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HomeMy WebLinkAboutSubdivision Review BrochureExpiration of approval Town of Ithaca Subdivision Process The Subdivision process involves di-viding a tract of land into smaller piec-es (called parcels or lots). The typical purpose for subdividing land is to con-struct residences on the newly created lots, or to consolidate a newly created lot with an adjacent lot. The intent of this brochure is to ex-plain the information required to apply for Planning Board approval of a subdi-vision, and to describe the subdivision review process conducted by the Town's planning and engineering staff and the Planning Board. If you or your agent have any questions regarding the subdivision approval process, please feel free to call a mem-ber of the Town planning staff at (607) 273-1747. In this brochure... What is a Subdivision?  What are the steps involved for ap‐proval?  How long does the process take?  What type of plans are required? The Town of Ithaca Planning Board meets the first and third Tuesdays of every month in the  Town Board Room, 215 North Tioga Street Ithaca, NY 14850  (607) 273‐1747 (607)273‐1704 fax www.town.ithaca.ny.us Typically, the subdivision review process takes approximately 8 weeks. This can vary depending on the complexity of the project (particularly if the project also requires Zoning Board or Town Board approvals in addition to Planning Board), the completeness of submittals, Planning Board agenda availability, and an appli-cant’s timeliness. How long does it take? Notiϐication As required by NYS Town Law, the Town publishes a notice of Public Hearing in the legal section of the local newspaper. This must be done at least 5 days before a Pub-lic Hearing. The applicant is required to post a sign on the project site that is clearly visible from the public road way. The sign must be posted at least 14 days before the Public Hearing. As a courtesy to the public, the Town also notiϐies properties within a 500-foot radi-us of any proposal scheduled for a Plan-ning Board appearance. The subdivision approval expires after 10 years following the date of approval un‐less construction has materially com-menced on the project or one or more lots have been transferred by the devel-oper and the deeds have been recorded in the County Clerk’s Ofϐice. Requirements for Submission In order for a subdivision approval request to be placed on a Planning Board agenda, the Planning Department must ϐirst receive a complete set of application materials from the applicant. We recommend scheduling a pre-application meeting with one of the plan-ning staff members prior to submission of any materials. A completed application, containing the items in bold below, should be submitted at least 30 days prior to the Planning Board meeting at which the project is to be considered. Most of the application forms below can be found in Town Hall or on our website at: www.town.ithaca.ny.us/forms  Cover sheet/narrative—including the name of the owner/developer, a description of the project, the current zoning and acre-age of the property involved, etc.  Completed Development Review Appli-cation  Completed Environmental Assessment Form, Part 1  A survey that shows the existing proper-ty, and a subdivision plat that shows the new proposed lots. Details to include on the plats should be as noted on the Subdi-vision Checklists  Owners Certiϐication Letter  Payment of required review fees– the Planning Department will determine the proper fee amount at a pre-application meet-ing. Steps in the Process Set up a pre-application meeting with the Planning Department (273-1747). Submit application materials and fees for re-view by planning staff. Staff will review materials for consistency with codes, policies, and plans and make suggestions for additional submissions or modiϐications. Once any additional items are submitted, the project will go before the Planning Board for consideration of approval (the timeline for Board appearance is 30 days after a complete application is submitted). Depending on the complexity of the pro-posal, the project could involve several stag-es of review (determined at the pre-application meeting with staff) For complex projects, the applicant should appear for a Sketch Plan review, where the applicant may informally present initial drawings of the proposal and get the sense of the Board, prior to preparing and pre-senting more formal plans. (Simple projects can go straight to Preliminary Site Plan re-view. Sometimes Preliminary and Final ap-provals are given at the same meeting.) The Prelminary Subdivision Review—the stage where the Board formally re-views plans and votes to approve (sometimes w/conditions) or deny the project. This stage also involves the Envi-ronmental Review* of any environmental impacts associated with the project. The Final Subdivision Review—the stage where the Board votes on ϐinal plans and considers any remaining issues. If any variances or re-zonings are neces-sary, the project will go before the Town Board or Zoning Board of Appeals before Final Subdivision Review. For more information, please contact the Planning Department at (607) 273-1747 *Regarding the Environmental Review: Planning staff, on behalf of the Planning Board, completes Parts 2 and 3 of the environmental review form to identify any potential impacts of a proposal. More detailed environmental information and analysis, in the form of an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS), may be required if impacts are determined to be signiϐicant by the Planning Board. This is pursuant to the New York State Environmental Quality Review Act (SEQR) and the Town’s Environmental Law. Basic SEQR in-formation can be found on the NYS Department of Environmental Conservation website at: http://www.dec.ny.gov/permits/6433.html