HomeMy WebLinkAboutMN-PDB-1976-08-24 PLANNII- r, AND DEVELOPMETTT LOAF. CITY OF ITIUA.CA
Regular Meeting, August 24 , 1976
Present° Chairperson LeC. Benson, R. Moran; 1. Never, ?1. Hild.reth
Also, J. 'Reigs, Planner-, T. Board, Bldg Cmsr K. E. Hoyt, D. C.
Jacobson, Ce. Anderson, S. Volpicelli, M. Tountasakis,
:?. Tia Tountasakis, J. ASalamino, J. Volpicelli, S. Plunch,
F. Tloodside,, M. Skibins'Ki J. Woodside, members of the
Press
Ms. Benson caller the meeting to order. TRr. Moran 7_,10VE',D that the Pre-
vious meeting' s minutes be -approved as written. res. Meyer seconded.
CAR IED unanimously.
Because there were many citizens -present to sneak on ?auburn Park , "'Ir."'loran M.-O 0 and Mr. Hilc7reth seconded ad.vancinq that item on the agenda.
Mr. �M.eigs read the following Resolution passed. by Council at its
meeting of August 4, concerning the reopening of the 100 block_ of Adams
Street
RESOLVED, that the Board of Public T-lorks and Planning &
Develonment Board Members approach this issue .ii7hich is a
total neighborhood issue, and male recommendation.
The resolution was promoted by submission of a petition containing
signatures of Adams Street neig'Abors who would. like to see the street
closed again to extend the Auburn Street Pare. Chairperson Benson then
solicited views from the neighbors. R°s. Janet Volpicelli said she had
come to ask the Board to close .Adams Street again. Tls. Juanita Wood-
side said she too supported closing the street and that they would like
some assurance that the park would be completed by spring. There were
16 children from the Fall Creek area present at the riiEeting to
reassure the Board that the park would be used. Ms. Skibinski said
she had recently witnessed a truck accident near the park, .and was
concerned about children playing in the street because they had no
place else to Malay. �zr. Meigs remarked that Adams Street between Dey
and Auburn was originally closed to enlarge the park area, which
would have allowed greater range of activities in the park. , and the
City had gotten permission from Mr. Albanese, owner of the adjacent
old. Ithaca Calendar Clock Factory, to close the street. When the project
was approved and .funded., the street was closed, but additional funding
from the federal government was delayed acid so was construction as a
result, in order not to jeopardize credit of costs to federal funds.
By the time funding was released, the street had already been closed
for several months. '11r. Albanese teas iaving trouble renting space in
the building as a result of the street closure, and the Board of
Public Works finally took action to re omen the street after he and
some area residents petitioned for re-' pening, A few days later,
funding came through so that work coul I begin on the park. " s. Meyer
said she was sympathetic to the needs Df the area children. Mr. Meigs,
in response to a query by Mr. Moran, stated that the park probably
would have been completed with the street closed if the federal
money had come through early enough. is. Benson noted that it was
'by unanimous recommendation of the P1a ning and Development Board
that the street was originally closed. Ms. Anderson noted that there
were complaints from Thr. Albanese as son as the guard posts were in
the ground, but that the street is virtually unused. She noted that
Fall Creek is a working class neighbor ood, and that nobody wants to
hurt Mr. Albanese' s business, but they is room for 30 cars on the
grounds adjoining the building, so par Ping should not be an issue.
Mr. Moran. MOVED that- the Board recomme: d to the Board of PublicjRorks
that the street be closed again. 7zs. !ever seconded. She said she
would like to have the Planning Board look into the neighborhood and
speak to local residents to resolve use of the land. She suggested
a friendly amendment that data coming from a neighborhood survey be
used to support closing. Mr. FIeigs replied that there seemed. tor be
considerable support for keeping the street open as well. He noted,
however, that it might take a couple of months to - get such a survey
done 1r Moran then MOVT7D that the Board recommend re-closure of the
street while the neighborhood is being surveyed. Ms. ^Meyer seconded._
She reminded the neighborhood people -present esent that the final decision
lies with the Board of Public !pTorks, a d . that it was important for them
to know how local government was strut ured< A vote was called, and
the motion CARRIED unanimously. Mr. Hildreth ,informed the neighbors
that the Pla?nning: Land. Develoment Boarl makes puns and not final
decisions on issues such as the one at hand, and that it was up to the
neighborhood people to support the Plarining Board. lie noted that
this was the second. time the issue had been before the Board, and
that if they wanted to have their way bn the street closing, they would.
have to fight for it and support the Planning Board.
The Chairperson then requested that item 7B, Codes and Ordinances
Committee report on BZA Appeal 1126, be moved up on the Agenda
24OVED by r s . , Meyer, secondee? by Mr. rzo an
Appeal ; 1126 - Request for Use variance 'to allow a restaurant and ' lounge
in a P-1 zone at 130 Maple Avenue.
The codes and Ordinances Committee met with the Appellants and discussed
the rase in detail with them and their attorney, Shirley Pgan. They
presented drawings and specifications f the prolposed. facility. Both
partners are Cornell Hotel Arministrat`on School graduates and they
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are presently operating- the Cowbell Restaurant at Ices Lanes. 'The
Appellants want to open a medium-priced. restaurant and bar which
would cater to a quiet,- older cro;�d. They feel they have developed
a clientele of senior citizens a.nccl working people from Cornell_ , who
they say have expressed a desire to have a restaurant of the proposed
type in that neighborhood - Cornell has authorized the use of the
builf'.ina„ which is on Cornell property, is zoned Institutional, and is
now uses. for. storage by the University. It was at one time a railroad
building, built in 1376 , but has not been used for that purpose for
many years and is in need of repair and paint.
Appellants noted that they had been looking for a site in Ithaca for
some time and that this one had been recommendec7- pis. roan noted that
use as a. restaurant would put the building back. on on the tax roll.
PTro Hil('reth asked what the hours of the establishment would be-
Appellants replied that they expected to open from 9 -30 to 9°00 a.m.
for coffee and continental 'breakfast, 11 °00 to 2 .-30 for lunch, and then
until. 9 .00 'or dinner. The lounge would be open until 1 °00 a.m.
Appellants also explained that Cornell has given them 'nermission to use
a lot across the.- street from the building, for day-time parking, and
that then could use Cornell' s parking facilities adjacent to the
depot for parking after 5 .00. ^^ro Hildreth noted that there seems
to be little available parkin(; for businesses already located on Playple
Avenue. 'Is. Benson asked what sort of clientele the )\ppellants
expected to attract at ether hours of the day. Appellants replied
that they hoped to attract workincy people from Cornell for lunch
since there was no other nearby lunch facility except for the Cowbell.
Ilse r,"ever asked if late-nicht operation was necessary, since this is
a sensitive question for Fast Hill residents. Appellants replied that
they had hoped -to attract veterinary students and other- looking .for
a quiet place to meet and drink there is no- place in Ellis Holloit,
for this now. °iso i7gan noted that they are planninq to keep the place
fairly quiet and that there would be no hands there or any dance floor.
The Appellants remarked that they planned to raise their varices at
night, and would close early if there were nonbusiness.
Ellen Armstroncl, of 151 r,4.aple Avenue who has lived at that address for
36 years, said she was of-fenced because the Appellants had made Maple
Avenue sound like a slum. She said that present businesses were in
keeping with the character of the neighborhood as residential, since
they all closed down operations at 5 -00, and were all constructed in a
Cay)e Coo? style. She said she was appallec? that Cornell would allow a
bar to open on its property within 300 feet of Cornell quarters which
is student housing, and near PJaple Hill Houses, another settlement of
young people. Her house is within 100 feet of the proposed site. She
stated that her neighbors, the Hortons and Miss Mitchell;, have all been
at their present residences for the past 40 years-, and that having a
bar across the street and its accompanying traffic and noise would
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severely alter their lifestyle. Ns. F.ga.n replied that they did not mean
to downgrade the neighborhood. --s. Benson noted that even though "A.s .
Mitchell. lives outside the City linen she was welcome to speak on her
own behalf as a neighbor. Appellants remarked that they would be .glad
to work with the neighbors on the design of their facility in terms
of keeping the neighborhood' s character intact. Mr. Horton noted
that he would like to see the railroad 'station remodeled as a railroad
museum or some similar .facility. He said "faple Ave. is now being used
as a shortcut between Judd Falls Woadnd Dryd.en Poad during peak hours,
and. that he has counted as many as 35 Bars in five minutes during the
morning rush. He felt this situation would be further aggravated by
the placement of a bar on r"aple Ave. pir. Norbert Schickel, owner of
. Fairview Freights apartments on r?aple Avenue, stated that the railroad
owns the property south of the station and that Cornell leases it-. the
question of closing this roar? for marking_ is thus open to question.
^r. Steve Soter of 143 Maple Avenue said" he had moved into the neighbor-
hood Because it was so quiet at night. He is a scientist from Cornell
who takes work homed and. was concerned that the proposed facility is
directly, across the street from. him _. an hadno front yard at all-, he
anticipated. that the noise of traffic and customers" car tires on a.
gravel parking lot, slamming doors, eta. , could be quite disturbing
to residents adjacent. fie did not think the failure to allow the
restaurant would be a particular hardship for Cornell , since they
were usirar-T the building for storage, He did think, however, that the
builain.r night better be used for some other kind of business more in
keeping with the character of the neighborhood, such as an antique shop.
He noted that every property-.owning resident on n°aple Avenue had come
to the meeting and was opposed to theo pening of a restaurant-lounge .
ftr. Schickel then notes. that he had arawn up in that neighborhood, on
Cornell St. fie remarked that it is not easy to construct a pleasant
residential environment,, and that those already existing should be
allowed', to continue as such. He said hat his developments had. added
substantially to the tax base and duality ofthe ares and that in
building Fairview heights he had. relied on the zoning ordinance to
keep the area. residential . Mr. f?ichar T-4ellon of 112 Parker Place
then spoke, saying he was a customer of the Cowbell, and that he
lived ne:?r .a loud drinking place and d d no think they would run that
kind of business. Fie st,4ied he thought they would provide good food
and drink and would have a predictably quiet clientele. fie agreed with
the need to preserve the sense of neighborhood, and the historical
architecture of the station, both of which he felt the proposal would.
dog ",fro Lou Sullivan of Fairview s3eigl ts;, who is an employee of
Fairview .Associates, asked the Soars t? consider the fact that drinking
establishments tend to get loud at night, and to increase traffic and
create disturbances. Appellants remar�.ed. that they had. chosen the
area because it was not totally resideltial , and because there were
.already businesses present. They feeltthe restaurant would. upgrade
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the area. '+r. Sullivan reminded them p ?gat the other businesses on
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Naple Ave. close by 5 ;00 p.m. Realtor Janice Palmer noted that she too
was concerned ' about zoning and suggested askinn Cornell to move the
building to a less residential spot. Appellants said they had already
requested this but that it was in an unsuitable pl.a.re for the proposed
used Appellants noted that they had polled approximately 25 senior
citizens who would enjoy the proposed. facility.
The chairperson opened discussion to Planning Boarr? Members, pointing
out that then could vete one of three ways, either to recommend
negatively to the BZA, recommend positively to the BZA, or refer the
issue bar', to committee. "s. ^Ieyer P'10VPn that the subject be referred
back to the Codes and Ordinances committee , and that they be granted
the power to make a recommendation to the BZA. Mr. (loran seconded.
Ms. Meyer noted that the committee had net with the Appellants and
their lawyer, but had not previous to this rmeetina hac' an opportunity
to talk with local residents. she expressed the view that the
Committee should reconsi-ler its recor^mendation in view of the addi-
tional evidence providei . Ms. Benson noted that this process would
not necessarily slow the recommendation to the B?A;, since the recommenda-
tion could be made before the next FAA meeting. aIr. I?ildreth noted
that as chairperson of the C & O Committee, by would like to defend the
committee' s actions since the co-mr.ittQe felt -,renovating the buildir_c7
was a worthwhile project because of its considerable historical value.
Ile stated that the restaurant is the best suggestion voiced so far for
the building , and that drawings submitted were well-prepared. He noted
that he hoped the neighbors would make as good a showing of interest
when the BZA reviewed. the case. r4s. Heyer remark.e�lk that she hoped
the neighborhood people would bear in mind the maintaining of their
residential neighborhood when it came time to put their hopes on the
market, and that raroul.cet not sell for development as student housing.
71r. eigs _ e_mar'.ed that if the P & D Board does not take action, the
BZA %ill be able to act on this anyway at its October meeting. "r.
"loran asked who at Cornell haO refused. Permission to move the building.
The Appellants replied that Col. Marvin, a realtor and member of Historic
Ithaca whom they had consulted, had proposed it to flr. BentkoTirski in the
University real estate office. They also noted that if it were ' neces-
sary
neces-sary to postpone the decision; they could wait. A vote wa.s taken. "_Zs.
Benson, Mr. . Tloran and Ms. Meyer voted Aye. Plr. Hildreth voted 'Tay.
Appeal 1127 Request for Use Variance by Weber Plumbing to nermit use of
the present electrical contractor' s premises by Tleber Plumbing. The
premises at 429 N. Titus Ave. in an n-3 zone, have been long in non-
conforming use , and also suffer several other nonconforming structure
conditions (yards, frontage , etc. )
It was noted that the property has been for sale for over a year.
`Where is no backyard. The pronerty has been used as a contractor' s
office and warehouse for at least the last 20 years. The owners wish.
to maintain. the structure in this kineof use. r-lr. 7-wigs noted that the
property has other shortcomings, such as less street frontage than
required:, 35 feet is required and. thereis only 26 feet. One of the
side yards is only two feet,,; the requirement is IQ feet. The lot size
is adequate and there is parking space for five vehicles. From the
standpoint. of long-range planning,, use Iis not in conformance with long-
range objectives. The area has been and is residential. Ms. r4eyer
asked ,if the nrooerty is not sold for he propomQ_ usa.ge,, rare there
other possibilities for the building. Mr. r"?eigs replied that it was
unlikely .the building could be used for any other ournoses. Mr.
Hildreth asked if it could he converted to a house. r"r. ">Ieigs replied
that it would suffer from the same shortcomings if it were converted
to permitted. use. ^ase Benson remarked on the importance of weighing
personal economic factors against ,neighborhood factors, and any long-
range City planning or economic factors- it is not just the owner' s
economic status that must be considere She noted that business
encroachment is eroding the Southside neighborhood. ,Kr. Neigs re-
guested the Board to consider long-rande plans and objectives. There
has been no registered complaint from 4he neighbors, and nobody
representing the business concern or the neighborhood was present. Mr.
Hildreth P-10VED to recommend disapproval of the variance. Mr. :Moran said,
he was in favor of lona-range planning, but thought it important to
have ,some compassion .for the owner of the building. Air. r1eigs noted
that a change from electrical to plumbing businesses will likely
involve use of heavier, larger, noisier equipment and material. Ms.
Benson noted that since the Board_ was so divided.,, it might be better to
convey both sides of the story to the YZA. rfzr. Hildreth withdrew his
motion. CRs. r1eyer MOVED that the , BZA e notified. that while in the
interest of lona-range planning, the Board would recommend non-continu-
ance of the building for commercial usc ,. potential personal loss to the
owner is in.. conflict with long-ranee 'planning , and the Board was split.
Mr. r orae seconded. fds. Benson sujges ed canine the owner' s attention
to noise and, fencing sections of the z nincr ordinance. Mr Moran.
suggested a, friendly amendment, acceptable to INs. Meyer, stating that
since the proposed change was from electrical to plumbing, there
be better control of neatness, includi g f_encing,' so the business
would not detract from time neic?hborhoo . A vote was called, and the
motion CARR.IFD unanimously.
Appeal 1128 Request for Interpretation and Use Variance by Family and.-
Children's Service of Ithaca for property at 406 N. Cayuga St. , in an
R-3 zone. Appellants wish to use premises for administrative and
'tre-atment' functions, and request an Interpretation that the use would
be permitted ,as a 'medical facility, ' or failing that, a Use Variance
be granted .to allow office use in the B-3 zone.
Family and Children's Service of Ithaca is a non-profit United tray
agency now located at 313-315 1,% Tioga St. Since they wish to move into
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an R-3 zone, they are. requestincx definition of the Service as a medical
facility as defined by the Zoning Ordinance. James Johnston, repre-
senting Family and Children's Service, explained that the house and
carriage house which occupy the property would house his agency quite
adequately. They have been trying to relocate for three years, since
their current . facility is inadequate. They are now short on room. and
have no space for group or family therapy or children's play therapy
rooms. Their present lease is ruhnina out, and it may not be renewable.
The property at 406 P.I. Cayucra, built in 1847, was bequeathed to the
Tompkins County Foundation which promotes community service and human
service: in their search for an appropriate tenant Family an6 Children's
Service seems- the most likely candidate. The first and second floors
of the main house would be used as is, .and the third converted for of-
fices the carriage house would he converted to specialized space for
group therapy,, testing and meeting rooms. Ne noted that since his
organization is nonprofit, it is difficult .for them to pay current
coi^:mer_cial rents. The best rate thev have been offered so far has
been $4.25 per square foot. He noted that the Service 's major
activity is counseling and that they receive more than half_ their
funding from the State Department of mental Ilvgiene. 76% of their
activity is aimed at city residents.
TIr. Moran noted that according to the zoning ordinance definition, the
Family and Children's Service seems 'mef9ically-related., ' 71s. Meyer
suggested that the matter be referred to the City Attorney for his
interpretation, but Mr. Johnston remarked that this would be a conflict
of interest, since the City Attorney is also Chairman of the Board of
the Service , and. I'Ir. E-leigs stated that it was up to the Board of
Zoning ADTpea..ls to mese a determination. Ms. Meyer noted that because
of the therapy ant-? social services offered, the facility bordered on
being a health facility. 77r. Johnston remarked that the Service has
medical back-up from the : Mental Health Clinic and. the Family Pledicine
?grogram. and that its staff was composed of Ph.D. psychologists , social
workers and other health-related professionals. Their health aid
program is staffed by a social worker,, a nurse and an aide. , rIr.
I3ildreth noted that if 52% of the facility's funding comes from the
Department of r"ental Hygiene , it should be classified as a medical
facility. He 'NiOJFD the followings Based on the fact that 52% of the
revenues are ,provided through contracts with various State and County
departments, with the Public Health Department, through Medicaid and
Medicare resources, purchasing the majority of home Health Aide
services provided by Family and Children's Service, the Planning and
Development Board recommends ruling of the Service as a health facility.
mr. Mloran seconded. A vote was called and the motion CARRIED unanimously.
r,"s. n•Ieyer asked if anyone would be living on the premises-- Mr. Johnston
replied that there was a caretaker living there now, but that once the
agency moved in, nobody would be living on the premises. Ms. Benson
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explained to the Board that under the terms of the bequest to the
Foundation;, the Board would face the same question with another social
service agency if they did not .approve this one. Mr. Johnston explained
that the service would retain the same" schedule it now operates under,
namely five full days a week three e4eninas and Saturday mornings
clients would not congregate on the piemises . Maintenance people 1,7ould
be on the premises Saturday and Sundal . Mr. Pzeigs noted that the
property was being considered as an addition to tb.e DeWitt Farb
Historical District, which would add some control over exterior
structural changes and signs. Mr. Jonston stated that no exterior
changes were anticipated and the only sign would be one identifying
the building as the ?31acR_man Memorial. Building.
"s o Heyer. T,10VED that the Boars'. recommend approval of the variance.
Mr. Moran seconded. CAS^IED unanirgou��1Y.
Appeal 112.9 Peguest for an Area Vari nce to allow erection of a portable .,
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steel drain storage bin 816" from the sank of. Six mile 'reek in an
I-1 zone.
The proposed storage bin would suppleMent present 'yin storage for the
Appellant. V711-lile zonincs requires sur' structures to be placed at least
20 ft. from the bank, the existing sp'ce would _require the bin to -be
placed only 616" from the bank. Theppellant stated that their
facility weeds the extra storage to bitter service customers in the
Ithaca area, and has stated that this is thr� most appropriate and
desirable location .from the standpoint of op)erationo The Planning
and Development Department staff recommends approval of the variance.
11,1r. Moran asked if there were any diacrram of the proposed concrete pad,,
and it was surmised that the pad would be just large enough for the
2 --foot round bin. Ms. Benson stress �d the importance of knoE,Ting how
the building stands in regard to the 1 ood plain ordinance. She
stated that more legal and engineering information is needed, as well
as information on the facility's insurance status with the Department
of Environmental Conservation. Ms. r.I?yer MOVER that the request
be referred back- to the Planning and. �evel opment Dopartment to investi-
gate these questions. n.-"ro Moran secofded. CARRIED unanimously.
Appeal 11300 Request for ail Interpre ation of the Zoning Ordinance.
Appellant wishes to add. a welding sho, to his marine f_acl.lityg which
is located in an M-1 zone.
The facility located at 70a Willow,, AvTnue is a boatyard. The Appellant
would like to have a welding shop classified as a marine-related use ,,
thereby qualifying as permitted the addition of such a facility to his
operation. He noted that the tenant Mould be repairing propellers ,
tanks and other marine-related items in the main.
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:+ire Moran MOVED that the Board recommend a positive interpretation in
accordance w?..th the Appellant' s representations. If a. variance is in
order, he �1CVFFB that approval be recommended. her. Hildreth seconded.
CARZRIEG unanimously.
Mt. Meias then noted that Council has communicated to the Planning and
Development Board, by memo of August 16 , its resolution of F,ucgust a
requesting a study of the Fast State Street area, whose residents are
requesting a zoning reclassification from R-1 to R-1. The City Attorney
has suggest-ed that the Planning and Development Board statement be the
require? official report to Common Council on the proposed re-zoning
action. "-fir. Moran pro€oserl, a rIOTIOTT of reaffirmation. Ms. "neyers
seconded.. A vote was called and the motion CARRIED unanimously. The
motion will be delivered to the next Charter and. Ordinance meeting.
Council -also requested that a thorotig'� stucl.y 'of resident-ial zoning
in!.-the City be undertaken in conjunction with the Building Commissioner,
and that recommendations be presenter: to Council as soon as possible.
Mr. Meigs noted-that the Department is planning to undertake that
study this fall.
A letter to Common Council from Charles Pettis asking for repair to the
bridge between Stewart T'ar'p and, the golf course, and installation of
a ferry to carry bikers and pedestrians from Cass Park. to UeTrman
Golf Course, was referred to the Planning and. Development staff for
study by Council resolution.
The Planning and Development departmental budged was next discussed.
Ms. Benson noted that the executive committee met on this the
previous week and approvedthe budget as submitted by the Planning
and Bevel.o?ment Department. , There is an overall 8.2% increase and
she stater that the Department seemed to be doing a good job of
holding costs down. Mr. � oran "loWD that the- Board accept and support
the budget. Mr. Hildreth seconded. A vote was calledd and the motion
CARRIED unanimously.
Zoning on. T,~?est kill was the next item for discussion. The original
request for Planning recommendation on this matter having been
overlooked, staff recommended that the Board notify Common Council
that this area will be considered along with all other residential_
areas in the department' s zoning study. Mr. nIoran10Vr-B that Common
Council be notified of Vie Board' s intention to include Ifest Hill in
its fall zoning study. 7,1s. Meyer seconded. CARRIED unanimously.
r-1r. Tleigs then introduced res. Bickley Townsend, a new member of the
Department, who has been working on the !,laterways study. r4s. Townsend
notified the Board that the study is completed and is being printed.,
after i,,rhich there would be a staff meeting to discuss the report, and
then an open public meeting and full presentation. The report is a
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detailed study of the waterways , an evaluation of their potentia-) in
terms of ecological- preservation, economic development, recreation,
urban design and historic and scenic value and Ms. Townsend noted
that the purpose of the report was to emphasize the importance of the
waterways to Ithaca and its residents. She recommended the following
general policy regarding the waterways
to Uplands and gorges - emphasis on preservation and
restoration (conservation) continued limited use; no
attempt to encourage extensive additional use� ,restora-
tion of the pumping. station at Cites Street for use a.s
an ecological study center.
2. Urban flatland area restaurants downtown along the
water e cleaning and limited i .proveeinent for neighborhood
use`: use as pathways to major recreation areas. .
3. Inlet valleys light industry nd commercial development
these should be actively song t in this area, and sensitively
developed for mutual_ enhancem_nt.
Ms. Townsend noted that there were over 30, specific site recommenrl'ations,
including Thom,pson Park, improvements, Eor instance. She pointed out
that one can stanc_l' in the middle of this park anc! not realize that
there is water nearby, even though the park is directly on 'Cascadilla
Creek. There are suggested plans for change to Thompson Park in the
report (as for other specific portions of the various waterways) , and
a recommendation to restore the "'a.rsha 1 Street bridge for
pedestrian use. „?r. "wigs noted that it had been closed to vehicular
traffic because of structural deterior tion,and isn't needed for traffic
but seemed-desirable for -retention as a pedestrian crossing (the next
closest is 350 ' away) , and its age and interesting strap-iron railing
could qualify it for preservation. f1s. Townsend- also showed plans dor
the peninsula along the lower Inlet, w ich .directly_ faces Cass Park.
The DPC' :maintains gravel storage there on a 5-acre site along the
water. The study recommends new waterfront-oriented housing and some
commercial uses be consideree' for this site- if the adjacent State
DOT highway maintenance facility could be persuaded to move acreage
would double.- Some private interest has already been expressed in
such development. She also mentioned encouraging marine-oriented
businesses to establishacross the Inlet from Old Port Harbor.
,ext discussed was the School District Reorganization. The Mayor has
established a city School District Reorganization Task Force to
consider issues involved with city_ interests. Rosalind Williams has
been meeting with representatives of each city school. They have
drafted a report which they will revie,qand send to the Planning and
Development Board for further discussion and. suggestions. They have
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sent a questionnaire to agencies and organizations which -might be
interested in using excess school snare, and have also drafted a
questionnaire for citizen input on reorganization and, school use.
Next discussed was the proposed kpartme?nt_ Ordinance , which. arose out of
Com. unity Development activity. The staff has noter? that in some
cities there is stricter control of rental units. There are 5 ,nOO
of teem in this city, and there have been many complaints about rental
housing. The staff felt there should. be a better way of keening the
city° s rental. stock in good shape. A draft ordinance has been pre-
pared. for Council' s P & D Committee, and. the Planning & Development
Board is being asked. to support the main points of this plan. The
proposed ordinance will probably be referred back to the Planning and
Development Board for further review and recommendation before Council
acts on it.
It was pointed out that in relation to Items 3 and 4 of . the proposal,
persons directly affected or at fault would be helping bear the
costs of administration and enforcement, rather than taxpayers at large.
ruildincf Commissioner Board noted that there miqht be several ways
to .fund ins Section of: rental. housing. Mr. *Meigs then introduced .Mr.
.hoard to, the Board, and noted that CD funding may be available to
finance the necessary inspections. _�As. Benson, noting the lateness
of the hour, suggested this item be referred to the Committee of the
Tlhole for discussion at a later date.
R meeting place for the Sryptember Planning and Development. Board meet-
incd was discussed and it was determined that it would most likely
be at Belle Sherman School.
Regarding the rnvironmenta.l_ Impact Statement for routes 13 and 96, M-r.
M?ei as has .reviewed and drafted. a response which is available for
ins6ection by Boars members. He noted in his response that
3. . The City is concerned with the potent i .1l effect of P`oute
9r� improvements on that portion of the City through which
traffic using 96 would, pass, and requests state assistance
in evaluating ;potential effects and _.mitigating them.
20 rlith respect to proposed corridor for the improvements to
Route 13 , ^lmirn road was not included. As the City is
about to embark on its of,,m major Elmira 'load.. improvement
project, an eventual completely new alinement for this sec-
tion of 13 might not only be unnecessary, but harmful to
t',e local economy. Since the plan developed by the
Department suggests consideration of an additional new city
street na.ra.11elinc.T Elmira Road to the. northwest, which might
be considered, as a supplement to Elmira Road. to meet the
12
corridor's future capacity needs, perhaps the State would assist in
the city project as an alternative to a new limited--access highway.
rls. 14eyer noted that it would be he?pf_ A if a cony of Mr. Meigs.',
reply was sent to each Board member for possible input, and he
agreed to do soe
Mext discussed was a petition for anne ation to the City of the elm
Maple houses out Maple Street, includi g Cornell quarters, in the Town
of Ithaca. Neyer noted she would Like to refer this issue to
Committee for more information. Pero M gs pointed. out that the matter
is also under study by the City Attorn y and that the City has until
August 30 to respond to it with a sugg sted public hearing date It
was agreed to refer this, along with t e Apartment Ordinance, to the-
Committee of the -TI-hole, and to give them poirTer to act on both items.
Mr. Preig's then outlined a memo from the County Board of Representativc,s
encouraging the City to ?participate in the Ithaca-Tomp}zins County
TransDortati.on Commission, which is a r#Svi tali zation of an earlier
groups formed to obtain; evaluate and recommend to State ,OT local
input concerning all 'phases of transportation in the County. Agreement
to participate requires action by Council. Pis. Benson noted that there
has been strong pressure from all. are?s for equal representation on
the Commission,, and suggested that this memo be sent to Board members
also.
P:ir, k4eigs then noted that a draft of t. e Southwest Study has been pro-
pared and that the study would be rrese ted. at the September meeting.
The.. zmee tine was adjourned at ll-.35.