be identified , so negotiating can take place , said Gary . Doug pointed out that some desired things may have to be turned down because o f a lack of a Master Plan . We don ' t want to discourage . Without water / sewer. , development is a moot issue said Alex . Catherine pointed out that Commercial property is only on Rt . 96 . Other areas could be used if we h ad a plan . PROJECTING The next step is projecting , something that the Committee will handle , not the County . The Master Plan being set by the Planning Board , and the Town Board doing the zoning , said Alex . It would be nice to h ave this completed by the end of the year . Peter Penniman asked if the n atural thrust would be to add commercially zoned acreage ? David replied ® that perhaps they would shift some commercially zoned areas that don ' t make much sense . Gary mentioned that all the other regulations are not up to date , for instance , storm water retention . The B2 Zone is more up - to - date said Alex . That wonderful B2 Zone does not have water / sewer responded Ruth . OLD SURVEY Bob asked how close have you looked at the old survey ? David said fairly closely . Tourism was a high priority . Encouraging the Village was also a main thrust . 1 slip* TOWN OF ULYSSES 3 MASTER PLAN COMMITTEE MEETING MAY 31 , 1994 TOWN HALL DISCUSSION Alex stated that we are in a real state of change . We ' re Leaning towards a bedroom community . David stated that major employers are static or receding . We ' re competing with Cornell , the airport . Alex t hinks Tompkins County could market tourism . A conference center would do just fine here . We ' re in a very unique position . Whatever goes on in Seneca County could impact us . We need to think regionally , said Sue . Gary mentioned that early on , the Members discussed that when you came up with a Comprehensive Plan , allowing people to do some things , you need to come no with some incentives . Pilot programs ; payment in lieu of taxes ( i' efferson County , Fort Drum ) , the Town paying for the ✓ oad , etc . These are all various options . Peter Penniman asked if the Town would be liable if zoning changed due to the Master Plan . David said not if it is in accordance with a P lan ( down zoning ) . Established businesses would be grandfathered in . foe mentioned that you ' ll never get 100 % consensus - but perhaps everyone will be comfortable . David mentioned that the survey 04T88 was very h elpful as the silent majority responded . There is always a Very vocal minority . Planning does not cater to the squeaky wheel but to the community ' s concept of where it is going . A lot of people are reticent o f standing up in front of an audience . Alex stated a new survey would be in order , and even a telephone poll . TONY HISS LECTURE Sue discussed a book called " The Experience of Place " , by Tony H iss , a gentleman who works for The New Yorker . It discusses getting to know your community . Re will be lecturing June 9th , at 7 PM at Cornell . It gets you thinking about how your decisions impact the community . W e need to articulate a collective vision , said David . The underpinnings t hat help the Committee arrive at this vision need to be verifiable . MOBIL , JACKSONVILLE The Jacksonville community has several homes that are vacant and will deteriorate . Mobil will net put them up for sale due to the liability issue . They have started re - testing the houses . The likely - h ood ( even if they test " pure " ) of Mobil ever selling is low , because o f the possible lawsuits . Spot testing is completely different from the ✓ eality of e " drawdowe " when people are using 4 or 500 gallons of water per day . Mobil has an engineering firm that is keeping them up , but t here is only so much you can In when it isn ' t being heated . They repair vandalism . The Village Greenhouse has a contract to maintain the property . If water comes in Mobil will 8e11 the next day . The Members agreed that it is beneficial to meet with the other B oards occasionally . It would be good to have representation from the Village . The next Master Plan Committee meeting will be tune 7 , 1994 at 7 : 30 PM , P ho n164-606 sajrotriViA 6t Cr . 36 Pa) .