HomeMy WebLinkAboutMN-PDB-2010-02-09Approved at the March 23, 2010
Planning and Development Board Meeting
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Special Planning & Development Board Meeting
Minutes
February 9, 2010
Board Members Attending: John Schroeder, Chair; David Kay; Jane Marcham;
Tessa Rudan; Jill Tripp
Board members Absent: Robert Boothroyd; John Snyder
Staff Attending: JoAnn Cornish, Director of Planning and Development;
Lisa Nicholas, Senior Planner,
Department of Planning and Development
Applicants Attending: Women’s Community Building
Kathryn Wolf, Trowbridge & Wolf LLP;
Steve Hugo, HOLT Architects;
Nathan Brown, HOLT Architects;
Paul Mazzarella, Ithaca Neighborhood Housing Services
Chair Schroeder called the meeting to order at 6:02 p.m.
1. Agenda Review
There were no changes to the agenda.
2. Site Plan Review
A. Site Plan Review, Redevelopment of 100 West Seneca Street (Women’s Community
Building), 100 West Seneca Street, Trowbridge and Wolf, Applicant for Owner,
Ithaca Neighborhood Housing Services. Determination of Environmental
Significance, Consideration of Preliminary and Final Approval. The applicant
proposes to replace the existing building with a six-story residential building with a total
of 52 apartments, including two apartments and meeting and office space on the ground
floor and 50 one and two bedroom apartments on the second through sixth floors. The
apartments will be rented to households earning between 30 to 90% of median income.
The building is proposed to be steel and masonry and include a number of green design
elements. The project includes surface parking, some of which will be located under the
second story, landscaping, a green roof on the overhang over the first floor and bicycle
parking. The project site has recently been rezoned from B-1a to CDB-60. This is a Type
I Action under both the City of Ithaca Environmental Quality Review Ordinance §176-4
B (1), (h)(4) & (k) and under the State Environmental Quality Review Act §617.4 (9)
both of which require environmental review.
Approved at the March 23, 2010
Planning and Development Board Meeting
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Project consultant Kathryn Wolf described recent changes to the proposed building,
especially to its first floor, which instead of including a community space rentable by the
community at large, will now instead include two apartments and office and meeting
space, the latter intended for use by the project’s residents.
Due to the altered first floor use, there will no longer be a building entrance on Cayuga
Street.
Planning Board members raised concerns and asked for clarifications about certain
project elements, resulting in the following small project modifications:
• Because of concerns about security, applicant agreed to use an open metal fence,
rather than a wooden board fence, along the south side of the shade garden.
• Plans for handling trash were discussed. Applicant explained that there will be a trash
room with a trash compactor located on the first floor south of the “South Stair,” and
that, consequently, there will be no exterior dumpster. Applicant added that pick up
routines for trash removal have not yet been determined. Applicant agreed to label the
trash compactor room on the project plans, and to modify these plans by adding either
striping or signage restricting the use of the parking space just south of the compactor
room’s doors.
• Bike storage was discussed. The dedicated basement bicycle storage area shown in
earlier versions of the project has been eliminated, though it will still be possible for
residents to store bikes in individual basement tenant storage units. After some
discussion, applicant agreed to add bike racks at ground level along Seneca Street in
reasonable proximity to the main building entrance; these will be in addition to the
ground-level bike racks already shown on the Cayuga Street side of the project.
• Applicant agreed to revise the landscape plan to show the trellis plantings intended on
either side of the parking area entrance off Seneca Street and to show the planting
material intended for the first-floor roof-overhang green roof.
• Applicant agreed to revise the site plan drawings to clarify that both fence sections
paralleling Cayuga Street at the northeast corner of the site will be decorative metal
fence (i.e., the northernmost of these sections will not be wooden board fence).
• Applicant agreed to revise the elevation drawings so that the full corner pier detailing
now shown at the southeast and southwest corners of the building will also occur at
the northeast corner of the building. This requires a revision (addition of tall, narrow
recessed brick detail) at the Cayuga Street end of the north elevation.
Adopted Resolution for City Environmental Quality Review:
On a motion by Tripp, seconded by Marcham:
Approved at the March 23, 2010
Planning and Development Board Meeting
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WHEREAS: the City of Ithaca Planning and Development Board has one pending
application for site plan approval for a mixed use apartment building, located at 100 West
Seneca Street, by Trowbridge and Wolf LLP, applicant for owner, Ithaca Neighborhood
Housing Services (INHS), and
WHEREAS: the applicant proposes to replace the existing building with a six-story
residential building with a total of 52 apartments, including two apartments and meeting
and office space on the ground floor and 50 one and two bedroom apartments on the
second through sixth floors. The apartments will be rented to households earning between
30 to 90% of median income. The building is proposed to be steel and masonry and
include a number of green design elements. The project includes surface parking, some
of which will be located under the second story, landscaping, a green roof on the
overhang over the first floor and bicycle parking. The project site has recently been
rezoned from B-1a to CDB-60, and
WHEREAS: the applicant’s February 4, 2010 “Updated Project Summary” states, “The
apartments will be rented to low- and moderate income households at rents that are
affordable. The rents will serve a range of incomes, but affordability will be ensured by
limiting the rents to not more than 30% of income for each target income level. The rents
also include the cost of utilities. The affordable rent levels will be maintained for at least
30 years under a regulatory agreement between the developers and the NYS Division of
Housing and Community Renewal. However, it is the intent of the developers to maintain
the affordability of the housing for the life of the building,” and
WHEREAS: this is an Type I Action under the City of Ithaca Environmental Quality
Review Ordinance §176-4 B (1),(h)(4) & (k) and under the State Environmental Quality
Review Act §617.4 (9) both of which require environmental review, and
WHEREAS: 6 NYCRR Part 617 of the State Environmental Quality Review Act and
Chapter 176.6 of the City Code, Environmental Quality Review, require that a lead
agency be established for conducting environmental review of projects in accordance
with local and state environmental law, and
WHEREAS: State Law specifies that for actions governed by local environmental
review, the lead agency shall be that local agency which has primary responsibility for
approving and funding or carrying out the action, and
WHEREAS: it has been requested that the Dormitory Authority of the State of New
York (DASNY) and the New York State Department of Transportation (NYSDOT), all
involved agencies, consent to the City of Ithaca Planning and Development Board being
Lead Agency for this project, and
WHEREAS: the New York State Department of Transportation and the New York State
Dormitory Authority have consented to the City of Ithaca Planning and Development
Board being Lead Agency for this project, and
WHEREAS: the Planning Board has on February 9, 2010 reviewed and accepted as
adequate a Long environmental Assessment Form, Part 1 submitted by the applicant and
Parts 2 & 3 prepared by planning staff, drawings entitled “Site Plan (002)”, “Basement
Approved at the March 23, 2010
Planning and Development Board Meeting
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Floor Plan (AP101)”, “First Floor Plan (AP102)”, “Typical Upper Floor Plan (AP103)”,
“Exterior Elevations (AP201 & 202)”, “West Seneca Street Perspective (AP203)”,
“Renderings and Building Section (AP301)”, “Parking Entrance Views (AP302)”,
“Automobile Sight Lines (AP303)”, “Automobile Sight Line Images (AP304)”, “Demo
Plan (L101)”, “Layout Plan (L201)”, “Grading Plan (L301)”, “Planting Plan (L401)”, and
“Site Details (L501)”, all dated 2/4/2010 and prepared by HOLT Architects and
Trowbridge and Wolf Landscape Architects LLP, and other application materials, and
WHEREAS: the City of Ithaca Conservation Advisory Council, Tompkins County
Planning Department and other interested agencies have been given the opportunity to
comment on the proposed project and all comments received have been considered, now,
therefore, be it
RESOLVED: that the City of Ithaca Planning and Development Board determines that
the proposed apartment building will result in no significant impact on the environment
and that a Negative Declaration for purposes of Article 8 of the Environmental
Conservation Law be filed in accordance with the provisions of Part 617 of the State
Environmental Quality Review Act.
Unanimously Approved
Adopted Resolution for Preliminary and Final Site Plan Approval:
On a motion by Tripp, seconded by Marcham:
WHEREAS: the City of Ithaca Planning and Development Board has one pending
application for site plan approval for a mixed use apartment building, located at 100 West
Seneca Street, by Trowbridge and Wolf LLP, applicant for owner, Ithaca Neighborhood
Housing Services (INHS), and
WHEREAS: the applicant proposes to replace the existing building with a six-story
residential building with a total of 52 apartments, including two apartments and meeting
and office space on the ground floor and 50 one and two bedroom apartments on the
second through sixth floors. The apartments will be rented to households earning between
30 to 90% of median income. The building is proposed to be steel and masonry and
include a number of green design elements. The project includes surface parking, some
of which will be located under the second story, landscaping, a green roof on the
overhang over the first floor and bicycle parking. The project site has recently been
rezoned from B-1a to CDB-60, and
WHEREAS: the applicant’s February 4, 2010 “Updated Project Summary” states, “The
apartments will be rented to low- and moderate income households at rents that are
affordable. The rents will serve a range of incomes, but affordability will be ensured by
limiting the rents to not more than 30% of income for each target income level. The rents
also include the cost of utilities. The affordable rent levels will be maintained for at least
30 years under a regulatory agreement between the developers and the NYS Division of
Housing and Community Renewal. However, it is the intent of the developers to maintain
the affordability of the housing for the life of the building,” and
Approved at the March 23, 2010
Planning and Development Board Meeting
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WHEREAS: this is an Type I Action under the City of Ithaca Environmental Quality
Review Ordinance §176-4 B (1),(h)(4) & (k) and under the State Environmental Quality
Review Act §617.4 (9) both of which require environmental review, and
WHEREAS: 6 NYCRR Part 617 of the State Environmental Quality Review Act and
Chapter 176.6 of the City Code, Environmental Quality Review, require that a lead
agency be established for conducting environmental review of projects in accordance
with local and state environmental law, and
WHEREAS: State Law specifies that for actions governed by local environmental
review, the lead agency shall be that local agency which has primary responsibility for
approving and funding or carrying out the action, and
WHEREAS: it has been requested that the Dormitory Authority of the State of New
York (DASNY) and the New York State Department of Transportation (NYSDOT), all
involved agencies, consent to the City of Ithaca Planning and Development Board being
Lead Agency for this project, and
WHEREAS: the New York State Department of Transportation and the New York State
Dormitory Authority have consented to the City of Ithaca Planning and Development
Board being Lead Agency for this project, and
WHEREAS: legal notice was published and property posted in accordance with Chapters
276-6 (B) (4) and 176-12 (A) (2) (c) of the City of Ithaca Code, and
WHEREAS: the Planning and Development Board held the required public hearing on
January 26, 2010, and
WHEREAS: the City of Ithaca Conservation Advisory Council, Tompkins County
Planning Department and other interested agencies have been given the opportunity to
comment on the proposed project and all comments received have been considered, and
WHEREAS: the Planning Board did on February 9, 2010 review and accept as adequate
a Long environmental Assessment Form, Part 1 submitted by the applicant and Parts 2 &
3 prepared by planning staff, drawings entitled “Site Plan (002)”, “Basement Floor Plan
(AP101)”, “First Floor Plan (AP102)”, “Typical Upper Floor Plan (AP103)”, “Exterior
Elevations (AP201 & 202)”, “West Seneca Street Perspective (AP203)”, “Renderings and
Building Section (AP301)”, “Parking Entrance Views (AP302)”, “Automobile Sight
Lines (AP303)”, “Automobile Sight Line Images (AP304)”, “Demo Plan (L101)”,
“Layout Plan (L201)”, “Grading Plan (L301)”, “Planting Plan (L401)”, and “Site Details
(L501)”, all dated 2/4/2010 and prepared by HOLT Architects and Trowbridge and Wolf
Landscape Architects LLP, and other application materials, and
WHEREAS: the Board understands that, due to conditions imposed by the potential
funders of the project, the applicant is not able to provide community meeting space on
the ground floor of the new building such as is available in the current building.
Members feel that although the loss of such a space in that location will be felt by those
that currently use it, there are alternative community spaces with similar facilities in close
proximity to the downtown core that can accommodate many of the users. While
members feel furthermore that a publicly accessible use of the first floor, and especially
Approved at the March 23, 2010
Planning and Development Board Meeting
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one capable of generating significant foot traffic at this important downtown intersection,
would be highly desirable, they acknowledge that such uses may not be compatible with
the conditions imposed by the potential funders of the project. They also find that the
developer’s proposed use of the first floor fully conforms to the recently changed zoning
for this property, and has the additional public benefit of including additional downtown
residential units, and
WHEREAS: due to the upcoming funding application deadline for the project as well as
the recent need, as described above, to change the program for the ground floor at a
relatively late date, final proposed building elevations and ground floor plans are still
under development. Members of the Planning Board feel that, although preliminary
approval is not usually granted at this stage of project development, due to the previously
described reasons, this project has significant benefit to the city, and therefore, finalized
elevations and floor plans will be approved by the Board at a later date and as a condition
of site plan approval, now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED: that the City of Ithaca Planning and Development Board does hereby grant
preliminary and final site plan approval to the proposed apartment building to be located
at 100 West Seneca Street in the City of Ithaca subject to the following conditions:
i. Final building elevations, including building materials, must be approved by the
Planning and Development Board before issuance of a building permit, and
ii. Submission of documentation showing either that 1) rooftop mechanicals will
not be visible, or 2) if visible, that they be arranged and/or screened so that they
appear to be architecturally integrated into the overall building design, and
iii. Submission of revised landscape plan showing corrected key, plantings for
green trellises and plantings for green roof on overhang over first floor, and
iv. Submission of lighting, signage, sun screens and site furnishing details, and
v. Contingent upon BPW and NYSDOT approval, submission of revised drawings
showing the bump-out at the corner of Seneca and Cayuga Streets as an
element of the project and not as an alternate, and
vi. Submission of revised “Automobile Sight Lines (AP303)” drawing showing
building footprint moved two feet north, to be consistent with the other project
drawings, and
vii. Submission of revised drawings showing sidewalk paving in the tree lawn strip
as stamped or colored concrete, and
viii. Submission of revised drawings showing additional bike racks on the Seneca
Street side of the building, and
ix. Submission of revised “Site Plan (002)” drawing showing a label on the trash
compactor room and restricting the use of the parking space adjacent to this
compactor, and
Approved at the March 23, 2010
Planning and Development Board Meeting
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x. That noise producing construction be limited to the hours between 7:30 am and
7:30 pm, Monday through Friday, and
xi. Bike racks shall meet City of Ithaca specifications and be installed prior to
granting of Certificate of Occupancy, and be it further
RESOLVED: that the Planning Board encourages the proposed effort by the Downtown
Ithaca Alliance and INHS to attempt to find a compatible active use for the ground floor
of the building.
Unanimously Approved
3. Adjournment
On a motion by Tripp, seconded by Kay, and approved unanimously, the meeting was
adjourned at 7:06 p.m.