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HomeMy WebLinkAboutMN-PDB-1985-06-25 p PLANNING AND DEVELOPMENT BOARD MINUTES June 25, 1985: PRESENT: Chair Blumenthal,, M. Sampson, B. Nichols, R.. Moran,_ R. Romanowski , Director of Planning and Development H. M. Van Cort ALSO: Other interested parties, the Press 1.. Call to Order: Susan Blumenthal called the meeting to order at 7:40 p.m. 2. Special Order of Business: Public Hearing - Nichols moved to open the public hearing. Sampson seconded and motion passed unanimously. A. Subdivision of Residential Parcel - 509 Hector Street Public Comment - none. Nichols noted that the hearing had been duly advertised and moved to Approve the subdivision of the property at 509 Hector Street. Sampson seconded. Vote: 5-0-0. Carried. B. Subdivision of 1 .5 acre parcel in Cass Park Public Comment- none. Van Cort said that the land to be subdivided includes the Hangar Theatre driveway. He believes it reasonable to transfer the prop- erty to the State with an easement to preserve the right of way of the driveway. He recommended approval of the subdivision subject to the easement and State approval of this condition, Nichols asked if there was any urgency in acting this month and suggested waiting for comment from the State. . .He moved and Sampson seconded to table the issue until hearing from the State. Vote: 5-0-0. Carried. 3. Zoning Appeals: See Minutes attached. 4. Privilege of the Floor none 5. Approval of Minutes: Motion was made by Moran, seconded by Nichols, to approve the May 1985 Minutes. Vote: 5-0-0. Carried. 6. Chair Report: Blumenthal reported on a June 17th meeting between Cornell and City officials to discuss the central campus improvements including the Bio Tech Center, the Ag Quad, Mallott Hall , and expansion plans in general with emphasis on the transportation and parking elements of the plans. Five hundred to six hundred student housing units are slated for completion within three years but other student units will be lost because P&D Minutes 6/25/85 -2- of the expansion plans. After further discussion, Blumenthal suggested the Board request a year-by-year breakdown of the proposed plans so that the city can study the changing impact on Collegetown parking. 7. Director's Report: Van Cort said that Collegetown bids had been rejected and staff has gone back to the drawing board to look at schemes that will separate the parking and residential components of the building but keep them on the same site. The arguments for this separation are financial , the garage being less expensive to build because it doesn't have to be 'sprinklered' , it doesn't need mechanical air handling system, it doesn't have to be in a deep hole in the ground, etc. At a minimum, this will represent a saving of $600,000. The disadvantages are that the site becomes more crowded, the light and air requirements for the housing element are more difficult to achieve, as well as the loss of a sizable piece of open space. Regarding the Youth Bureau, concern is growing about keeping costs down and staff is looking to site the new building on the old foundations to try and save money. Van Cort said that the Route 96 public hearings are going well and that the new regional director of DoT, Richard Simberg, has personally pre- sented the plan alternatives to the community and is open and willing to work with the city to give it what it wants, including doing nothing at all . A letter from Congressman McHugh was discussed regarding a meeting scheduled to discuss the sale of Conrail . The letter will be sent out to all Board members. Nichols asked where the city stood on negotiations with Conrail to stop the train at the downtown crossings in cases of emergency. Van Cort said he would look into it and added that techni- cally there was no reason communication with the trains could not be made by radio. 8. Committee Reports: A. Economic Development and Transportation 1 ) Farmers ' Market: No substantive progress has been made on this issue. Possible sites for the Market include Cass or Stewart Parks, Woolworth's parking lot or the top of the Green Street Parking Garage, and the present location. B. Neighborhoods, Housing and Facilities - 1 ) Pleasant Street Rezoning - Neighborhood Planner Lazarski asked. that this issue be tabled until people return from vacations. 2) East Hill Historic District -- Lazarski reported on the possible designation of East Hill as a National Historic District, Apart from the honor of this award, the designation also allows property owners to take advantage of various tax acts which in turn en- courages rehabilitation and assists neighborhoods to maintain their r P&D Minutes 6/25/85: -3- residential quality. The designation does not affect properties in a negative way and owners are free to do what they want with their buildings, including demolishing them. Lazarski will be attending one of the preliminary meetings in Albany and then will hold several local sessions. to explain the designation to the neighborhood. After further discussion Moran moved, seconded by Nichols, that the Planning and Development Board support the designation of an East Hill National Register Historic District. The resolution is as follows: WHEREAS, the Planning and Development Board has established a strong commitment to rehabilitating Ithaca's older housing stock, and WHEREAS, East Hill possesses examples of .Ithaca's most distinguished residential architecture, and WHEREAS, the retention and conservation of Ithaca's neighborhoods.. is a_ clear charge to the city, and WHEREAS, the creation of a National Register Historic District on East Hill would encourage the rehabilitation of existing neighborhoods and foster community. pride, and WHEREAS, East Hill provides a concise physical expression of Ithaca's 19th century development pattern, NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Planning and Development Board supports the designation of the East Hill National Register Historic District. Vote: 5-0-0. Carried. 3j Stewart Park Design - Requests for Proposals have been sent to city; and regional landscape architects . The New York State Council on the Arts is considering the city's grant application and Lazarski said that notification on whether or not the city will be funded should be received in a month or so. $25,000 has been requested. 9. Liaison Committee Reports: A. Board of Public Works - Nichols stated that the Engineering Depart- ment is working on the right-of-way question of Elmira Road so that the city can proceed to the question of the disposal of property. The DPW has promised that the study will be finished in a week or two. Moran noted that bamboo weeds growing at curbside on West Hill should be looked into by city crews P&D Minutes 6/25/85: , -4- B. Planning and Development Committee - Romanowski reported on the June 12 meeting where the overall plans for the_ Collegetown/ East Hill project were discussed as well as the proposed zoning amendment regarding the sale of owner occupied legal non-conform ing properties to absentee owners. Other items talked about were the cable commission and the relocation of the DSS offices. He said that things did not look good for keeping DSS downtown. Blumenthal asked about the possibility of locating the offices in the old jail . Romanowski said the old jail, was being used for County storage. After further discussion, the Board expressed their concern about the use of valuable real estate property as a record storage center. It was decided that Romanowski would report that it,was the sense of the Planning and Development Board that DSS should be kept downtown when he attended the next evening's meeting of the Planning and Development Committee. Van Cort added that the city has gone on record repeatedly for retaining the DSS offices at a downtown location. 10. Old Business: Van Cort said the city has received notification that the State legislature has passed a law allowing procedure of the landswapin the West End. The Governor's signature is still required. Master Plan - Blumenthal announced that there will be an Executive Committee meeting on July 9, 1985. of the Board Chairs to hear a presentation by Paul Mazzarella of various Master Plan alternatives and costs. The Board is proposing Council action on September 23, 1985 and she suggested starting early in the process to get some input from the public. After discussion it was decided to have a public forum sometime early in September. Van Cort said that a budget request for. between $25,000 $50,000 would be made at the time the regular oper- ating budget request is made. This figure, depending on the plan's eventual cost, can be amended. The budget must be submitted by July 31 1985 and draft copies .will be set out for recommendations from the Board. Zoning - Discussion followed about the city's zoning ordinance. Van Cort commented that the ordinance was meant to be a legal manifestation of the Master Plan. However, the ordinance can be amended while the new Master Plan is being written. A Zoning Super Committee has been set up to study an agenda of possible changes. The Board suggested that both the Building Commissioner and the City Attorney should be involved in the process and that the Board be kept informed on what the Super Committee is doing so as not to duplicate any action. 11 Miscellaneous: The next Planning and Development Board meeting will be held on the fourth Tuesday of July - July 23rd. J P&D Minutes 6/25/85: -5- 12. Executive Session: Nichols,. seconded by Moran, moved that the Board go into Executive Session to discuss a personnel matter. Vote: 5-0-0. Carried. Regular session resumed at 11 :15 p.m. Moran, seconded by Nichols, moved that: WHEREAS, the Department of Planning and Developmentcontainsseven staff members who routinely work on numerous complex and controversial projects and issues; and WHEREAS, the efficient operation of the Department requires adminis- trative and secretarial support services from staff who are. well trained and highly experienced professionals; and WHEREAS, the Department has had a high level of turnover in the position of full-time Senior Stenographer due to the demanding nature of the job, its relatively low salary and the attractiveness of other positions outside of the Department; NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Planning and Development Board hereby endorses the proposal to change the position of Senior Stenographer now occupied by Marie Corina to Administrative Secretary, and that a new salary be estab- lished commensurate with the complexity and responsibility of the position, her performance in the position and her prior work experience. Vote: 5-0.0. Motion carried. 13. Adjournment: The meeting adjourned at 11 :20 p.m. Respectfully submitted, Approved, Natalie de Combray H. M. Van Cort ZONING APPEALS MINUTES PLANNING AND DEVELOPMENT BOARD June 25, 1.985 Appeal #1625: 404-4042 N. Cayuga St. : Appeal of R. Salerno and D. Gersh for a Use Variance and an Area Variance for a deficient side yard setback to permit use of the second floor of 404-4042 N. Cayuga Street for a lawyer's office, in addition to a doctor's office on the first floor. The medical offices are ''grandfathered"; the lawyer's office is not. Public Comment: A letter from Marvin and Pat Carlson (attached) asked that this appeal be denied in order to preserve the residential area. Board Discussion: Romanowski stated that the zoning law .clearly prohi- bits lawyer offices in the area. Nichols noted that the case was being heard again because neighbor's had not been notified but that the Board had been unanimous in its vote to deny thi-s appeal . . Staff Recommendation: Deny. Motion: Nichols, seconded by Romanowski , moved to recommend denial of the request. Vote:. 4-0-1 . Moran. Abstained. Motion carried. Appeal #1631 : 304 Mitchell St. : Appeal of M. LoPinto for an Area Variance to permit conversion of a single family dwelling at 304 Mitchell Street to a two-apartment residence. Appellant Comment: Property .owner Michael LoPinto Jr. said that he - - -- - - -needed-to convert the house i-nto--two- apartments -so that-he-coul d--a-F-ford to remain in the neighborhood. He did not want to request an accessory apartment status because, although he intends to live in one of the apart- ments, he would have to make the same request every three years. His neighbor at 302 Mitchell is zoned R2b; his property is zoned Rlb, Public Comment: Letters from Elizabeth-. Wh_icher, Frederick and Mary AN , and Theodore Lowi ; (-attached) were opposed to the. granting of this appeal . Kitty Mattes, of 101 Irving Place, spoke at length. against this proposal . Although the present owners may keep up the property, the next owners may not and the neighborhood's residential area could be severely and irrepa- rably damaged. Other opponents present were Max Mattes and Mary Ahl , each speaking to the changes occuring around them through the influx of multiple housing, transient occupants, overcrowding, increased traffic, parking problems, etc. Board Discussion_ : Although_ the appeal i_s for a permitted use, Romanowski noted that long-range planning goals for the neighborh-ood would be threatened if the variance were granted. Staff Recommendation Grant. Van Cort noted that staff recommendations were split. ZONING APPEALS MINUTES June 25, 1985 page 2 Motion: Romanowski, seconded by Sampson, moved to recommend denial of this request. Vote: 5-0-0. Carried. Appeal #1632: 315-317 N. Meadow Street and 619 West Court Street: Appeal of Gloria Knuppenburg for a Use Variance to permit the combining of two lots at 315-17 N. Meadow _Street (Angelo's Dry Cleaner) and 619 W. Court, thereby enlarging the business use district into a residential use district. The properties are located in B2a and R2b districts. Appellant Comment: The Knuppenburgs, owners of both properties, wish to "square off the Meadow Street property in order to expand the building by 250 square feet and to add a second. floor to the existing portion of the building. The extra space would be used as storage and also to house an auxilliary boiler in case the regular boiler breaks down. The building was built before the zoning district lines were drawn and properties to the east are deeper by at least 99 feet. Public Comment: A. letter from L. O. Nezvesky (attached) supported the request. Board Discussion: There was a question about whether or not this was a planning issue. The edges of the residential district need to be maintained. On the other hand, the unique circumstances of the lot in question should be taken into consideration. Staff recommendation: Deny. Motion: Nichols, seconded by Moran, moved to make no recommendation to the BZA because .no significant planning issues were involved. Vote: 2-3-0. Sampson,_Romanowski .and Blumenthal voted nay. Motion was not carried, Motion: Sampson, seconded by Nichols, moved that the request be granted. Vote: 4-0-1 . Romanowski abstained. Carried. Appeal #1633: 119 West Green Street: Appeal of J. Bodine to replace the one-story portion of;the Dick Wilsen Real Estate building with a two-story addition. The property is in a B1a District and the proposed use is permitted. Public Comment: None. Board Discussion: The issue of parking was discussed and, although the board was sympathetic to the proposed plan in that it was sensitive to the use of the property, it was agreed that lack of parking would negatively impact the neighborhood. Staff Recommendation: Van Cort reported that. staff was split on this case. ZONING APPEALS MINUTES June 25, 1985 page 3 Motion: Nichols, seconded by Sampson, moved denial of the appeal because of lack of parking. Sampson said he would abstain from voting because of the real effort made by the _appellant to do a good job. . Vote: 2-1-2. Blument-ha- al .voted nay.. ' Sampson and Moran abstained. Motion not carried. - - -- ----- - - -- ---- Mo tion: `Romanowski , seconded by Moran, moved approval of the appeal . Vote: 2-2-1 Motion not carried. Motion: Romanowski , seconded by Sampson, moved to pass the appeal onto the BZA without a recommendation. After discussion, it was decided nothing was gained by this motion and Romanowski and Sampson withdrew their motion. It was noted that the board could not reach a conclusion. Appeal #1634: 145 Linn Street: Appeal of C. and V. Canestaro to permit con- version of a two-family dwelling at 145 Linn Street to a cooperative dwelling for. up to five unrelated individuals. The property is in an R2b District where .cooperative dwellings are not permitted. Appellant Comment: Mr. Canestaro said he also is concerned about the neighborhood as he lives on Linn Street too. Presently a two-family unit, he want to rent the building out as a cooperative household. A two-family unit permits up to six unrelated individuals; a cooperative permits only five. He showed the Board photographs of other properties he owns in the area and noted that all the apartments are rented to less than the number of permitted tenants. Public Comment: Two letters (attached) were presented in support of the appeal : one from Josephine Deal and one from Mark Goldfarb. Board Discussion: The board commended the Canestaros for the high level of upkeep to the rental properties they already own but said they are concerned about the time when the property changes hands. Staff recommendation: Deny. Motion: Moran, seconded by Sampson, moved to approve the appeal with the occupancy limited to five , persons if unrelated. Vote: 5-0-0. Carried. /ndc 6/27/85