HomeMy WebLinkAboutMN-ILPC-2010-06-08Approved by ILPC – 07/13/10
1
Ithaca Landmarks Preservation Commission
Minutes – June 8, 2010
Present:
Nancy Brcak
Ed Finegan
Susan Jones, Acting Chair
David Kramer
Ellen McCollister, Common Council Liaison
Leslie Chatterton, Staff
Megan Gilbert, Staff
Acting Chair S. Jones called the meeting to order at 5:35 pm and read the legal notice for the
public hearing.
I. PUBLIC HEARING
A. DeWitt Place, East Hill Historic District – proposal for roadwork including
widening, repaving, and curbs
Pam Johnston, property owner, Ray Schlather, attorney, and Richard Hautaniemi, project
architect, were present to address the Commission regarding the proposal.
Staff explained that the drawings provided by the applicant include a topographic map of
the existing conditions, a site plan of the proposed changes, and a third diagram showing
details of the project. The August 2008 approval of this project was distributed to
Commission members via email. Tonight the Commission will review a revision to the
originally approved proposal. The May 6, 2009 Fire Lane Agreement was executed
without consultation with the ILPC. The agreement is a legal document that has been
filed with the Tompkins County Clerk and can only be amended with the consent of the
applicant and the Mayor. The City Attorney expressed his apology for not bringing this
agreement to the ILPC, but there were many steps in the review of this agreement and,
after the original ILPC approval, the agreement did not return to the Commission.
R. Schlather gave a brief history of the property and the proposal. In the past, all of the
properties on DeWitt Place were owned by different owners who agreed to a common
right of way. Due to the numerous owners and an encroachment by a neighboring
property owner, there had never been an opportunity to create a roadway with a fire lane.
P. Johnston has acquired ownership of all of the DeWitt Place properties. The Ithaca Fire
Department is concerned with establishing a fire lane that can serve all of the properties
on DeWitt Place. The Commission approved a three-phase roadway project in August of
2008 that provided for a fire lane while maintaining the required parking. The Ithaca Fire
Department, City Attorney, and the City Building Department worked with the property
owner to arrive at the Fire Lane Agreement. The previous ILPC approval required the
applicant to maintain the trees on the west side of the roadway but approved the widening
of the roadway to 18’ (15’ right of way with 3’ for parking) and the repaving with
asphalt. This approval did not include the installation of asphalt for striped parking
spaces perpendicular to the roadway, but the Fire Lane Agreement includes this
alteration. These changes (striping of the parking and fire lane signage) will make
DeWitt Place a public right of way.
ILPC Minutes
June 8, 2010
-2-
D. Kramer disclosed that his mother-in-law owns 109 and 113 Glen Place. He noted that
portions of the DeWitt Place have a considerable existing grade and asked where storm
water will drain. R. Hautaniemi responded that curbs will be installed on either side of
DeWitt Place and a catch basin will channel runoff into the City’s storm water system.
The proposal will actually approve drainage on the site.
Staff noted that in August 2008, the Commission had wanted to keep the paving to the
minimum required for the fire lane in order to preserve the character of DeWitt Place.
Once work began on the Fire Lane Agreement, the approval of the ILPC was not
included in the agreement, and the concern about the width of the paving was not
included in the final agreement. R. Schlather responded that he did not believe it was
anyone’s intention to not include the ILPC, but there were many different factors in the
agreement and the ILPC was inadvertently left out.
S. Jones asked if the paving would be wider than the originally approved 15’. R.
Schlather and staff responded that the roadway will still be 15’ wide, but there will now
be paved parking spaces that are located perpendicular to the roadway. This will be an
additional 16 feet of paving for the parking.
Staff explained that the parking has been there; the asphalt surface is the new addition.
Staff asked Tom Nix about other options for surfacing. Gravel would have a better visual
impact but would not have the advantage of improving the drainage.
In terms of options for the ILPC, staff explained that the Commission can approve the
addition of asphalt to the parking, can deny the proposal, or, if members do not feel the
proposal meets there standards, they can let the proposal lie as is since the ILPC’s
previous approval has been superseded by the Fire Lane Agreement. The Commission
can vote to deny the application, but this will cause a legal issue since the agreement has
already been finalized and filed.
Acting Chair S. Jones asked if the grassy area between the roadway and the sidewalk will
remain. P. Johnston said the grassy area will remain and the steps to the houses will be
replaced in-kind. The project will also remove existing railroad ties to create a grassy
slope from the houses to the sidewalk.
N. Brcak asked if there was a way to distinguish the parking area from the fire lane. This
would meet the requirements of the Fire Lane Agreement but would visually distinguish
the historic lane from the wider paved area. P. Johnston suggested a solid yellow line
between the two. N. Brcak responded that she was thinking of a different type of paving
product for the parking area than the asphalt for the roadway. R. Schlather suggest a
colored vertical line that would be more subtle than the standard yellow. It was then
noted that the Fire Lane Agreement specifies yellow striping, but the Fire Department
may be amendable to a different color.
ILPC Minutes
June 8, 2010
-3-
N. Brcak asked if the proposed number of parking spaces is the same number of existing
spaces, and P. Johnston responded that it was. N. Brcak responded that one way to
visually distinguish the roadway from the parking would be to eliminate a few parking
spaces by creating a “bump-out” of green space. P. Johnston stated that this would not be
visible from Buffalo Street or surrounding areas; one would need to be on DeWitt Place
to see the bump-outs. R. Schlather responded that it would be difficult to remove parking
spaces; there will be no net gain of parking spaces, and some of the existing “cheating”
will be eliminated by the curbs. R. Hautaniemi suggested painting a “T” at the end of the
striping of the parking spaces instead of a solid vertical line. The Commission agreed to
this option.
Public Hearing
On a motion by D. Kramer, seconded by N. Brcak, Acting Chair S. Jones opened the
public hearing. There being no one to address the Commission, the public hearing was
closed on a motion by N. Brcak, seconded by D. Kramer.
N. Brcak stated that she believes the parties made a good faith effort to reach an
agreement but she is concerned that once again the different groups within the City are
not on the same page. Because of this and the fact that the blanket paving is not in
keeping with the historic character of the area, she would not want to vote to approve the
project. A vote in favor would indicate the Commission’s approval of the aesthetics of
the proposal. She would prefer the middle ground of taking no action. She noted that she
appreciates the applicant’s willingness and efforts to make the area visually attractive,
even if it is not in keeping with the historic character.
Acting Chair S. Jones agreed. The Fire Lane Agreement established what is acceptable
and it would be too complex to implement anything that disagreed with that.
D. Kramer agreed to take no action. On any other street, this would be a major upgrade
and improvement. This particular street is very unique and contains the only monument
to Simeon DeWitt. He is not happy that it is going to be lost behind cars with no
attention drawn to the monument. P. Johnston responded that there is a sign on E.
Buffalo Street indicating the location of the sign. He would like some attention drawn to
the monument.
E. Finegan also agreed to take no action. He would like to see a white “T” at the end of
the parking spaces to delineate the fire lane. He is also concerned about drainage over
time. He would also like to see attention drawn to the monument and suggested adding
more green space around the monument so that it is not surrounded by parking.
R. Schlater suggested moving the monument a little further west if the parking spaces can
be maintained. The Commission agreed. P. Johnston further added that if possible they
would move it slightly south and then west (around the tree) so that it would be easier for
people to walk around and view the monument.
ILPC Minutes
June 8, 2010
-4-
The Commission decided to take no action on the proposal. It was agreed that (1) the
parking spaces shall be striped with a “T” on the end to distinguish the parking area from
the fire lane; and (2) if possible, the monument will be moved to the west to allow more
visibility.
II. PLEASURE OF THE CHAIR
A. Administrative Matters
None
B. Communications
Staff reported that the City has submitted an application for a grant to study the Henry St.
John neighborhood for possible historic designation.
Common Council Liaison E. McColliser reported that the draft Environmental Impact
Statement is now available for review. It contains a substantial section regarding historic
resources. Members of the ILPC are welcome to comment on the dEIS as an individual
or as a member of the ILPC. Individual comments can be made at any time, but a
comment by the ILPC should be coordinated among members. The public hearing will
be held on June 29, 2010, and the public comment period ends July 16, 2010. On June
16, 2010, the Planning & Economic Development Committee of Common Council will
hold a public hearing on a proposal to re-zone the 900-block of E. State Street as part of a
larger proposal to create a R-3aa zone. Staff reported that Mary Tomlan and John
Schroeder have asked the Commission to consider local designation of the Delano
home/former nurses’ quarters. Staff also stated that the Commission’s review of the
project will likely be coordinated with the site plan review.
C. Public Comment on Matters of Interest
None
III. APPROVAL OF MINUTES – December 10, 2009; May 11, 2010
On a motion by N. Brcak, seconded by D. Kramer, the minutes from the December 10, 2009
and May 11, 2010 meetings were approved with corrections.
IV. NEW BUSINESS
None
V. OLD BUSINESS
None
VI. ADJOURNMENT
There being no further business the meeting was adjourned at 6:54 p.m. by Acting Chair S.
Jones.
Respectfully Submitted,
Leslie A. Chatterton, Secretary
Ithaca Landmarks Preservation Commission