HomeMy WebLinkAbout2019-08-01, 13, 20, 27, and 09-03Draft Minutes of the Varna Re-zoning Subcommittee of the Town of Dryden
Planning Board.
The meeting took place on August 1, 2019, from 10AM to 11:30AM, at the Varna Community
Center, Dryden, NY.
In attendance were sub-committee members David Weinstein, Jim Skaley, and Martin Hatch,
and an observer, a representative from the Cortland Standard newspaper.
1. David Weinstein suggested that the goal of our sub-committee was to find a mechanism to
alter the current Varna zoning, which allows the potential addition of over 2600 bedrooms, so
that the zoning instead directs development to be in line with adding 450 bedrooms as specified
in the Varna Plan. He reminded the other members that since the Varna Plan is an official part of
the town’s Comprehensive Plan, we are legally bound to bring the zoning into compliance with
the elements identified in the Varna Plan.
He also reminded the others that the response by developers to the current zoning has been to
propose projects that build units at the maximum allowable density, with the only exception
being the approved Tiny Timber house project at the corner of Freese Road and Rt 366.
Unfortunately, rumors abound that this project is not going to be built. The trend in recent
projects has set Varna on the road toward 2600 bedrooms.
Jim Skaley also reminded the sub-committee that the pattern of converting the older homes
within and surrounding the hamlet from single-family to a set of apartments is continuing
unabated.
This general concept of creating compliance with the Varna Plan was agreed to by the sub-
committee.
2. We also agreed that within the context identified above, any zoning in Varna should foster the
following attributes:
a. A variety of housing options, particularly for families, throughout Varna, including a mix of
single-family houses, duplexes, townhouses, and apartments.
b. Affordable options within each of the above categories.
c. Maintenance of the general character of the hamlet, particularly as defined by the stately older
homes along Rt 366 (including the Streble Planning group business and its historic round barn).
d. A stretch of commercial businesses, including retail stores, restaurants, and professional
offices in the hamlet center along Rt 366.
e. As the current 3 Varna zones attempted to define, the mix of different housing options could
be achieved through encouraging different types of housing in different zones. For example, the
hamlet character could best be maintained by restricting the Traditional Housing Development
Zone to the central corridor bordering Rt 366 to single-family homes. This would also help
protect the environmentally-sensitive Fall Creek area which it borders. The Residential zone
could have a greater mix of single-family houses, duplexes, and some small multi-family
townhouse or apartment complexes, and could allow a greater density as long as a spatial
patchwork of residential options was maintained (avoiding a homogeneous assemblage of largely
one type of housing). The Mixed-Use zone could encourage some of this same mix as long as it
also encouraged the development of an amount of commercial.
3. We proceeded to have a general discussion about the conditions governing development in
Varna. Sub-committee members recognized that this discussion was important so that we
mutually understood some of the variables that would affect whether a zoning alteration would
achieve the desired results. Topics discussed included:
a. The degree to which the land use and available housing surrounding the hamlet might affect
the conditions for development within the hamlet.
b. The viability of commercial development.
c. The problem of development being governed by the few large landowners.
d. The interests of Ithaca Neighborhood Housing in projects in Varna.
e. The interests of Cornell in projects in Varna.
f. The current applicability of the Varna Plan.
g. The viability of small footprint single-family houses.
h. Whether the current economic drivers define the reality for future Varna development.
i. The benefits of a single-family mixed affordability development on the 12 acres in place of the
proposed Trinitas dense student apartment proposal.
j. The importance of incentivizing family housing (as opposed to houses) to increase the number
of long-term residents willing to invest in the community.
k. The importance of a mix of housing options in different affordability levels to making a
sustainable community with permanent residents over long time periods.
l. The value of keeping the current character of the hamlet as a positive for shaping desired
future development.
4. Although the sub-committee ran out of time to start discussing specific changes to the zoning
that might accomplish the desired goals, some notions had been introduced, including:
a. Changes in the zoning definitions to clarify what the purposes of each Varna zone might be.
b. Potential changes in the bulk-density table in the zoning (such as converting from density of
units to density of bedrooms.
c. Incentivizing affordable single-family housing.
d. Redefining the boundaries of the Varna zoning districts.
e. Creating overlay districts on top of the existing Varna districts that further refined desirable
(and therefore allowable) types of housing in each zone.
These additional ideas were also circulated before the meeting:
f. A change from units/acre to bedrooms/acre. This must be accompanied by a huge reduction
in the bedrooms/acre limits to direct the potential buildout of the hamlet to be in the range of 450
to 500 bedrooms added since 2012 (already about 170 have been added, leaving about 300 to go
for the next 20 years).
g. Form-based zoning done in such a way that realistically limits the potential buildout to 500
bedrooms.
3. Incentive zoning – Set the allowable bedrooms/acre low, but give a variety of potential
incentives in the form of more bedrooms/acre for building the kind of housing we are interested
in, particularly single-family houses and single-family affordable houses. Rigor in defining
exactly what is compatible with the Varna Plan’s goals is required, and it is essential to make
sure that developments that met the incentives did not once again lead to a much greater density
than desired.
h. Scrap our existing zones, and replace them with an alternative set that limits development to
single-family houses in what currently amounts to our traditional zone. In our mixed zone there
would be a required mix of 60% open space, 10% commercial, 20% single family house, and
10% multifamily, although the commercial and multifamily proportions would be the only ones
with a maximum ceiling.
i. Greatly increase the required amount of open space, making it proportional to the number of
bedrooms on the parcel. Large parcels would have to have 90% open space if the developer
wanted to build 50 bedrooms.
j. Set the allowable number of bedrooms based on the non-open space available development
acreage. For example, for a 12-acre parcel, 60% open space would leave 40% available
acreage. The maximum number of bedrooms in multifamily housing on the available 4.8 acres
would be 12/acre (after incentives), allowing for 58 bedrooms to be built on a site with abundant
open space surrounding it. If single-family housing was built instead, the limit could be 20
bedrooms/ acre, which on a 12 acre parcel could allow approximately 50 houses to be built at an
average of 2 bedrooms per house (this is the current average in Tompkins County).
5. The next meeting of the Varna Re-zoning Subcommittee of the Town of Dryden Planning
Board will take place on August 13, 2019, at 10AM, at the Varna Community Association
building in the hamlet of Varna on Rt 366.
Draft Minutes of the Varna Re-zoning Subcommittee of the Town of Dryden
Planning Board, August 13, 2019, 10AM, at the Varna Community Association.
In attendance were sub-committee members David Weinstein, Jim Skaley, Martin Hatch, and
Craig Anderson.
1. The minutes of August 1, 2019, from 10AM to 11:30AM, at the Varna Community Center,
Dryden, NY, were approved.
2. David Weinstein reminded members that the task of the subcommittee is to recommend
revisions to the Varna zoning that brings the potential build-out in Varna, based on the
allowable number of new units or bedrooms, into compliance with the Varna Plan.
3. Review of information
a. The current Varna zoning map was distributed, as well as the 2015 land use map for
Varna, showing the location of public institutions, commercial establishments, and
residences (Tompkins County Planning).
b. The goals set in Varna plan were reviewed.
1) An equal number of single-family homes and rental units are a goal of the
Plan.
(a) We discussed and agreed on the following definition of what was
meant by “single-family homes”: owner-occupied stand-alone single-
family homes.
(b) In this discussion, the question of the benefits of single-family homes
versus townhouses was debated. Some members did not see a real
difference in their relative contribution to the community.
However, others felt that the potential conversion of the center of the
hamlet from being lined with traditional single-family homes to being
lined with townhouses represented a major change in character, reduced
the protection for Fall Creek, and were showing a tendency to reduce
housing options instead of encouraging a mix.
(b) We discussed the various factors that affected the number of y
people are in a bedroom, including the town’s regulation that a unit can
have a maximum of 4 unrelated people.
2) It was pointed out that the reason for desiring this even mix is to create a
more stable assemblage of people
3) Marty Hatch reiterated that the general goals expressed by the Varna
Community were:
(a) to have a stable assemblage of people;
(b) to have some development for commercial establishments,
particularly those providing some public services to the general Varna
Community;
(c) accomplish the above while avoiding having a restrictive effect on
desired development.
4) Other members added to this list by reiterating items mentioned in the Plan:
(a) maintenance of the historic and current quality of life;
(b) a moderate and gradual increase in density as opposed to large
increases in a short time period;
(c) maintenance of the character of the hamlet, particularly the
character set by the stately older homes in the hamlet center;
(d) a mixture of housing options, including some affordable housing in
demand in our area, instead of a movement toward housing stock
uniformity.
(e) protection of Fall Creek, a key hamlet attribute.
c. David Weinstein reviewed the Varna build-out analysis and goals established in the
Varna Plan. He also presented:
1) the rationalization for using bedrooms instead of units, given that it is the
number of people that put the stress on public services, including road repair,
fire, police, water, and sewer, and bedrooms correlate more closely to number
of people than do units.
2) the potential number bedrooms that could be added to the hamlet based on
current zoning (2500 to 2700, in contrast to the 450 set as a goal in the Varna
Plan.
3) a simplistic correction to the zoning that could be implemented to reduce the
potential number of bedrooms in the hamlet closer to 450, involving dividing the
current allowable number of bedrooms/acre in each district and each housing
type by 5 (which is approximately the ratio of 2500 to 450).
4. Possible fixes
a. Craig Anderson suggested that the most practical fix would be to target changes in
the allowable density table that were directly aimed at achieving clear objections.
These could include:
1) Meeting the desire to encourage single family homes, maintain the character
of the center of the hamlet, and protect Fall Creek by allowing only single-family
homes in the Traditional Hamlet district, at an allowable density of 4 per acre.
2) Encouraging more of a balance among different types of housing by changing
the regulations in the Residential district and some small areas of the Mixed Use
district (or adding a Traditional Neighborhood Housing Overlay) for the larger
parcels (>2 acres). Specifics of possible changes were offered by Jim Skaley:
(a) All properties being developed in the Residential district or Overlay
zone could be required to develop 60% of the acreage with single family
homes.
(b) All properties being developed in the Residential district or Overlay
zone could be limited to a maximum of 6 units per acre.
3) Ensuring that the Mixed zone, with its less restrictive limits, was maintained
for as much commercial development as possible, and did not have this potential
stymied by overbuilding residential housing options, although a mix of those
should be encouraged as complements to the commercial at densities greater
than available elsewhere.
As an appendix to these minutes (produced for the subcommittee after the
meeting, David Weinstein provided
b. Members agreed that the elimination of the bonuses throughout the hamlet would
be a step in the right direction. The rationale behind this elimination is:
1) The Planning Board has made it clear that it is strongly desired to have all new
construction meet the highest energy-efficiency standards. The City of Ithaca
has mandated construction to meet these standards, either by requiring LEED
certification or achieving a list of alternative criteria. It makes sense for new
construction in the hamlet to lead the way for the town in energy efficiency.
Therefore, all new construction would meet these standards and there would be
no need for bonuses given if the standards are achieved.
2) The use of Renovation bonuses has proved problematic because there is little
agreement on what constitutes a derelict structure, causing developers to apply
for the bonus even on vacant lots. A survey of hamlet structures identify few
that are derelict in the sense of being sub-standard housing and/or a danger to
the community. Therefore, instead of offering potential renovation bonuses
throughout the hamlet, a mechanism for incentivizing replacement of these few
specific structures would be a better tool.
5. We agreed to see where implementation of the above mentioned ideas could lead us in
terms of making the allowable number of bedrooms more compatible with the Varna Plan.
In addition, however, some members of the sub-committee felt there was additional need to
examine whether the means to achieve the goals discussed above were likely to turn
developers away.
a. Marty Hatch expressed his view that, while we do not want to be driven soley by
market forces and the current financial models of developers, we still have to make sure
that developers would find it financially feasible to help build the hamlet we envision,
and he wasn’t sure they would.
b. David Weinstein countered that he felt many communities have been successful in
attracting developers in invest in their model of building on the existing character of the
community, including a high proportion of single family homes, along with a mix of
other housing options at a more modest density. He pointed out that neither
Trumansburg nor the Village of Dryden have allowed development to change their
character away from one dominated by stately single-family homes. Marty countered
that Varna was a very different situation than those two, being so close to the locations
of employment. Therefore, he said, solutions must be found that treat Varna as the
unique entity it is.
c. It was agreed that a search to identify these examples of other communities who
have achieved success in sticking to their vision. Examples will be offered for our next
meeting.
The next meeting of the Subcommittee will be Aug 20, 10AM-12PM, Varna Community
Association.
APPENDIX A: Our current zoning without bonuses, with only single family houses allowed in
Traditional:
Development type
(allowed units per acre) Mixed Use Residential Traditional
Single Family Home 8 12 4
Duplex (Rental) 4 6
Townhouse 10 11
Condominium 10 10
Rental Apartments 6 4
Senior Housing 10 11
Residential over
Commercial 2 d.u. per 5,000
square feet
2 d.u. per
5,000 square
feet
Multi Family Rental-
Detached Units 6 4
Using the assumptions we discussed:
1. Elimination of bonuses
2. All properties in the Residential district must develop 60% of the acreage with single family
homes
3. All properties in the Residential district are limited to a maximum of 6 units per acre.
And adding the following assumptions:
1. Residential developed at 60% of the acreage in single family homes, 20% townhouses, and
20% rental apartments.
2. Uses in the mixed zone developed with an even number of acres in each of 7 categories.
3. Development of Residential over commercial was left out of consideration for now.
These assumptions lead to the following build-out:
Total units Mixed Use Residential Traditional Total
Single Family Home 29 253 89 372
Duplex (Rental) 15 15
Townhouse 37 77 114
Condominium 37 37
Rental Apartments 22 28 50
Senior Housing 37 37
Residential over
Commercial 2 d.u. per 5,000
square feet
Multi Family Rental-
Detached Units 22 22
Max or total 197 359 89 646
Total Homes 372
Total Rental 274
In terms of bedrooms:
Development type Mixed
Use Residential Traditional Total
Single Family Home 78 672 236 986
Duplex (Rental) 37 37
Townhouse 92 195 287
Condominium 92 92
Rental Apartments 55 71 126
Senior Housing 92 92
Residential over
Commercial
Multi Family Rental-
Detached Units 55 55
Max or total 501 938 236 1676
That leaves us with 1676 bedrooms, still 3 times the goal for bedrooms set in the Varna Plan
(454 bedrooms, or about 182 units).
For comparison sake, Varna currently has 548 bedrooms (221 units), not including Hillside Acres
(870 with Hillside Acres, 436 units).
It has a density of units/acre of 2.7 not including Hillside Acres (3.5 with Hillside Acres, which
itself has a density of 4.9). It has a density of bedrooms/acre of 6.7 not including Hillside Acres
(6.9 with Hillside Acres).
Across Tompkins County, the average number of people per bedroom is 1.6.
(http://www.city-data.com/county/Tompkins_County-NY.html)
Possible Additional Adjustments:
We could reduce some of the allowable unit numbers, like this:
Development type
(allowed units per
acre
Mixed Use Residential Traditional
Single Family Home 4 6 4
Duplex (Rental) 4 4
Townhouse 6 6
Condominium 6 6
Rental Apartments 4 4
Senior Housing 10 6
Residential over
Commercial
2 d.u. per
5,000 square
feet
2 d.u. per
5,000 square
feet
Multi Family Rental-
Detached Units 4 4
That would lead to a total number of allowable units, using the same assumptions as listed
earlier, to:
Total units Mixed Use Residential Traditional Total
Single Family Home 15 127 89 231
Duplex (Rental) 15 15
Townhouse 22 42 64
Condominium 22 22
Rental Apartments 15 28 43
Senior Housing 37 37
Residential over
Commercial
2 d.u. per
5,000 square
feet
Multi Family Rental-
Detached Units 15 15
Max or total 139 197 89 425
The 425 units would amount to 1102 bedrooms, still more than twice the goal of the Varna
Plan. However, it would meet other Varna Plan goals, such as incentivizing single-family stand-
alone homes, bring the mix of added units closer to 1 home for every 1 apartment or
townhouse (231 homes vs 195 townhouse/apartment units), and leave a good deal of the
Mixed Use area for commercial development in preference to dense collections of residences
there crowding out the potential for commercial developments.
Draft Minutes of the Varna Zoning sub-committee, version 2 (8-23-19), Varna
Community Association bldg., Aug 20, 2019, 10AM-12PM
Attendees: D Weinstein, J Skaley, M Hatch, C Anderson
1. To get a handle on how what % of increase in bedrooms the Varna Plan established as its
goal, we debated what the Varna population was in 2012. Since the Plan states on page 11:
“According to the 2010 Census, the population of the study area is 795 (collected at the Census
block level). “
and it set as a goal for its buildout, 454 bedrooms, to make this calculation we would need to
know how many bedrooms 795 individuals represented.
C Anderson calculated that based on his interpretation of statements contained on page 11 of
the Varna Plan:
“Currently there are 290 single-family units in the study area followed by 258 manufactured
housing units, 118 apartments, and 16 duplexes (located in Observatory Circle”,
there were about 1300 bedrooms, assuming 2 bedrooms per unit, so that the anticipated
increase would be about 33%.
D Weinstein took issue with this calculation because the numbers for single-family units and
manufactured housing units stated in the Plan were incorrect by an order of magnitude. He
stated that based on a geographical information analysis of the area and the classification
records in the TC Assessment Office, there were only 32 single family houses. Using the
bedrooms/unit reported for this census district for the different housing types, the Varna
number of bedrooms in 2012 were 807 as shown in the following table. That would indicate
that the anticipated hamlet increase in bedrooms was 56%.
In 2012, there were: Units
Bedrooms
per unit Bedrooms
Single family houses (stand-alone) 32 2.65 85
Manufactured housing units, 258 1.5 387
Rental apartments and townhouses 118 2.5 295
Duplexes (located in Observatory Circle). 16 2.5 40
Total 424 807
C Anderson explained that regardless of that analysis, any discussion that revolves around the
expectations for increases in Varna and utilizes the goals for bedrooms in Varna has to also use
the numbers reported in the Varna Plan, even if they can now be shown to be in error.
2. Tabling that discussion for the moment, the sub-committee agreed that the current zoning
would allow for an increase that is way out of bounds of either of those numbers, somewhere
between 200 and 335% increase. Consequently, an examination was made of the changes that
would need to be made in the definitions of the hamlet districts, the allowable housing types in
each district, and the map of those districts.
The general concepts governing these changes were to:
a. Ensure the zone bordering Fall Creek (thought of as the Traditional zone) was predominantly
single-family stand-alone homes, a continuation of what exists there currently, with other
owner-occupied condominiums and townhouses at a lower density. This idea would give Varna
the ability to maintain its current character, build on this character for new developments in
the zone, and to give protection to Fall Creek through limited density. In addition, this would
contribute to the desire to maintain a “main street” look for residents and travelers passing
through the core of the hamlet.
b. Ensure the residential district is targeted for moderate density (reduced from what the
current zoning allows) to help the hamlet get back on track toward the levels of bedroom
additions established in the buildout table in the Varna Plan.
c. Since the Plan seeks to add single family stand-alone homes in approximately an even ratio
to new rental units, identify mechanisms of encouraging the building of these homes in all
ranges of affordability, particularly since these types of homes have been identified as among
the biggest needs in the recent Tompkins County Housing Assessment.
d. Ensure that considerable commercial development occurs in the mixed zone while also
permitting a variety of housing options to occur at higher densities in this zone. Commercial
development is seen as a vital piece in converting Varna from a bedroom location depending on
cars to a walkable community with internal food and other services.
e. The desire in the Varna Plan is to spread the population increases throughout the hamlet.
This can be better accomplished by making the allowable densities in the various districts much
more different and having a principal set of housing types targeted and encouraged in each
different district.
3. Changes in the definitions of the hamlet districts:
J Skaley offered a suite of changes in the definitions that would help the zoning to achieve the
general concepts mentioned above. These proposed changes are included as an appendix to
these minutes. In general, sub-committee members agreed that theses proposed changes
were each appropriate and helpful.
It was acknowledged that there were great benefits to having the owners of the single family
stand-alone homes and townhouses living in their units instead of building them for rental
purposes. Owners who live in residence are more likely to participate in building a vibrant
interactive community through participation in community activities, and they are more likely
to keep up the condition of the property.
One of the definitions proposes that lot consolidation be allowed only within a district. Since
proposed changes will convert the hamlet from a set of districts with similar densities for each
housing type to one in which large differences between districts will exist in allowable densities,
it will become imperative to prevent this consolidation across districts given all of the confusion
that such combinations could create and to prevent district “creep” that runs counter to what
the districts are being envisioned to support.
On issue that M. Hatch continued to alert us to is to avoid showing a preference to single family
stand-alone owner-occupied homes over other types of single family owner-occupied homes.
We are in agreement that what we are looking for is community stability. Currently, families
that contribute to that stability come from a variety of housing types.
We also discussed the differences between building on what Varna currently has (a mixture of
housing stocks that has moved overwhelmingly toward rental units in recent years) versus an
effort to make the hamlet something different (such as largely populated by single family stand-
alone homes). M Hatch continued to voice the need to be realistic.
J Skaley offered that interest from Ithaca Neighborhood Housing to build affordable single
family stand-alone homes could make a new reality. D Weinstein added that there is a big
demand in the county for such homes, but the developers have chosen to preferentially build
rental units because they are more profitable, particularly at the densities that our current
zoning allows.
The proposed changes in definitions will be discussed in more depth at the next meeting.
4. Changes in the allowable housing types in each district
a. There is general agreement in the elimination of the bonuses as discussed in the previous
minutes. The few properties for which replacement of deteriorated buildings is desired can be
specifically targeted with special considerations.
b. Change allowable densities in different categories.
c. Traditional - Allow duplexes and allow townhouses/condo under new definition.
d. Residential - Limit to 6 units per acre, except single family stand-alone houses, which can be
added at 8 units/acre.
e. Mixed Use – Developers must add 5000 sq ft of commercial for every 8 units. To encourage
commercial after developers have an income flow which searching for a commercial renter,
possibly allow apartments for limited time, after which that space has to convert to
commercial.
See Appendix B for the table of new proposed allowable densities, the total units per zone that
would result, and the number of bedrooms that these would lead to.
f. We are still considering whether to change zoning to bedrooms/acre instead of the
equivalent units/acre.
5. Changes in the map of those districts.
Attached as Appendix C.
Switching zones –
Near East of community center – to mixed
On Freese Rd convert – to traditional.
6. There is a need to be talking to people who might be willing to develop.
APPENDIX A.
Zoning revisions for Varna Hamlet Sec 700. Proposed changes in BOLD
Definitions:
Article VII. Sec 708 Or Article X
Planned Unit Development (PUD) —An area of land intended to provide for a variety of land
uses and structures which shall include both commercial and residential planned and
developed in a manner which will provide a community design that preserves critical
environmental resources, provides above-average Open Space amenities, incorporates creative
design in the layout of Structures, Green Space and circulation of vehicles and pedestrians;
assures compatibility with surrounding land uses and neighborhood character; and provides
efficiency in the layout of highways, public utilities and other Municipal Facilities. Planned Unit
Developments best serve as nodal areas connected to and/or serving several adjoining
neighborhoods.
Changes:
Section 700: Purpose
The purpose of Article VII of this zoning law is to provide the structure and rules for
development in accordance with the Varna Community Development Plan (VCDP) as
adopted. This Article creates distinct zones and a Traditional Neighborhood Overlay
within the hamlet of Varna, along with rules relative to maintaining form and density of
development averaging 4 units/acre within the water and sewer areas of the hamlet of
Varna in an effort to foster development as well as implement the goals set forth in the
VCDP.
Section 701: Applicability
This article applies only to the three zoning districts {which constitute} that are within the
Hamlet of Varna: The Varna Hamlet Mixed Use District (VHMUD), Varna Hamlet Residential
District (VHRD), and the Varna Hamlet Traditional District (VHTD). Development within these
zones is based on the descriptions in the Varna Community Development Plan as
adopted as an amendment to the Town Comprehensive Plan.
Sec. 702: Design Guidlines and Standards
C. Building and Architectural Detail
1. No proposed Building shall exceed 3 stories or 35 feet in height
Definitions:
Varna Hamlet Traditional District. The purpose of this district is aimed at achieving a
homogeneous, traditional single-family neighborhood with single family homes and two-
family households including a conservation zone buffer of 100 ft from the banks of Fall
Creek.
Varna Hamlet Residential District. A mix of predominately stand alone single family
houses but including a variety of duplexes and with multi-family units limited to 40% of
the acreage in the zone.
Varna Mixed Use District. This district shall include commercial along with a mix of
residential single family and multi-family residences.
Traditional Development Neighborhood Overlay (see Article VIII, Section 801).
Section 702 Design Guidelines and Standards
Section 702 Design Guidelines and Standards
Section 706: Green Neighborhood Development—new structures shall conform to the
latest LEED standards with an emphasis on maximizing energy conservation.—
(Note:Given that we are needing to move development to reduce energy consumption, I don’t
believe we should provide incentives to increase density for LEED construction unless we
graduate the extra density to higher levels of LEED to maximize energy conservation.—We
could propose adopting the City’s green building code—but that may be too big a leap given
that it might have to apply to the whole town—requiring the TB to adopt.)
Section 707: Redevelopment—
ARTICLE III: DEFINITIONS underlined or bracketed means delete
(I suggest we look at these in relation to other parts of the zoning some of which now include
recently passed laws such solar and changes to Ag. These are ones that have popped out at
me and others may have other concerns)
Agricultural Use—See Farm Operations— just a check to see that we are now in conformance
with the new review of Ag Markets on farm operations.
Family—An individual, or two or more persons related by blood, marriage or adoption,
occupying a Dwelling Unit and living as a single household; thereby sharing the entire house,
living and cooking together as a single housekeeping unit, sharing expenses for food,
rent, utilities or other household expenses, and is permanent and stable. For purposes of
this Ordinance, a family may also consist of not more than four unrelated individuals occupying
a Dwelling Unit and living as a single household. The two definitions cannot be combined.
Farm Operations—(check with recent discussions to be sure this still fits)
Green Space—Areas of vegetated and permeable surfaces of a development not occupied
by Structures or Paved areas for vehicles and including formal stormwater management
facilities (no more than 20% of total Lot Area) as well as green infrastructure stormwater
facilities Open Space set aside include swales and parks, dedicated Open Space, landscaped
areas, plantings, lawns, parking lot islands, and sidewalks or trails used to access these areas,
including Accessory Structures (e.g. gazebos or similar structures) accessible to the public
and intended to enhance the Green Space.
Dwelling-Condominium—The term condominium refers to a system of ownership and
administration of property with three main features. A portion of the property is divided
into individually owned units, the balance of the property is owned in common by all the
individual owners and a vehicle for managing the property, known as the condominium
corporation, is established. The condominium may be seen, therefore, as a vehicle for
holding land which combines the advantages of individual ownership with those of multi-
unit development. In a sense, the unit owners make up a democratic society in which
each has many of the rights associated with sole ownership of real property, but in
which, having regard to their co-ownership with the others, some of those rights are
subordinated to the will of the majority.
Dwelling Townhouse or townhome is a single family home that shares one or more
walls with other independently-owned units.
Redevelopment —- A process to rebuild or restore an area in a measurable state
of decline, disinvestment, or abandonment undertaken in accordance with a
redevelopment plan adopted by a municipality or to transform an underutilized or
distressed area into an economically viable and productive part of the
community. It may be a general area or identified by parcel.
Story—A storey is any level part of a building with a floor that could be used by people (for
living, work, storage, recreation). A building that has four levels, including the ground/earth
level has four stories but three floors. This is because the ground floor does not count as a
floor. The floor above is 1st floor, second floor, third floor + the ground floor = three floors, yet
four stories. Stories refer to the overall height of the building.
Additional definitions needed:
Solar Farm
Green Building
Article IV —Sec. 402 add definition:
I. A Boundary Line Adjustment (BLA) is a reconfiguration of property lines
between two or more separate legal parcels. BLAs are not subdivisions and
cannot create new parcels or building sites. Another form of BLA is a "Lot
Consolidation." A Lot Consolidation is used to combined two existing
parcels. Lot Consolidations erase parcel lines so that only one parcel remains.
Lot consolidation shall only be allowed within established zones and the new
parcel shall conform to the criteria of that zone. Lot consolidation shall not cross
zone boundaries so as to erase or modify the criteria of either zone.
APPENDIX B: Proposed new hamlet zoning densities
Development type
(allowed units per
acre)
Mixed Use (requires
commercial)* Residential Traditional
Single Family
Home 8 8 4
Duplex (Rental) 8 6 2
Townhouse 8 6
Condominium 8 6 6
Rental Apartments 8 4
Senior Housing 10 8
Residential over
Commercial *8 d.u. per 2,000 square feet of
commercial
Acres (assuming
current districts) 25.6 35.2 22.3
Maximum
allowable units per
zone that would
result:
Development type Mixed Use (requires
commercial)* Residential Traditional
Single Family
Home 205 282 89
Duplex (Rental) 205 211 45
Townhouse 205 211
Condominium 205 211 134
Rental Apartments 205 141
Senior Housing 256 282
Residential over
Commercial *8 d.u. per 2,000 square feet of
commercial
Note that the acreages that led to this table do NOT include the 44 acres of Hillside Park.
The census district covering most of Varna has an average of 2.65 bedrooms per house and 2.52
bedrooms per rental unit. Using these ratios, we can convert the allowable units per acre to
allowable bedrooms per acre:
Maximum potential #
bedrooms/acre Mixed Use Residential Traditional
Single Family Home
21 21 11
Duplex (Rental) 20 15 5
Townhouse 20 15
Condominium 20 15 15
Rental Apartments
20 10
Senior Housing 25 20
If each of these districts were built out exclusively in each housing type, here are the total number
of bedrooms that each would potentially contain:
Maximum potential #
bedrooms/acre
Mixed
Use Residential Traditional Total
Single Family Home 543 746 236 1525
Duplex (Rental) 516 532 118 1167
Townhouse 516 532 1048
Condominium 516 532 355 1403
Rental Apartments 516 355 871
Senior Housing 645 710 1355
For example, If the Mixed Use district were built out exclusively into rental apartments (along
with the required 129,000 sq ft of commercial), the Residential district built out exclusively in
senior housing, and the Traditional built out exclusively in single family homes, each at the
maximum allowable rate, the total number of housing bedrooms for the hamlet would be 1462
(516 + 710 + 236).
If new bedrooms were added evenly across each of the allowable housing categories in each
district (so, for example, 1/6th of the bedrooms units in the Mixed zone were townhouses), the
total number of bedrooms in the hamlet would be 1346. Since there were 807 bedrooms in 2012
and 454 bedrooms envisioned to be added (a total of 1261), both of these examples would
produce a total number of bedrooms for the hamlet that only slightly exceeds the number
envisioned.
APPENDIX C
Maps of current zoning and proposed change.
Current zoning in Varna:
Legend
Rural Residential
Varna Hamlet Residential Distrct
Varna Mixed Use Distrct
Varna Hamlet Traditional Distr
TompkinsParcels2014modified
Proposed zoning (changes in parcel districts not reflected in calculations shown above):
Draft Minutes of the Varna Zoning sub-committee, Varna Community Association bldg., Aug
27, 2019, 10AM-12PM
Attendees: D Weinstein, J Skaley, M Hatch, C Anderson
The discussion this week focused on definition revisions proposed by J. Skaley.
1. We resolved the discrepancy in the # of Varna dwelling units, single family, between the
totals given in the Varna Plan introduction and the totals according to the Tompkins County
Assessment Office. The information in the Plan introduction was summarizing the housing units
in not only the Varna Core area but also included housing contained in the area referred to as the
Greater Varna Area, containing parts of Turkey Hill Road, etc. Subsequent to providing these
totals, the Plan restricted its focus, analysis, and recommendations to only the Varna Core area,
the area that is covered by the Varna districts.
2. We agreed on recommending the following revisions to Section 700 of the Dryden Zoning
code. Listed below is the proposed replacement language (additions shown in BOLD):
(a) Article VII. Sec 708
Planned Unit Development (PUD) —An area of land intended to provide for a variety of land
uses and structures which shall include both commercial and residential planned and
developed in a manner which will provide a community design that preserves critical
environmental resources, provides above-average Open Space amenities, incorporates creative
design in the layout of Structures, Green Space and circulation of vehicles and pedestrians;
assures compatibility with surrounding land uses and neighborhood character; and provides
efficiency in the layout of highways, public utilities and other Municipal Facilities. Planned
Unit Developments best serve as nodal areas connected to and/or serving several adjoining
neighborhoods.
(b) Section 700: Purpose
The purpose of Article VII of this zoning law is to provide the structure and rules for
development in accordance with the Varna Community Development Plan (VCDP) as
adopted. This Article creates distinct zones and a Traditional Neighborhood Overlay
within the hamlet of Varna, along with rules relative to maintaining form in an effort to
implement the goals set forth in the Varna Community Development Plan.
(c) Section 701: Applicability
This article applies only to the three zoning districts {which constitute} that are within the
Hamlet of Varna: The Varna Hamlet Mixed Use District (VHMUD), Varna Hamlet Residential
District (VHRD), and the Varna Hamlet Traditional District (VHTD). Development within
these zones is based on the descriptions in the Varna Community Development Plan as
adopted as an amendment to the Town Comprehensive Plan.
(d) Definitions:
Varna Hamlet Traditional District. The purpose of the Varna Hamlet Traditional District
(VHTD) is to foster development in environmentally sensitive areas. This area is along Fall
Creek, an important drainage area in the hamlet. Lot sizes and a limited amount of
development that is sensitive to these resources. The purpose of this district is aimed at
achieving a traditional owner-occupied neighborhood with single family and two-family
dwelling units (including a conservation zone buffer of 100 ft from the banks of Fall
Creek).
Varna Hamlet Residential District. A mix of predominately single-family unattached
dwelling units, but including a variety of dwelling units, with multi-family units limited to
covering no more than 40% of the acreage remaining after removing the open space land.
Varna Hamlet Mixed Use District. The purpose of the Varna Hamlet Mixed Use District
(VHMUD) is to foster new and redevelopment of existing properties while retaining the
traditional character of buildings, as well as the hamlet character found in Varna and
described in the Varna Community Development Plan. The purpose includes Traditional
Neighborhood Design, and commercial development of vacant lots, including the
combining of lots and rehabilitation of existing buildings.
Family—An individual, or two or more persons related by blood, marriage or adoption,
occupying a Dwelling Unit and living as a single household; For purposes of this
Ordinance, a family may also consist of not more than four unrelated individuals
occupying a Dwelling Unit and living as a single household. The two definitions cannot be
combined.
Green Space—Areas of vegetated and permeable surfaces of a development not occupied
by Structures or Paved areas for vehicles and including formal stormwater management
facilities (no more than 20% of total Lot Area) as well as green infrastructure stormwater
facilities Open Space set aside include swales and parks, dedicated Open Space, landscaped
areas, plantings, lawns, parking lot islands, and sidewalks or trails used to access these
areas, including Accessory Structures (e.g. gazebos or similar structures) accessible to the
public and intended to enhance the Green Space.
Dwelling-Condominium—The term condominium refers to a system of ownership and
administration of property with three main features. A portion of the property is divided
into individually owned units, the balance of the property is owned in common by all the
individual owners and a vehicle for managing the property, known as the condominium
corporation, is established. The condominium may be seen, therefore, as a vehicle for
holding land which combines the advantages of individual ownership with those of multi-
unit development. In a sense, the unit owners make up a democratic society in which each
has many of the rights associated with sole ownership of real property, but in which,
having regard to their co-ownership with the others, some of those rights are subordinated
to the will of the majority.
Dwelling Townhouse or townhome is a single-family home that shares one or more walls
with other dwelling units. Townhouses are distinguished from a Condominium Townhouse,
which is a single family home that shares one or more walls with other independently-
owned units.
Redevelopment —- A process to rebuild or restore an area in a measurable state of decline,
disinvestment, or abandonment undertaken in accordance with a redevelopment plan
adopted by a municipality or to transform an underutilized or distressed area into an
economically viable and productive part of the community.
Story—A story is any level part of a building with a floor that could be used by people (for
living, work, storage, recreation). A building that has four levels, including the
ground/earth level has four stories but three floors. This is because the ground floor does
not count as a floor. The floor above is 1st floor, second floor, third floor + the ground floor
= three floors, yet four stories. Stories refer to the overall height of the building.
(e) Traditional Development Neighborhood Overlay (see Article VIII, Section 801).
Remove this section.
(f) Section 706: Green Neighborhood Development
New structures shall conform to the latest LEED standards with an emphasis on
maximizing energy conservation. Given this requirement, no bonuses will be included in the
allowable zoning densities. Every use in the Varna Density Table in Section 703, requires that
each Neighborhood Development proposal achieves at least basic LEED certification (40 points)
(g) 707: Redevelopment
Eliminate Section, since the number of properties needing redevelopment is very limited.
(h) Article IV —Sec. 402 - Add definition:
A Boundary Line Adjustment (BLA) is a reconfiguration of property lines between two or
more separate legal parcels. BLAs are not subdivisions and cannot create new parcels or
building sites. Another form of BLA is a "Lot Consolidation." A Lot Consolidation is used
to combined two existing parcels. Lot Consolidations erase parcel lines so that only one
parcel remains.
Lot consolidation shall only be allowed within established zones and the new parcel
shall conform to the criteria of that zone. Lot consolidation shall not cross zone boundaries
so as to erase or modify the criteria of either zone.
Allowable units per acre
Development type
Mixed Use (requires
commercial)* Residential Traditional
Single Family Home 8 8 4
Duplex (Rental) 8 6 2
Townhouse 8 6 X
Condominium 8 6 6
Rental Apartments 8 4 X
Senior Housing 10 8 X
Residential over Commercial
*8 d.u. per 2,000
square feet X X
Multi Family Rental- Detached
Units X X X
* Developments with > 9 units
must have 2000 sq. ft. of
commercial for each 10 units.
Draft Minutes of the Varna Zoning sub-committee, Varna Community Association bldg., Sept 3,
2019, 10AM-12PM
Attendees: D Weinstein, J Skaley, M Hatch, C Anderson
1. We made a few moderate changes:
(d) Definitions:
Varna Hamlet Traditional District. The purpose of the Varna Hamlet Traditional District
(VHTD) is to foster a type of development that is deeply attentive to the environmentally
sensitive areas of the district. This area is along Fall Creek, an important drainage area in
the hamlet, and is intended to have lot sizes and a limited amount of development that is
sensitive to these resources. The purpose of this district is aimed at achieving a traditional
owner-occupied neighborhood with single-family and two-family dwelling units, including
a conservation buffer from the banks of Fall Creek.
Insert: Varna setbacks: Pg 36 area bulk table: Conservation zone buffer of 100 ft from
the banks of Fall Creek.
Varna Hamlet Residential District. A mix of predominately single-family unattached
dwelling units, but including a variety of dwelling units.
Varna Hamlet Mixed Use District. The purpose of the Varna Hamlet Mixed Use District
(VHMUD) is to foster new and redevelopment of existing properties while retaining the
traditional character of buildings, as well as the hamlet character found in Varna and
described in the Varna Community Development Plan. The purpose includes Traditional
Neighborhood Design as defined in Article III of the Dryden Zoning, and commercial
development of vacant lots, including the combining of lots and rehabilitation of existing
buildings.
Family—An individual, or two or more persons related by blood, marriage or adoption,
occupying a Dwelling Unit and living as a single household; For purposes of this
Ordinance, a family may also consist of not more than four unrelated individuals
occupying a Dwelling Unit and living as a single household. The two definitions cannot be
combined.
Green Space—Areas of vegetated and permeable surfaces of a development not occupied
by Structures or Paved areas for vehicles and including formal stormwater management
facilities (no more than 20% of total Lot Area) as well as green infrastructure stormwater
facilities Open Space set aside include swales and parks, dedicated Open Space, landscaped
areas, plantings, lawns, parking lot islands, and sidewalks or trails used to access these
areas, including Accessory Structures (e.g. gazebos or similar structures) accessible to the
public and intended to enhance the Green Space.
Dwelling-Condominium—The term condominium refers to a system of ownership and
administration of property with three main features. A portion of the property is divided
into individually owned units, the balance of the property is owned in common by all the
individual owners and a vehicle for managing the property, known as the condominium
corporation, is established. The condominium may be seen, therefore, as a vehicle for
holding land which combines the advantages of individual ownership with those of multi-
unit development. In a sense, the unit owners make up a democratic society in which each
has many of the rights associated with sole ownership of real property, but in which,
having regard to their co-ownership with the others, some of those rights are subordinated
to the will of the majority.
Dwelling Townhouse or townhome is a single-family home that shares one or more walls
with other dwelling units. Townhouses are distinguished from a Condominium Townhouse,
which is a single-family home that shares one or more walls with other independently-
owned units.
Redevelopment —- A process to rebuild or restore an area in a measurable state of decline,
disinvestment, or abandonment undertaken in accordance with a redevelopment plan
adopted by a municipality or to transform an underutilized or distressed area into an
economically viable and productive part of the community.
Story—A story is any level part of a building with a floor that could be used by people (for
living, work, storage, recreation). A building that has four levels, including the
ground/earth level has four stories but three floors. This is because the ground floor does
not count as a floor. The floor above is 1st floor, second floor, third floor + the ground floor
= three floors, yet four stories. Stories refer to the overall height of the building.
(e) Traditional Development Neighborhood Overlay (see Article VIII, Section 801).
Remove this section.
(f) Section 706: Green Neighborhood Development
New structures shall conform to the latest Neighborhood Development LEED standards
with an emphasis on maximizing energy conservation. Given this requirement, no bonuses
will be included in the allowable zoning densities. Every use in the Varna Density Table in
Section 703, requires that each Neighborhood Development proposal achieves at least basic
LEED certification (40 points)
(g) 707: Redevelopment
Eliminate Section, since the number of properties needing redevelopment is very limited.
2. We will not include this one:
(h) Article IV —Sec. 402 - Add definition:
A Boundary Line Adjustment (BLA) is a reconfiguration of property lines between two or
more separate legal parcels. BLAs are not subdivisions and cannot create new parcels or
building sites. Another form of BLA is a "Lot Consolidation." A Lot Consolidation is used
to combined two existing parcels. Lot Consolidations erase parcel lines so that only one
parcel remains.
Lot consolidation shall only be allowed within established zones and the new parcel
shall conform to the criteria of that zone. Lot consolidation shall not cross zone boundaries
so as to erase or modify the criteria of either zone.
3. Include in Allowable units table: Multi-family units limited to covering no more than 40% of
the acreage remaining after removing the open space land.
4. Cite Natural Resource Inventory, etc. (Comp Plan p41) for importance of protecting Fall
Creek. Lower Fall Creek is Designated Scenic Recreation River.
5. Leave lower Freese Rd parcel.
Allowable units per acre
Development type
Mixed Use (requires
commercial)* Residential Traditional
Single Family Home 8 8 4
Duplex (Rental) 8 6 2
Townhouse 8 6 X
Condominium 8 6 6
Rental Apartments 8 4 X
Senior Housing 10 8 X
Residential over Commercial
*8 d.u. per 2,000
square feet X X
Multi Family Rental- Detached
Units X X X
* Developments with > 9 units
must have 2000 sq. ft. of
commercial for each 10 units.
with multi-family
units limited to
covering no more
than 40% of the
acreage remaining
after removing the
open space land.