Loading...
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