HomeMy WebLinkAbout1979-07-18 r•
THE TOWN OF DANBY PLANNING BOARD - - JULY 18 , 1979
The regular meeting of the Town of Danby Planning Board was
held at the Danby Town Hall , at 8 : CO p . m . , Wednesday ; July 18 , 1979
P lanning Board Members present : Ernest Cole , Chairman ; Donald
Graham , Gary Leonhardt , Wayne Rial
P lanning Board Members absent : Irene Cortright , Alberta Wilbur .
There is presently one vacancy on the Planning Board .
O thers present : Gary Evans , County Planning Office ; Francis
Wright , Town Supervisor ; Robert Snedden , Town Board member , and
about 25 - 30 interested residents of the Town of Danby .
G ary Leonhardt was appointed secretary pro - tem .
Chairman Cole , to open the meeting , explained that this was a public
informational meeting , not a public hearing , on the proposed revision
o f the Zoning Ordinance . Five years ago , the Town Board asked the
Planning Board to review the Ordinance for changes to make it more
e nforceable . After a first review , and a public hearing by the
Town Board , the original proposal was sent back to the Planning
Board for further review . Mr . Cole further noted that the goal of
t his proposed revision is to make the ordinance more explicit so
t hat it will be more enforceable . It is not necessarily more
✓ estrictive ; in some places , it is more lenient . Chairman Cole
also noted , with thanks , the help of Gary Evans of the County
P lanning Office . He has provided expert technical advice , but
the proposed revision is the Planning Board ' s , based on a con -
sensus of the members .
Member Donald Graham then reviewed Articles 1 - 4 , noting particularly
the new and changes sections , such as the keeping of animals .
Member Gary Leonhardt then reviewed Articles 5 - 9 , touching on the
e stablishment of districts and minimum lot sizes , appeals and
variances and the special permit procedures .
Chairman Cole then opened the meeting to the Privilege of the Floor .
P rivilege of the Floor :
Judy Palmer presented petitions signed by about 135 residents of
t he Town , expressing general agreement with the purposes of zoning
and asking the Planning Board to continue informational and discussion
meetings so that interested residents may participate in the prepa -
✓ ation of a Zoning Ordinance that is " clear to everyone , fair to
e veryone and enforceable " . [ The originals of the petitions are
attached to these Minutes . ]
Rick Dobson questioned , first , if an area is going to permit com- .
mercial development , why not call it a commercial area . Chairman
Cole explained that the Planning Board believed that the term , " Rural
Hamlet " was more descriptive since both commercial and residential
development had occurred in the area so mapped , and would likely
continue . Mr . Dobson then said that the fee shouldn ' t be raised
for various kinds of permits . He also raised an implicit question
about unequal enforcement .
Supervisor Wright responded to the last point by noting that the
Town is presently in litigation on enforcement of the present Zoning
Ordinance in the Supreme Court , that we are having a tough time of
it , but that it should be on the Court calendar in the next two weeks .
S upervisor Wright also noted that the Town Board has tried to be
✓ easonable in the cases coming before it - - that it is taking a lot
o f flak for problems not necessarily of its own making .
Ed Roberts , of the Board of Zoning Appeals , noted that the BZA
h as to take each case as it comes , decding on the merits , based on
what it is presented to it .
It was further noted that the proposed lot size , even if based on
minimum frontage , rather than acreage , might cause problems in the
future if public water/ sewer ever come along .
Al Sebesta suggested the the district allowing commercial develop -
ment be called a commercial district and keep residential out of
it . He noted that the Town could use some commercial development
and that the designation " Rural Hamlet " may be confusing . In response ,
Don Graham explained that that the Rural Hamlet designation simply
✓ ecognizes the past development of both residential and commercial
activity in the area proposed to be so mapped .
Chuck Bruce raised a question concerning fees , which was clarified
with the explanation that only the fee for the last step would be
charged .
Pat Longaker , after noting there are some Danby residents who favor
zoning , requested a definition of activities that would be permitted
in the RA district . Gary Evans listed the appropriate provisions of
Article 6 outlinng the permitted activities and facilities with a
zcning permit and with a special permit .
Bob Pierce noted that the lot size is too big and that smaller lots
could mean more potential tax revenue for the Town . Gary Evans
noted the problems of obtaining Health Department approval on smaller
lots , in view of the soil problems in the Town .
There was further discussion on the Rural Hamlet designation , as
opposed to calling it commercial ,
Chairman Cole concluded the Privilege of the Floor portion of the
meeting by reading a letter from Gay . Huddle of Gunderman Road , which
she had requested be read , since she could not be present . .IThe original
is attached to th.e.se. minutes . ]
O ther Busines :
The minutes of the meeting of June 20 , 1979 were approved .
Following a brief discussion of tonight ' s meeting , the members
d ecided to defer further consideration of the suggestions for changes
and other comments until the next regular meeting of the Planning
Board , to be held on August 15 , 1979 .
Upon motion duly made and seconded , the meeting was adjcrned at
10 : 30 p . m .
Res • ectfully submitted ,
•
6ary 1/1
( C(A I :
G . ry h . . t
S ecr oro - tem
980 Steam Mill Road
Ithaca , NY 14850
July 25 , 1979
Mrs . William Longaker
1272 Coddington Road
Brooktondale , NY 14817
Dear Mrs . Longaker :
I have been asked , on behalf of the members of the Planning
Board of the Town of Danby , to express our thanks to you ,
Mrs . Judy Palmer and others who expended personal time and
e ffort to obtain signatures of residents of the Town expressing
support for an appropriate Zoning Oordinance for the Town . of
Danby and for attending the meeting of July 18 , 1979 to convey
that support .
As you requested , I have obtained copies of the petitions that
were presented to the Planning Board on July 18 , and the copies
are enclosed .
At the end of the meeting , you asked if . it would be helpful
to obtain further signatures . I had the opportunity to discuss
this question briefly with the other.i members of the Board
prior to our adjournment . We concluded that we would be
grateful for any and all support expressed for our efforts .
While we recognize the time and effort required to obtain
these signatures , we believe that it does provide substantial
indication of the opinions of the Town residents on this
✓ ather controversial issue . We would be most appreciative
for any further work that you and others could do in this
area .
In closing , let me again assure you of our thanks for your
e fforts , both past and future .
S incerely yours , i //
2S2562'
i ��it
G a VI Leo ardt •
Member , Town of Da • : y
Planning Board
GWL : gwl
Encls :
cc : Ernest Cole , Chairman , Planning Board
Francis Wright , Town Supervisor