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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 3 0 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 4 e 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 F the area. '+r. Sullivan reminded them p ?gat the other businesses on 0 5 0 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 - 7 - 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 o � 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 ., q � .. 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. a 0 i e � :+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 10 m 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 r 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.