HomeMy WebLinkAbout2016-07-25-SteeringCommittee-FINALTOWN OF ULYSSES
STEERING COMMITTEE FOR ZONING UPDATES
MEETING MINUTES
Monday, July 25, 2016
7:00 p.m.
Approved: August 4, 2016
Present: Chair Nancy Zahler, Darby Kiley, Elizabeth Thomas, George Tselekis, and Sue Ritter;
David West of Randall + West.
Public in Attendance: Sue Poelvoorde of the Ulysses Sustainability Advisory Council, and
Greg Grodem.
Agenda Review; Minutes Review (7/7/16)
Ms. Thomas MADE the MOTION to accept the amended July 7, 2016 meeting minutes, and Mr.
Tselekis SECONDED the MOTION. The motion was unanimously approved, 4-0.
Privilege of the Floor: Ms. Poelvoorde — a member of the Town's Sustainability and
Conservation Advisory Council — told the Committee she is beginning to educate herself on the
Ag portions of the proposed Zoning.
Zoning Draft Discussion
Mr. West said the pre -draft Ag Zoning document, made available as a Google document, shows
all comments from Committee members. He suggested beginning with a general discussion on
lot size and subdivision requirement size before diving into the pre -draft.
Mr. Tselekis noted the pre -draft Zoning document targets the Al Agriculture District, which
includes small lots — perhaps wooded or overgrown — that will never return to farm use. In
essence, the pre -draft outlines measures to protect non-ag land like areas on the south end of
Route 96, he said. Mr. West said redrawing the Town's zoning map is an option.
Ms. Ritter arrived at 7:15 p.m.
Referencing Randall + West's three suggested options in their memo, Ms. Thomas noted two
other options were also discussed: transfer of development rights and Greenprint. Perhaps those
additional options are outside the consultant's scope, she said, but the Town should keep them
both in mind. In regard to TDRs, Mr. West said consultants would want to stipulate in Town
Zoning where the receiving zones would be. Purchase of Development Rights would probably be
outside the consultant's scope, he said, but could be expressed as a goal in Zoning.
Ms. Ritter suggested changes to the approved July 7, 2016 meeting minutes.
Steering Committee for Zoning Updates 2
Ms. Thomas MADE the MOTION to rescind the previous motion to approve the July 7, 2016
meeting minutes, and Mr. Tselekis SECONDED the MOTION. The motion was unanimously
approved.
A brief discussion ensued regarding Ms. Ritter's suggested changes, and a consensus was
reached to amend the minutes.
Ms. Thomas MADE the MOTION to accept the amended minutes from the July 7, 2016
meeting, and Ms. Ritter SECONDED the MOTION. The motion was unanimously accepted, 5-0.
Discussion then turned to Article V of the pre -draft zoning and the Purpose section (5.1). Ms.
Ritter suggested a more broad approach to the Purpose statement and further added the
Committee and consultants should review how other towns write similar Purpose statements in
regard to the Ag zoning. Responding to Mr. Tselekis's concerns of protecting smaller, fallow
fields, Ms. Poelvoorde said not to get caught up in the size of parcels because the future use of
such parcels cannot be known. Someone could repurpose a smaller parcel into an herb farm, for
instance, she said.
For the purposes of clarity, the Committee reached a consensus to use the term "fragment lot"
instead of "cluster".
A lengthy, general discussion of permitted uses, lot area, and yard requirements ensued,
beginning with the number of residential units on parent and fragment lots. Referencing
measures outlined in the pre -draft document, committee members and Mr. West discussed
various hypothetical scenarios of how parcels could or could not be subdivided and the number
of allowable units on parent and fragment lots. The Committee reached a consensus to remove
language from section 5.7 (Lot Area and Yard Requirements) of the pre -draft document that
would have permitted more than two residential buildings on Ag District parcels over 50 acres in
size.
On the subject of yard requirements, the Committee reached a consensus that the minimum lot
depth shall be 200 feet for parent lots and residual lots and 70 feet for cluster or "fragment" lots.
In regard to minimum front yard setback, the Committee reached a consensus to change it to 25
feet from 75 feet. Following Committee deliberations, the minimum side yard setback remained
at 15 feet, and the minimum rear yard setback was reduced from 75 to 30 feet. Mr. West
suggested — and the Committee reached a consensus — that side yard setbacks for parcels
adjacent to a parent lot would be greater — 50 feet — and the side yard setbacks would be smaller
if fragments lots are adjacent to one another — 15 feet.
The Committee then discussed maximum footprint for ag-related buildings. Consultants
suggested 20,000 square feet as the maximum footprint. Mr. West said 20,000 square feet is a
reasonable number to allow for large-scale ag buildings while maintaining protective measures to
prohibit excessively sized structures. The 20,000 figure was left unchanged. Lodges were briefly
discussed, and the Committee agreed to review them — along with glamping and bed and
breakfasts — in greater detail in future talks.
Steering Committee for Zoning Updates 3
In conclusion, Mr. West highlighted two areas to be discussed: subdivisions and uses. Mr. West
and the Committee agreed the pre -draft document is not ready for review by the Town's Ag
Committee. The Steering Committee will next meet Thursday, August 4.
Ms. Kiley MADE the MOTION to adjourn the meeting, and Mr. Tselekis SECONDED the
MOTION. The motion was unanimously approved.
Meeting adjourned at 9:03 p.m.
Respectfully submitted by Louis A. DiPietro II on July 29, 2016.