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HomeMy WebLinkAboutMN-PDB-1977-04-26 MINUTES PLANNING AND DEVELOPMENT BOARD - CITY OF ITHACA Regular Meeting, April 26, 1977, Council Chamber, 7:30 p.m. PRESENT: Chairperson LeGrace Benson, R. Hildreth, M. Crowley, R! Bordoni, D. Fuller ALSO: Mayor E. J. Conley, T. Hoard, J. Palmer, P- Carlson, M. Carlson, B. Thuesen, J. McLean, J. Meigs, R. McDougall, H. M. Van Cort, F. Hoard, 0. Ledger, E. Holman, F. Moon, N. Meyer, M. Adelman, R. Shulman, A. Egner, B. Townsend, C. Bowers, N. Schuler, G. Cohen, Members of the Press, and others. 1. The Chairperson convened the meeting. 2. `The minutes of the previous meeting were accepted. MOVED by Ms. Crowley-, . seconded by Mr. Hildreth. 3. Chairperson'.s report Because of the anticipated lengthiness of the meeting, the chairperson waived her report. She did, however, notify Board members that they will be invited to attend the Southern Tier East Regional Planning Board meeting planned in Ithaca in the near future. 4. Special order of business: None. 5. Zoning cases: a. Appeal 115+: Request for an exemption from the building moratorium to build a one-family home on part of a 3'1/2, acre lotpresently occuped by one house. The lot is at 209 Kline Road, in an R-2 zone. Staff recommendation was that, although the proposed use would also require a subdivision request, the subdivided lot would be approximately 20,000 square feet, which would be more than ample, although there was some question about meeting rear yard requirements. It was noted that proposed use of the struc- ture is actually as two dwelling units, rather than one as indicated on the Agenda; this would be a permitted use under either present or proposed zoning. Staff recommended approval of the exception to the moratorium with the provision that the minimum 25 foot rear yard requirement be met, and that subdivision per- mission be requested, or that proof of existing subdivision be produced. It was felt that delaying construction might be a burden to the owner. Mr. Fuller MOVED to recommend exemption from the moratoriumiw th the condition .that evidence of previous subdivision, or evidence of requesting subdivision be produced at a subsequent meeting. Mr. Hildreth seconded. CARRIED. b. Appeal 1155: Request for an exemption from the building moratorium for the purpose of building a house and carport at 119-121 Giles Street, in an R-3 zone. The apparent proposed placement of the house would also require Area Variances for yard deficiencies. P & D BOARD MINUTES - 2 - April"'26, 1977 Staff noted `that the propsed site slopes precipitiously, but there was at one time a house on the property. The proposed construction would be a two- family house and two-,car garage. The rear yard would be four feet short, but there is no abutting lot behind it, as the lot slopes down to Six Mile Creek. Coverage would be 39.3% instead of the permitted 35% maximum. Staff recommended exception to the moratorium since this is not a conver- sion, but recommended that the building commissioner's office insure that the proposed construction would not slide into the creek. The owner of the property said the 24 inch stone foundation of the former house was still in place, although the house had burned down. His plans would pro- vide offstreet parking where none existed before. Mr. "Bordoni MOVED that the Board recommend approval of the exemption and minor Area deficiencies in coverage and yards. Mr. Fuller seconded. CARRIED unanimously. c. Appeal 1156: Request for an Area Variance to raise a portion of roof to provide additional living space. Lot is seriously deficient in area. Building is located at 107 Worth Street, in an R-1 district. Staff noted that the proposed building occupies 16% more of the site than it should, and that both side yards and rear yard are deficient. Parking appears adequate for the three bedrooms proposed to be added. Staff felt that because of all deficiencies, the impact on neighboring properties would be too great and recommended denial. It was felt that for future planning, were the property ever converted to two-family or multiple use, it would have an even greater negative impact on the,,.neighborhood. Mr. Bordoni MOVED that the. Board recommend denial, citing the small size of the lot. Ms. Crowley seconded. CARRIED unanimously. d. Appeal 1157: Request for an exemption from the building moratorium to rebuild a burned building, and to convert it to two apartments. The building is located at 206 Third Street, in an R-3 zone. Proposed structure would exceed allowable coverage and have deficient yards. Staff reported thatthe building is not sufficiently burned out to require total rebuilding. The rear yard is deficient by 10' and a side yard is al- so deficient. - Two units would be allowed under present zoning regulations. The front of thebuilding is a good example of Greek Revival architecture, and staff felt that this was definitely worth preserving. They recommended approval on the condition that the building not be enlarged, and that there be no changes to the exterior except those necessary to bring the building up to code. They noted that two off-street parking spaces would be required if there were to be two apartments with up to three bedrooms each, but that parking did not seem to be a problem in that neighborhood,. They added that the building in its present condition is a negative influence on the neighborhood. Mr. Ledger, the building's propsective buyer, said he planned to bring the ceilings up to the required 716" from their present 7,411, and that he was planning two apartments, each with three bedrooms, living room and kitchen, one apartment per floor. Mr. Hildreth MOVED that the Board recommend acceptance, but there was no second. Mr. Fuller asked ifMr. Ledger owned the building at 315 Hillview Place. Mr. P & D BOARD MEETING 3 April 26, 1977 L:edg:er._ replied that he did. Mr. Fuller said he hoped Mr. Ledger planned to take better care of the Third Street building than he had taken of the Hillview Place property. Mr. Ledger explained that he had not been able to work on the Hillview place building because of present zoning restric- tions. He noted that the Third Street building has been on the market for three years. Mr. Bordoni MOVED that the Board not recommend for or against approval, but that it pass the appeal on to the BZA with the comment that the building is too large for the lot, and for the intended use of the : building, and that it lacked off-street parking; there was no second to this motion. Mr. Hoard noted that if the Planning & Development Board does not make a recommendation, the BZA can still hear the case (after thirty days). Mr. Fuller suggested a friendly amendment to Mr. Hildreth's motion, recommending that the character of the house be maintained, and that any changes proposed be brought to the staff for approval. This was accepted by Mr. Hildreth and seconded by Ms. Crowley. Mr. Ledger noted that he was considering adding two dormers and would bring the plans to the staff. In the subsequent vote, the amended motion CARRIED. e. Appeal 5-1-77: Request for exemption from the sign ordinance, for the purpose of erecting a 6' diameter double-faced plastic disc sign, mounted on a standard at a service station at the corner of West Seneca and Albany Streets, in an R-3 zone. The ordinance permits only 5 square feet in residential zones. Staff noted that the BZA had approved modernization of the station, and that the owners want to remove their old sign and erect the standard Gulf sign. They are not proposing any other sign, such as a price sign, at .this time, though it is probable that some signage on the station will be requested. The proposed sign is 28 square feet on. an 18' pole. Mr. Fuller MOVED that the Board recommend approval. Ms. Crowley seconded. CARRIED unanimously. 6. Communications: Mr. Van_'.Cort read a communication from Common Council requesting that the Planning and Development Board make a study of the east and west sides of North Tioga, Court and Cascadilla Streets to determine if the zoning should be changed to permit office residences. The Chairperson referred thematter to the Codes and Ordinances Committee for study with the staff. 7. Committee Reports: There were none. 8. Old Business: a. Peripheral Streets. Mr. Van Cort stressed the importance of the per- ipheral streets to downtown development, and introduced Mr. Egner, the archi- tect for the proposed improvements. The Mayor noted that these are not final drawings, but that he was seeking the Planning & Development Board's recom mendation that Council approve the concept as proposed. Mr. Egner noted that he was concerned with traffic movement as well as pedestrian movement. He explained that some of the problems with the project were caused by under- ground construction which limited the amount of weight which could be placed on large areas of sidewalk and which meant that placing trees in these 0 P & D BOARD MEETING - 4 - April 26, 1977 sections would be difficult, andin some cases impossible. He said that West State Street is not expected to be a carrier of heavy traffic in the future, andthat the City should consider "necking down" or narrowing the ends of certain streets, and proposed evergreen plantings on necked down sections. He also recommended that the City encourage private landowners to plant on their :°property. Sidewalks at the necked areas will be two feet wider than existing sidewalks. He recommended convert- ing South Cayuga Street into a one-way road, and adding raised box planters and evergreen shrub plantings along bordering sidewalks. He also recommended new street lighting similar to the lighting on the Commons. He planned some areas, especially on the Clinton House Block, to be paved in brick. At the Tuning Fork he recommended heavy tree plantings, and suggested the City re- work the parking lot adjoining Miller's. He suggested tree plantings for Aurora Street, and suggested that traffic patterns in the Tuning Fork area be planned so that traffic entering and exiting the road does so with the flow of traffic and that no backing into traffic be permitted. He said he would like to keep the cobble stone paving on East State Street and to repair existing blacktop where necessary. Trees planned for traffic island areas have high-branching limbs to insure good visibility to drivers. Ms. Meyer objected to necking down, and said some merchants on West State Street had complained that decreasing traffic would hurt business. Prof. Adleman explained that necking down an area would not remove any existing parking spaces, but would give the corner .area back to pedestrians. Mr. Hoard said there is a feeling that people might object to going into necked down areas, because of limited visual access to the necked down streets. Mr. Egner . explained that proposed street trees would be high branching to allow for visual access. Mr. Bordoni asked if the proposed plan would lock the city into its existing traffic pattern. Mr. Egner replied that this was not the case. Ms. Thuesen asked whether the architect had given consideration to Strand Theatre traffic problems. Mr. Egner replied that the Strand manage- ment will have to be concerned with that themselves. The Mayor explained that fire exits from theStrand onto the Miller's parking lot would not be touched by the peripheral streets plan Ms. C. Bowers asked if the architects had considered London Plane trees, which are known for their ability to with- stand.-.traffic exhaust fumes. Prof. Adelman said that there were other prob- lems with London Planes. Ms. Marcham asked whether necking down would reduce Cayuga Street traffic. Mr. Egner replied that ti would not. Mr Van Cort noted that the City would like to erect bus shelters on widened side- walks. The Mayor noted that merchants on West State Street would like . coninuity from the Commons to draw pedestrian business. Ms. Meyer suggested that the City check with businesses on West State Street before proceeding with the changes. Mr. Van Cort noted that he would be discussing the plans with Mr. Ron Lewis the following day. P & D BOARD MINUTES - 5 r April 26, 1977 Mr. Egner added that the proposed changes woild not reduce the amount of available parking, and the Mayor noted that business people have been requesting peripheral' street improvements for some time noir. Ms. Benson asked if any Board members had questions. Mr. Hildreth asked if traffic lights would be the same. Mr. Egner replied that they have not gone into detail on that, but he expected they would be similar to lights on the Commons, Mr. Bordoni complimented Mr. Egner on his work. Mr. 'Van Cort said that the staff has been working with Mr. Egner, and that there would be a presentation made by the staff at the next meeting. The following resolution was MOVED by Mr. Bordoni, seconded by Mr. Fuller: WHEREAS the Peripheral Streets Project is an essential component in the City"'s overall program of downtown revitalization, and WHEREAS the schematic drawings for the Peripheral Streets project have been reviewed by the Board of Planning and Development, THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that the Planning and Development Board approves the schematic drawings as presented and refers the project to Common Council for speedy implementation. CARRIED unanimously, b. Zoning Study. Tvr. Van Cort explained to the Board some of the mechanics of the study. Ms,. Townsend stated that the proposed zoning changes decrease the amount of property zoned for multiple dwellings. The proposed changes will result in a generally lower density of population. She also noted that a bonus has been proposed for mixed use in commercial districts. She then explained changes in the regulations chart which was distributed to Board members. Mr. Van Cort explained changes in the zoning map, copies of which were also distributed to Board members. He said the staff had tried to refine zones, and to rezone to be more in character with current use in most places. Ms. Benson said she felt zoning changes should be made with the present in mind, rather than anticipating 20-year changes. Mr. Bordoni had reservations about discouraging revisions to residential zones in business areas. He recommended that if the proposed changes are passed on to Council the Board recommend that the area around Meadow Street be given special consideration before any changes are made. He then MOVED that the proposed zoning changes in the map Board members received in the mail be recommended to Council. Ms. Crowley seconded. CARRIED unanimously,. On Article I, Definitions, Mr. Fuller MOVED to) accept the proposed changes as presented. Mr. Bordoni seconded. CARRIED. On Article II (.the chart) , Mr. Fuller MOVED to pass the changes on to Council as recommended by staff. Mr. Hildreth seconded. CARRIED. P & D BOARD MINUTES - 6 April 26, 1977 Mr. Fuller commended the staff for the work done on the zoning study. Ms. Benson thanked Mr. Hoard and Mmes. Cohen, Carlson, Schuler and Palmer for their time and work. c. School Reorganization. It was agreed to discuss this item later in the meeting, along with New Business. d. Shulman Subdivision. Mr. Fuller MOVED to open a public hearing on the subdivision, Mr. Bordoni seconded. The Chairperson declared the hearing open. There were no comments. Mr. Fuller then MOVED to close the hearing. Mr. Bordoni seconded. Hearing closed. Mr. .Shulman explained that he wished the subdivision because he had constructed a new building and wanted to take care of this while it was still fresh in everybody's mind, for the purposes of estate planning, future sale, etc. Mr. Meigs noted that the staff recommended final approval. Mr. Hildreth MOVED approval. Mr. Bordoni seconded. CARRIED unanimously. 9. New business - South Hill Park., Mr. Frank Moon of 507 Turner Place said that the area badly needs play space, and that the children have already cleaned up the area across the street from Columbia Street Annex to use as a baseball diamond. He suggested the park be build on the undeveloped land between Columbia Street and Hillview. The property is now owned by Jim Gardner. The area was used as a playground by Columbia Street Annex in the past. They would also like to have as open space the small terraced park behind and to the side of Columbia Street Annex. He stated that little would have to be done to develop that area which is now owned by the school district. He has written to the Landmarks Preservation Commission asking that they move to save the exterior of the Annex as an historical landmark. Ms. Bowers urged that the city acquire the entire parcel, and said there was no place for younger children to play in the neighborhoods She recommended that part of the proposed park be converted into a play area for younger children. Ms. Holman noted that having a park adjacent to the Annex might make conversion of the school into a multiple dwelling acceptable in that neighborhood. Staff recommended that (1) the Annex be renovated for up to 8 .family units, (2) the city acquire the small park adjacent to the Annex from the school district for $1, (3) the city acquire and improve the privately owned parcel across from the Annex as a neighborhood park. Mr. Fuller MOVED that the Board recommend to Council that it take action to implement the staff recommendations, with the addition of a play area for small children, a walkway from the school property to Pleasant Street, and extension of the playground to Hillview. He stressed the importance of preserving the Columbia Street Annex building as an historic building, and of returning the property to the tax roll. Mr. Bordoni seconded. CARRIED unanimously. The Mayor asked what staff would recommend to Council in the possible acquisi- tion of additional school district property. Mr. McDougall replied that the project required further researching on the staff level. Mr. Hildreth MOVED that staff follow this up in the hopes of being able to utilize the 0 P & D BOARD MINUTES 7 April 26, 1977 Markles Flats building similarly, Mr® Fuller seconded, CARRIED unanimously. Mr. Fuller then called for a recision of the motion and recommended that the Board refer this to Council rather than the staff. Seconded by Mr.. Hildreth- CARRIED. The following recommendation was made by Ms. Benson: The City has made several statements through the Planning and Development Board and the Common Council regarding its desire to see East Hill retained as a neighborhood school. Until this issue is resolved, including any possible legal action, this remains the position of the City. Mr. Bordoni MOVED the recommendation, and Ms. Crowley seconded. CARRIED unanimously. At 11:16 Mr. Bordoni moved adjournment of the meeting.