HomeMy WebLinkAbout2019.09.10 PAB Final Minutes1
PLANNING ADVISORY BOARD
Tuesday, September 10, 2019
Beverly Livesay Conference Room, Human Services Building
320 W. State/MLK Jr. Street, Ithaca, NY 14850
FINAL MEETING MINUTES
Members Attending:
Guests: Nick Goldsmith (presenter)
Call to Order: Chair David Herrick convened the meeting at 4:05 pm.
Agenda Review/Changes: None
Approval of Draft Minutes for Aug. 13, 2019: Action: Martha Armstrong made a motion to accept the August
2019 PAB meeting minutes. Marcus Riehl seconded the motion, which was approved by the members present.
Recommendation to County Legislature to Adopt the List of New Action Items as an Amendment to the
Tompkins County Comprehensive Plan– Joan Jurkowich
Joan Jurkowich from the Department of Planning and Sustainability updated the PAB members present on the five-
year review of the Tompkins County Comprehensive Plan and presented a resolution for the group’s consideration.
Action: John Czamanske made a motion to recommend the adoption of a resolution recommending that 18 new
action items be added to the Tompkins County Comprehensive Plan, to be initiated before the next scheduled
Comprehensive Plan update in 2025. Fernando de Aragón seconded. Motion carried.
Presentation: Ithaca Energy Code Supplement – Nick Goldsmith, Sustainability Coordinator, City & Town of Ithaca
Nick Goldsmith spoke to the group about the draft City and Town of Ithaca Energy Code Supplement. His
presentation delved into the project background, an overview of the requirements, details on the two compliance
paths (Easy versus Whole Building), and case studies. PAB members offered substantial feedback during the
discussion portion of this agenda item. Common threads that surfaced during the Q&A included enforcing code
requirements now and moving forward with future code cycles; addressing mixed-used commercial and residential
renovations; adaptive reuse, especially of historic structures; clearly defining what is meant by “historic” and what
sort of projects fall under “major” versus “minor” renovations; incentive packages; and the need to carefully craft
public outreach messaging.
Representation Name Representation
Martha Armstrong P Economic Development Monika Roth P Agriculture
Joe Bowes P Housing Leslie Schill P Education #2
Tim Carey P Education #1 Kathy Schlather E Human Services
John Czamanske P At-Large Andy Zepp A Land Preservation/Public Land Mgmt.
Fernando de Aragón P Transportation Deborah Dawson E Associate Member
Yamila Fournier P Built Environment Dooley Kiefer P Associate Member
David Herrick P Facilities/Infrastructure Others Present
Rod Howe P Historical/Cultural Resources Katie Borgella P Commissioner
David Kay P Local Planning (urban) Joan Jurkowich P Planning Administrator
Anna Kelles P HED/PEEQ Kristin McCarthy P Administrative Assistant
G. Lincoln Morse P Business Megan McDonald P Deputy Commissioner
Gay Nicholson P At-Large
C.J. Randall P Local Planning (non-urban)
Marcus Riehl P Natural Environment
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Commissioner’s Report – Katie Borgella
Commissioner Borgella presented the Department of Planning and Sustainability’s recommended 2020 budget to
the County Legislature on Sept. 5. Highlights included over target requests to fund the Business Energy Advisors
program, Municipal Housing Affordability Infrastructure grant program, and 2020 membership dues for the
Southern Tier 8 regional planning organization. County Administrator Jason Molino also put forth a proposed
update to the County Capital Plan to the Legislature on Sept. 5, which includes $100 million of investment over the
next 15 years. The revised plan is meant to help advance the County’s stated goal of net-zero emissions in its
operations by 2035 through such initiatives as greening County facilities ($32 million) and electrifying its passenger
vehicles ($2 million).
Megan McDonald updated board on member recruitment for 2020, noting that advertising has gone out and that
the energy seat is currently vacant.
Member Reports
• There will be a public open house Sept. 19 for the City Harbor project.
• The 2019 Community Development Institute takes place Oct. 23-24. Theme is “From Zombies to Vacants to
Sustainable Housing: Building Resilient Communities.”
• Sustainable Tompkins received a $250,000 NYSERDA grant to incentivize low- to medium-income households
to invest in heat pump cooling and heating systems.
Adjournment: Chair David Herrick adjourned the meeting at 5:28 pm.