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HomeMy WebLinkAboutMN-P&DB-1995-08-22 C t/(.1/ed< Approved 11/28/95 Planning and Development Board MINUTES August 22, 1995 Present: Susan Blumenthal, Chair;Sarah Adams;Carolyn Peterson;John Schroeder. Staff: H. Sieverding,L. Tsang,K.Ross;applicants;other interested parties. 1. Privilege of the Floor There were no comments from the floor. 2. Public Hearing/Final Subdivision Approval A. MHA Northside Phase II-First and Adams Jack Jensen reported that there were no substantive changes since the preliminary approval of this project in January. Blumenthal stated that there were questions about designation of the park. Schroeder stated that the Planning Committee would designate the park. A public hearing was held. Schroeder moved and Peterson seconded a motion for final subdivision approval. Carried unanimously. 3. Subdivision Environmental Review/Preliminary Approval A. Nichol Block Property-327 Elmira Road Paul Tavelli, the attorney for John Nichols, stated that this subdivision was informally done 17 years ago. Sieverding stated that there are three parcels involved; what is proposed conforms with the Zoning Ordinance; and the BZA recently granted an area and use variance so that the new map will show all three parcels. A public hearing was held on environmental review. Adams moved and Peterson seconded a motion for a negative declaration of environmental significance. Carried unanimously. Schroeder moved and Peterson seconded a motion for preliminary approval. Carried unanimously. Minutes of August 22, 1995 Meeting 2 4. Public Hearing/Environmental Review/Site Plan Approval A. Our Town Mall-701-725 South Meadow Street Adams stated that last month's discussion had to do with traffic and turning off Route 13. It has since been realized that there is room for a turning lane in that section of Meadow Street. A revised site plan and planting plan, as well as a color rendering of the proposed buildings were submitted for review by the Codes Committee. The problem DoT had was with the two driveways (in addition to the service driveway); they will only allow one curbcut, so what is now being proposed is one driveway which will have two lanes exiting and one lane entering the site. Dan Cole,the Traffic Engineer,agrees with staff given that the revised plan was only submitted this afternoon,that this is a better plan. The Board felt they should take a look at the revised drawing more closely before fmal approval. There was also some discussion regarding the landscaping, including species of trees to be used. A public hearing on environmental review was held. Schroeder moved and Peterson seconded the following resolutions for a negative declaration of environmental significance and conditional preliminary site plan approval. WHEREAS,a site development plan for the construction of a commercial plaza and related site improvements at 701-725 South Meadow Street has been submitted for review and approval by this Board,and WHEREAS,the proposed development is a Type I action according to both the City Environmental Quality Review Ordinance and the State Environmental Quality Review Act,and the full EAF parts 1,2 and 3 were completed, and WHEREAS,this Board,the Lead Agency in this environmental review,has reviewed the application materials and supporting documents,including comments from NYSDOT,an involved agency,and comments from the Conservation Advisory Council,and WHEREAS,although the review process has identified, as noted in the EAF parts 2 and 3,potentially large impacts on the land,drainage,air quality, transportation,and visual resources,these impacts will not be significant in consideration of the project's specific characteristics and mitigating measures included in the proposal,now, therefore be it RESOLVED, that this Board determine that the proposed project will result in no significant impact on the environment,and that a Negative Declaration for purposes of Article 8 of the Environmental Minutes of August 22, 1995 Meeting 3 Conservation Law be filed according to the requirements contained in Part 617. Carried unanimously. WHEREAS,a site development plan for the development of Our Town Mall,a commercial plaza on approximately 3.96 acres,has been submitted for review and approval by this Board, and WHEREAS,an environmental review and the public hearing of the proposal have been completed, and WHEREAS,the site development plan and supporting materials were reviewed by the Planning Dept.,the Building Dept.,the City Forester and the Engineering Divisions of the Department of Public Works,as well as NYSDOT,and WHEREAS,the site development plan has been modified according to comments from City staff and the Codes and Administration Committee, and WHEREAS,issues raised by NYSDOT will be addressed through some site plan modification,now, therefore be it RESOLVED, that Preliminary Site Plan Approval be granted with the following conditions: 1. that any modifications to the site plan required by NYSDOT be approved also by this Board in the Final Site Plan Approval; 2. that questions about the exact geometry of exit/entrance from Elmira Road are resolved; 3. that building material samples are provided; 4. that a bike rack is provided;and 5. that a landscaping plan with species of trees other than Honey Locusts in the internal parking lot islands is provided; and be it further RESOLVED, that the Board does not object to the issuance of a foundation permit for phase one construction. Carried unanimously. Minutes of August 22, 1995 Meeting 4 B. Kolar Machine Building Addition -407 Cliff Street The proposed development is 4,073 sf of building addition and a new parking area on the adjacent parcel north of the existing developed site. A site plan was approved in 1991,but that has expired. The present proposal is a modification of the 1991 site plan. Some of the previously proposed planting is deleted from the plan,and there are now two maps. Codes discussed the fact that they would like to have a single site plan for the new application which would combine both the drawings to show the new proposal. There was some discussion about site improvements that were not being shown in the new application. The applicant felt strongly that it was not likely that any kind of vegetation would survive that close to the road stating there is very little space to plant. They didn't want to put a lot of money into landscaping that would not survive. The applicant was concerned about getting a foundation permit for the proposed addition. Codes felt it might be possible to give preliminary approval for a foundation permit with conditions. Adams stated that the applicant needed to provide a planting plan. Schroeder stated that the intent was to restore some plantings from 1991. Mr.Liguori said what ended up taking over on the hillside was all natural. The Board had no problem with natural vegetation covering the hillside. Sieverding stated that the applicant should produce landscape drawings,and he urged the applicant to hire a professional landscape architect to put together a plan that responds to the concerns raised about the preliminary site plan. A public hearing on environmental review was held. Blumenthal moved and Schroeder seconded the following resolutions for a negative declaration of environmental significance and conditional preliminary site plan approval. WHEREAS,a site development plan for the expansion of Kolar Machine, Inc. at 407 Cliff Street has been submitted for review and approval by this Board, and WHEREAS,the proposed development is an Unlisted Action according to both the City Environmental Quality Review Ordinance and the State Environmental Quality Review Act,and the full EAF parts 1,2 and 3 were completed, and WHEREAS,this Board,the Lead Agency in this environmental review,has reviewed the application materials and supporting documents,including comments from the Conservation Advisory Council,and WHEREAS,although the review process has identified, as noted in the EAF parts 2 and 3,potentially large impacts on the visual character of the neighborhood and community,these impacts will not be significant given the mitigating measures included in the proposal, now, therefore be it Minutes of August 22, 1995 Meeting 5 RESOLVED, that this Board determine that the proposed project 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 according to the requirements contained in Part 617. Carried unanimously. WHEREAS,a site development plan for the expansion of Kolar Machine, Inc. has been submitted for review and approval by this Board, and WHEREAS,the proposed development includes 4,037 sf of additional building and site improvements on the adjacent lots to provide at least 28 parking spaces,and WHEREAS,an environmental review and the public hearing of the proposal have been completed,and WHEREAS,the site development plan and supporting materials were reviewed by the Planning Dept.,the Building Dept.,the City Forester and the Engineering Divisions of the Department of Public Works,and WHEREAS,the Codes and Administration Committee has determined, at its 8-14-95 meeting,that the general concept of the proposed expansion is acceptable even though the criteria of site plan approval have not been entirely satisfied,now, therefore be it RESOLVED,that Preliminary Site Plan Approval be granted with the following conditions: 1. that a drawing is provided showing the entire site; 2. that vegetation is restored,where appropriate,as shown on 1991 site plan; 3. that design details of the new parking area be resolved; and 4. planting specifications for the new parking area and for the open space to the north of the new parking area be resolved; and be it further RESOLVED, that the Board does not object to the issuance of a foundation permit for the construction of the proposed addition prior to Final Site Plan Approval. Carried unanimously. Minutes of August 22, 1995 Meeting 6 5. Ordinance Amending Chapter 325 Entitled"Zoning"of the City of Ithaca Municipal Code Regarding Bed-and Breakfast Uses There was some discussion on what would be allowed in each zone. Schroeder stated that in R-1 neither homes nor inns would be permitted; in R-2 only bed-and-breakfast homes would be permitted; and in R-3 both bed-and-breakfast homes and inns would be permitted. All homes and inns would require a special permit from the BZA. In the R-2 zone, there would be a five-year expiration at which time the neighborhood could again comment as to whether the establishment should continue. It was stated that a bed-and-breakfast home has to be owner-occupied and owner-managed. Schroeder stated there was a question of whether the neighborhood notification requirement of the permit process should be 500 feet or some other distance. Two hundred feet was agreed on. He stated that property owners within 200 feet could speak at the BZA special permit hearing, and other people in the neighborhood who were concerned could contact their alderperson to express that concern. There was concern that the notices go out to property owners and not to the people who may live there and be directly affected. After further discussion on this issue, Schroeder stated he would appreciate a recommendation from the Planning Board,but the Board made no comment. 6. Sage Hall Presentation Sieverding stated that ILPC gave conceptual approval of this project in February. However, since the project is subject to Site Plan Review,the Planning Board should declare themselves lead agent for the environmental review. During the course of the Site Plan Review,the ILPC will continue to meet with Cornell regarding specific building design elements as part of its review relative to a Certificate of Appropriateness. It was agreed that coordination between ILPC and the Board is crucial. Therefore,while all Planning Board members are invited to attend the ILPC meeting on September 14 when this project will be discussed, John Schroeder and Sarah Adams will be the liaisons between the Board and ILPC. Eric Dicke made a presentation to the Board which provided some history of Sage Hall and included a discussion of the total renovation project. The intent of the design is to restore the three principal facades of the building and infill a new building behind them. He led the Board through a series of floor plans and discussed some of the major design issues Cornell and its architects are dealing with. In response to questions from the Board,he stated that they were going to try to restore the full steeple. Schroeder felt they should guarantee the restoration of the steeple. There was some discussion about the Article 78 lawsuit filed in July and about both the Board and ILPC being involved. Sieverding stated that the review will have to be coordinated. Schroeder suggested having a joint meeting with ILPC. It Minutes of August 22, 1995 Meeting 7 was agreed that he and Adams would go to the meetings,and the other Planning Board members were invited if they could make it. Blumenthal suggested having an update on this project each month. Peterson moved and Schroeder seconded the following resolution. WHEREAS, the State Environmental Quality Review Act and the City Environmental Quality Review Act, Section 176.6,require that,when more that one agency is involved,a lead agency be established for conducting environmental review of projects in accordance with local and state environmental law,and WHEREAS, SEQR specifies that for actions governed by local environmental review,the lead agency shall be that local agency which has primary responsibility for approving,funding or carrying out the proposed action, and WHEREAS, the Planning and Development Board has primary responsibility for approving the proposed Sage Hall renovation by virtue of the Site Development Plan Review Ordinance,and WHEREAS, the proposed action requires review under the City's Environmental Quality Review Ordinance,now, therefore,be it RESOLVED, that the City of Ithaca Planning and Development Board does hereby declare itself lead agency for the environmental review of the proposed Sage Hall renovation,be it further RESOLVED, that Planning Department staff is directed to notify other involved agencies of the Planning Board's declaration of lead agency status as specified in Section 176 -6 of the City's Environmental Quality Review Ordinance. Carried unanimously. 7. Discussion of Proposed University Zoning District Schroeder stated that the Planning Committee approved basic concepts to be used by City staff in drawing up the first draft of an ordinance describing a proposed University Zoning District. He stated the Planning Committee also authorized staff to begin environmental review of Cornell-related parking impacts on adjacent residential neighborhoods. Minutes of August 22, 1995 Meeting 8 8. Old Business A. Site Plan Review Ordinance Amendments Schroeder stated he would like the Planning Board to endorse the Ordinance and send it on to the Planning Committee. There was some discussion regarding the applicability threshold and the fees. It was decided to change the square footage in#5 on page 3 to 2,500 sf, and the fees were raised because of the staff time it takes. There was also some discussion about the proposal in the ordinance text to get rid of the two steps of preliminary and final review. It was decided to amend the text so these two steps would remain as they are now. Blumenthal stated that both approvals should be kept in the Ordinance,but the Board has the choice of combining them. After further discussion about trees and landscaping in parking lots. Adams moved and Blumenthal seconded a motion to send the Ordinance on to Council. Carried unanimously. Schroeder asked that someone from the Planning Board present this to the Planning Committee. It was agreed that Blumenthal would do this with Adams to go along if possible. B. R-2c Zoning Amendments Colin Forth presented his proposal for a new R-2c Ordinance. There was a lengthy discussion regarding the specifications of the new R-2c zone with questions from the Board. Sieverding stated that the R-2c as proposed is more dense than R-2 but less dense than R-3. The Board felt that the terminology used(e.g. semi-detached,detached,row-house)is confusing. The Board suggested illustrations would help clarify the terminology. Blumenthal suggested Forth provide a list of the developers he spoke with. Sieverding stated that the idea was to have the Ordinance adopted and then look at specific areas where it could be implemented. Some possible areas were discussed. Adams suggested contacting the people in those areas before the proposal is formally considered for adoption. C. Cluster Subdivision Ordinance Amendments Colin Forth presented a proposal to revise the cluster housing provision in the Ordinance. The Board felt the language regarding density bonuses was a little vague. It was suggested to have performance standards and to develop ratios for the amenity provided and bonus granted. Blumenthal felt the amenities were vaguely defined. Minutes of August 22, 1995 Meeting 9 9. Zoning Appeals Report(No appeals) 10. Reports A. Director There was a short discussion about the preliminary draft FEIS for Wal-Mart and what the process would be for the public reviewing it. The Board decided that the public was welcome to look at and copy the one copy in the Planning Department,but no copies were to be made for public distribution until the Planning Board had reviewed it on Tuesday, August 29. After that date,the public may obtain a copy for a fee. B. Chair No report. C. Board of Public Works No report. D. Planning Committee Schroeder stated that the Planning Committee was discussing off-street parking regulations. He said he would get a draft of this to Board members next week and he hoped it could be discussed at next month's meeting. 11. Approval of Minutes Approval of the Minutes was put off to next month's meeting.