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HomeMy WebLinkAboutMN-PLED-2014-07-09Minutes Approved at August 13, 2014 P&EDC Meeting City of Ithaca Planning & Economic Development Committee Wednesday, July 9, 2014 – 6:00 p.m. Common Council Chambers, City Hall, 108 East Green Street Minutes Committee Members Attending: Joseph (Seph) Murtagh, Chair; Graham Kerslick, Cynthia Brock, and Josephine Martell Committee Members Absent: None Other Elected Officials Attending: Alderperson McGonigal Staff Attending: JoAnn Cornish, Director, Department of Planning, Building, Zoning, and Economic Development; Megan Wilson, Planner, Department of Planning, Building, Zoning and Economic Development; Debbie Grunder, Executive Assistant, Department of Planning, Building, Zoning, and Economic Development, and Nels Bohn, Director, Ithaca Urban Renewal Agency (IURA); Others Attending: Chair Seph Murtagh called the meeting to order at 6:05p.m. 1) Call to Order/Agenda Review There were no minutes to approve. They will be reviewed and voted on at the August 2014 meeting. 2) Special Order of Business a) Public Hearing – City of Ithaca 2014-2018 Consolidated Plan, HUD Entitlement Grant Program Moved to open the public hearing; seconded by Moved to close the public hearing; seconded by Minutes Approved at August 13, 2014 P&EDC Meeting 3) Public Comment and Response from Committee Members Minutes Approved at August 13, 2014 P&EDC Meeting 4) Announcements, Updates, and Reports 5) Action Items – Voting to Send on to Council a) Murals – Public Art Commission Resolution to Select Artwork for a Mural Installation on the Entry Wall of the Seneca Street Parking Garage WHEREAS, the City of Ithaca Public Art Commission (PAC) has been established to, among other duties, review and advise the Common Council on proposals for the exhibition and display of public art in the City’s public spaces, and WHEREAS, in 2010, the PAC created a mural and street art program to beautify blank walls within the city, while providing local artists from all sections of the community an opportunity to showcase their work, and WHEREAS, the Board of Public Works approved several locations for future murals and street art, including walls in the City garages on Green Street and Seneca Street, by resolution on May 19, 2010, and WHEREAS, local artist Nicholas Gilbert has submitted his proposal for a mural featuring a Latina woman holding a child as part of the PAC’s Mural and Street Art Program, and WHEREAS, Mr. Gilbert was selected by ¡Cultura! Ithaca and several other community organizations to paint a mural that celebrates the community’s Latina culture, and WHEREAS, at its meeting on February 26, 2014, the PAC identified the entry wall to the Seneca Street Parking Garage (near the N. Tioga Street entrance) as an appropriate location for this project, and WHEREAS, the PAC held a public comment period on the mural design and location at its meeting on June 25, 2014 to gather input on the proposed installation, and the majority of the responses to the proposal have been positive, and WHEREAS, the artist will receive funding from ¡Cultura! Ithaca and several other community organizations to install the mural, and the installation will be budget-neutral to the City, and WHEREAS, at its meeting on June 25, 2014, the Public Art Commission unanimously voted to recommend that the Common Council select Nicholas Gilbert’s mural to be installed on the entry wall of the Seneca Street Parking Garage; now, therefore, be it RESOLVED, that the City of Ithaca Common Council selects Nicholas Gilbert’s mural featuring a Latina woman holding a child, as recommended by the Public Art Commission, to Minutes Approved at August 13, 2014 P&EDC Meeting be installed on the entry wall of the Seneca Street Parking Garage (near the N. Tioga Street entrance) and to be added to the City of Ithaca’s public art collection; and be it further RESOLVED, that the selected artist may proceed with the installation of his mural upon the execution of an agreement with the City as reviewed by the City Attorney. Resolution to Select Artwork for a Mural Installation within the Stairwell Near the Intersection of South Cayuga Street and West Spencer Street WHEREAS, the City of Ithaca Public Art Commission (PAC) has been established to, among other duties, review and advise the Common Council on proposals for the exhibition and display of public art in the City’s public spaces, and WHEREAS, in 2010, the PAC created a mural and street art program to beautify blank walls within the city, while providing local artists from all sections of the community an opportunity to showcase their work, and WHEREAS, local artist Caleb Thomas has submitted his proposal for a mural titled “Astronauts and Flowers” as part of the PAC’s Mural and Street Art Program, and WHEREAS, the PAC discussed Mr. Thomas’s mural proposal at its meeting on April 9, 2014 and agreed that the stairwell near the intersection of South Cayuga Street and West Spencer Street would be an appropriate location for the proposed mural, and WHEREAS, the Board of Public Works approved the stairwell near the intersection of South Cayuga Street and West Spencer Street for future murals and street art by resolution on June 9, 2014, and WHEREAS, the PAC held a public comment period on the mural design and location at its meeting on June 25, 2014 to gather input on the proposed installation, and the majority of the responses to the proposal have been positive, and WHEREAS, the artist will provide funding for the mural, and the installation will be budget-neutral to the City, and WHEREAS, at its meeting on June 25, 2014, the Public Art Commission unanimously voted to recommend that the Common Council select Caleb Thomas’s mural to be installed within the stairwell near the intersection of South Cayuga Street and West Spencer Street; now, therefore, be it RESOLVED, That the City of Ithaca Common Council selects “Astronauts and Flowers” by Caleb Thomas, as recommended by the Public Art Commission, to be installed within the stairwell near the intersection of South Cayuga Street and West Spencer Street and to be added to the City of Ithaca’s public art collection; and be it further RESOLVED, That the selected artist may proceed with the installation of his mural upon the execution of an agreement with the City as reviewed by the City Attorney. Minutes Approved at August 13, 2014 P&EDC Meeting b) City of Ithaca 2014-2018 Consolidated Plan Resolution City of Ithaca Common Council August 6, 2014 2014-2018 Consolidated Plan Adoption – HUD Entitlement Program WHEREAS, in the Fall of 2003, the US Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) notified the City that it qualified as an ‘Entitlement Community’ and that it would be receiving an annual allocation of HUD funds through the Community Development Block Grant Program (CDBG) and the HOME Investment Partnerships (HOME) Program, and WHEREAS, in order to access these funds, the City is required to undertake a public input process and prepare a Consolidated Plan which identifies priority community development needs for the City of Ithaca every 5 years, and WHEREAS, it is now time to prepare an updated Consolidated Plan, and WHEREAS, under the terms of the February 14, 2013, agreement between the City of Ithaca and the Ithaca Urban Renewal Agency (IURA), the City has designated the IURA as the Lead Agency to develop and administer the Consolidated Plan on behalf of the City, and WHEREAS, the Consolidated Plan may only be adopted by the Common Council after it has undergone a 30-day public comment period and been the subject of two public hearings, and WHEREAS, the first public hearing was held before the IURA on June 26, 2014, and the second public hearing was held at the Planning and Economic Development Committee of the Common Council on July 9, 2014, and WHEREAS, following a citizen participation process to gain public input in identifying priority community development needs, the IURA issued a draft 2014-2018 Consolidated Plan for a 30-day public comment period that ended on August 5, 2014, and WHEREAS, the IURA reviewed and adopted the draft Consolidated Plan at their meeting on July 24, 2014, and further recommended its adoption by the Common Council, and WHEREAS, the adopted Consolidated Plan must be received by HUD by August 16, 2014, and WHEREAS, at their July 9, 2014, meeting the Planning and Economic Development Committee forwarded the Consolidated Plan to the Common Council for action following consideration of public comment received, now, therefore, be it RESOLVED, that the City of Ithaca Common Council hereby adopts the 2014-2018 Consolidated Plan, dated August 6, 2014, and be it further RESOLVED, that the Common Council authorizes the Mayor, subject to review by the City Attorney, to execute certifications and any other documents necessary to submit the Consolidated Plan to HUD. Minutes Approved at August 13, 2014 P&EDC Meeting 6) Action Items – Approval to Circulate a) Substantive Revisions (recessed entry and building height), Collegetown Area Form Districts An Ordinance to Amend The Municipal Code Of The City Of Ithaca, Chapter 325, Entitled “Zoning” To Amend §325-45.2B, “Definitions and Related Standards,” of the Collegetown Area Form Districts WHEREAS, following the adoption of the Collegetown Area Form Districts in March 2014, staff has identified several revisions that are necessary to strength the intent of the code, and WHEREAS, the proposed revisions to the standards for building height will help reduce construction costs and further promote high-quality design on sloped sites while reducing the impacts of taller buildings on adjacent smaller structures, and WHEREAS, the addition of a definition of “recessed entry” will clarify the intent of this form requirement; now, therefore, ORDINANCE NO. ____ BE IT ORDAINED AND ENACTED by the Common Council of the City of Ithaca that Chapter 325 of the Municipal Code of the City of Ithaca be amended as follows: Section 1. Chapter 325, Section 325-45.2B(2) of the Municipal Code of the City of Ithaca is hereby amended to read as follows: (2) Building Height (a) The existing definition of building height shall apply (refer to §325-3 – “Height of Building”). (b) Building heights in the CR and MU districts are regulated using feet and stories. No portion of any building shall exceed the maximum number of stories or the maximum height in feet. (C) A building may be stepped back, provided that each stepback is a minimum of 12’ of building depth. Each stepback defines a portion of the building. The height is measured from the average grade plane adjoining that portion of the building. (C) (D) The only parts of the building which may exceed the maximum building height are bulkheads, housing for mechanical equipment, towers, and similar constructions not intended for human occupancy, provided that the requirements of §325- 45.2B(10) are met. Minutes Approved at August 13, 2014 P&EDC Meeting Section 2. Chapter 325, Section 325-45.2B of the Municipal Code of the City of Ithaca is herby amended to add a definition of “Recessed Entry” as Section 325-45.2B(10), and all subsequent sections shall be renumbered accordingly. Section 325-45.2B(10) shall read as follows: 10) Recessed Entry (a) Definition: A functioning entry that is setback a minimum of 12” from the front façade of the building. Section 3. Effective date. This ordinance shall take effect immediately and in accordance with law upon publication of notices as provided in the Ithaca City Charter. Minutes Approved at August 13, 2014 P&EDC Meeting b) Chain Works District Application Minutes Approved at August 13, 2014 P&EDC Meeting Minutes Approved at August 13, 2014 P&EDC Meeting 7) Discussion Items a) Rental Housing Advisory Commission – Proposed Resolution To: Planning and Economic Development Committee From: Larry Beck, Chair, Rental Housing Advisory Commission Date: June 20, 2014 The Rental Housing Advisory Commission met on 18 June 2014 approved the May 2014 minutes and passed the following resolution: Resolution In Support Of Bringing All Rental Housing in the City of Ithaca into Compliance via the Certificate of Compliance Inspections by the Building Division of the City of Ithaca Planning, Economic Development and Building Department WHEREAS, there is a backlog of rental properties in the City of Ithaca that are not current with the required Certificate of Compliance, and that these properties pose a potential life safety hazard to the inhabitants of these buildings and the Ithaca Community and, WHEREAS, 80 percent of the rental housing units have an non-compliance rate of just 4 percent, the remaining 20 percent of rental housing units are not properly categorized, and of this latter group more than 50 percent are potentially out of compliance and, WHEREAS, regular inspection of all rental properties in the City of Ithaca will ensure all rental housing in the City of Ithaca meet basic New York State Building and Safety requirements; now, therefore be it RESOLVED, That the City Council direct the Buildings Division to hire an additional Code Inspector with experience in housing and building codes, in order to address the backlog of non-compliant rental units and; be it further RESOLVED, That rental properties without a current Certificate of Compliance be identified and property owners notified that inspections are required and be it further RESOLVED, That these inspections should be prioritized such that rental properties without current Certificates of Compliance for the longest amount of time be inspected first. Submitted by, Larry Beck, RHAC chair Minutes Approved at August 13, 2014 P&EDC Meeting 8) Review and Approval of Minutes No minutes ready for approval 9) Adjournment motioned to adjourned; seconded by . Passed unanimously. The meeting was adjourned at p.m.