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PLANNING AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT COMMITTEE
MINUTES
July 16, 1997
In attendance were: Susan Blumenthal, Chair;John Efroymson;Leslie Chatterton;
Rick Eckstrom;Rick Gray;Pam Mackesey;Jane Marcham;Sara Shenk;Roey Thorpe;
Matthys Van Cort;Pat Vaughan; Alan J. Cohen,Mayor;Larry Beck,Doria Higgins and
Herb Engman.
Public Comment on Any Planning Issues:
Larry Beck addressed the Council and spoke in favor of giving tenants responsibility for their own
garbage. This is in regards to the exterior property maintenance Ordinance.
Mackesey commended Beck for the high quality rehabilitation he has undertaken on several
buildings on Spencer Road.
Doria Higgins stated that she was not in favor of the resolution for adoption of the Tompkins
County Waterfront Plan which had been circulated with the agenda. She suggested that the City
should adopt a resolution that was more like that which the County had adopted on July 2, 1997,
Resolution#136. Higgins distributed a statement regarding the two resolutions to the members
of the Common Council.
Herb Engman identified himself as former Chair of the Tompkins County Environmental
Management Council(EMC)and several other local organizations. In his opinion there were
many proposals in the Tompkins County Waterfront Plan which were worthy of support.
However,in his opinion,there were others which were not; such as the Proposed Hog Hole
Nature Trail. He also said that he was not sure whether Cornell's Lake Source Cooling Project
should be identified as one which the County and City should support. He urged Common
Council only to receive the report and not to endorse or accept it. He also said that while one of
the Plan's stated goals was improvement of the environment of Cayuga Lake,none of the
proposed projects worked toward the implementation of that goal.
1. Landmarks' Designation of the Andrus-Whiton House
Leslie Chatterton informed the Committee that a Public Hearing on the proposed designation
had been held by the Ithaca Landmarks Commission,and that no one had spoken against the
designation. She had also spoken with an owner's representative for the property who had
not objected to the proposed designation. No objections to the designation were raised by
Council members. The resolution would be passed on for a vote at the August Common
Council meeting.
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At this time,Mayor Cohen made an announcement that the City had been awarded$500,000 in
multi-modal funding which included$250,000 for a bridge over Route 13 at the south City line.
The bridge is to accommodate pedestrian and bicycle traffic. The other$250,000 was for traffic
mitigation. Mayor Cohen commended Van Cort in his role in securing this grant from the State.
Efroymson asked by what process the City would decide how to spend this money. Cohen replied
that members of the Board of Public Works (BPW) had met today with staff from the BPW and
the Planning and Development Department to discuss projects which might be included for
funding under this grant. When a list of potential projects had been prepared,it would be brought
to Common Council for review and action.
2. Exterior Property Maintenance Ordinance
Building Commissioner, Rick Eckstrom explained that as now written,the Exterior Property
maintenance names the landlord responsible for insuring that garbage is properly disposed of
on properties located within the City. Eckstrom noted that the landlord may designate a
tenant as agent for garbage removal,and the landlord may enter into contractual arrangement
for the tenant for removal of garbage,making the tenant responsible.
In cases where the tenant and landlord have signed a tenant agent designation agreement,any
services of legal instruments concerning garbage will be delivered and served on the tenant.
If, on the other hand,there is no such agreement, the service will be on the landlord. In cases
where the landlord and tenant have entered into a contractual, making the tenant responsible,
the landlord, after being served with the summons,can pass it along to the tenant.
Efroymson said that he was in favor of revoking the provision in the Ordinance which allowed
landlords to designate the tenant as agent for garbage. If this provision were removed from
the Ordinance, a landlord could still contract with the tenant for removal of garbage but the
service for any violation would still be on the landlord.
A long discussion ensued, at the end of which Thorpe moved that the provision in the
Ordinance which allowed for the designation of a tenant agent be removed from the
Ordinance. This motion was seconded. Eckstrom said that he would prepare the appropriate
concept memo and circulate it in accordance with the procedures for such amendments.
3. Presentation by Ruth Aslanis on the Geographic Information System
This presentation was postponed.
4. Waterfront Plan
The Committee discussed the possibility of circulating the Tompkins County Waterfront Plan
to the City's Planning and Development Board,the Parks Commission,the BPW and the
Conservation Advisory Council. Another alternative would be to circulate the various
resolutions which have been proposed for adoption, acceptance or receipt of the Plan. There
were several resolutions under consideration. One was drafted by the Director of Planning
and Development at the direction of the Planning and Economic Development Committee of
Council at its June meeting. Another resolution was passed by the County's Board of
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Representatives with which it accepted the Plan. The third was a resolution offered by Doria
Higgins. After a lengthy discussion,Committee directed that the Planning and Development
Board,the Parks Commission,the BPW and Conservation Advisory Council be asked to
comment on the Plan and its possible adoption, acceptance or receipt by the Common
Council.
Van Cort urged the members of the Committee to read the Tompkins County Waterfront Plan
again to see whether there were any parts of it that they felt should not be further investigated.
Thorpe said that she thought needed more information about each project before she could
adopt it as a part of the Comprehensive Plan for the City.
5. Reports and Updates
Blumenthal reported that a Committee was in the process of selecting a design consultant to
prepare urban design guidelines for the redevelopment of Inlet Island. That process has
narrowed the consultants down to two finalists and was proceeding on schedule.
Blumenthal then reported that the Department of Planning and Development's search for a
new Environmental/Landscape Planner was also on schedule and that two sets of interviews
had been conducted and the search was near completion.
6. Economic Development Plan
Chair Blumenthal asked that those elected officials who had asked to be included on the Client
Group Selection Committee for the Economic Development Plan meet immediately after the
meeting to set a time when they could discuss the composition and size of the Client Group.
Meeting adjourned.
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