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HomeMy WebLinkAboutMN-PDB-1991-11-26 UNANIMOUSLY APPROVED Fwbruary 25, 1992 Planning and Development Board MINUTES November 26, 1991 PRESENT: S. Adams, R. Berg, S. Blumenthal (Chair) , J. Schroeder. Staff: Director H. M. Van Cort, Deputy Director H. Sieverding, L. Tsang. Also, applicants, and members of the public. 1. Meeting was called to order at 7:45 p.m. 2. Privilege of the Floor: No one appeared. 3. Public Hearing for Final Subdivision Approval. A. 209-211 Cliff Street/Klinko. Subdivision of land to allow the sale of one of two houses on the property. Applicants have received zoning variances for area nonconformities. A public hearing was held, and no one appeared. Berg, seconded by Schroeder, moved for final subdivision approval. Passed unanimously. B. 361 Floral Avenue/Benson. The minutes from the August meeting regarding this matter were reviewed, and the resolutions regarding this subdivision were amended. Adams, seconded by Schroeder, moved for final subdivision approval. WHEREAS, application has been made for approval of subdivision of property at 361 Floral Avenue, also known as Assessment Parcel 100-1-1, into five lots for sale or development, and WHEREAS, review of the proposal determined that the presence of wetlands on the property placed significant constraints on the extent to which development would be permissible, and WHEREAS, applicant William Benson has provided assurance that the important environmental characteristics of the site and the character of .the neighborhood will be preserved, through compliance with certain site-specific conditions on development, listed below, now, therefore, be it RESOLVED that the Board of Planning and Development grants final approval to subdivision of property at 361 Floral Avenue, also known as Assessment Parcel 100-1-1, into five (5) lots for sale and development, subject to the following conditions which are hereby made part of this approval, and are to be recorded on the subdivision plat and filed with the plat and property deeds, and which also are to be made known to prospective purchasers of the subdivision lots: 1. No construction will occur on lots 4 or 5 without the express approval of the Planning and Development Board - Planning and Development Board -2- Minutes of November 26, 1991 of the City of Ithaca, which approval shall not be unreasonably withheld. The applicant may, in the future, request that the Planning and Development Board reconsider the wetland issue and request permission from the Planning and Development Board to build on lots 4 and 5 if changes to physical conditions on the site, or changes in regulations governing wetlands, warrant such reconsideration; 2. Development will be limited to one single-family residence with accessory apartment per lot; and 3. Development on any parcel containing delineated wetland will be undertaken in accordance with any regulations respecting protection of wetland in effect at the time of such development, and be it further RESOLVED that the wetland areas delineated by Ichthyological Associates, Inc. in their report dated July 17, 1991, be shown in outline and denoted by label on the subdivision plat and on the deed record survey of each individual lot, and be it further RESOLVED that this action is further conditioned on the consolidation of Assessment Parcel 99-2-1 with Parcel 100-1-1, or with the southernmost lot created by the subdivision, in order to create a single lot of approximately 0.53 acre and approximately 100 feet of frontage on Floral Avenue, such new lot being the same as "Lot 5" shown on the approved conditional subdivision plat. The resolution was passed unanimously. Van Cort suggested that addresses for the lots created from this subdivision be established and submitted to the building dept. , as well as recorded on the official subdivision plat. 4. Environmental Review and Preliminary Subdivision Approval. 812 E. State Street/Ching Po. It was reported by the codes and administration committee that staff was requested to complete Part III of the Long Environmental Assessment Form. The Board agreed that the LEAF should be referred back to the codes committee where it would be reviewed and either accepted, modified or rejected. Mr. Demjanec, the applicant' s representative, asked why the Board could not discuss the LEAF at this meeting since it was not very extensive. The Board felt that going over the LEAF point by point would be very time-consuming and there were many other matters for discussion on the agenda. - Planning and Development Board -3- Minutes of November 26 1991 5. Site Development Plan Reviews A. Fairfield Crossing/324 Spencer Road. It was reported that a sketched revised site plan had been submitted which was an improvement over the original plan. The public hearing was continued, and a neighbor spoke about concern over traffic Continued. B. City Court Facility. Deputy planning director Herman Sieverding reported that the court facility project was not yet ready for site plan review in part because the project is over budget, and the emphasis is on redesigning the building to bring the cost within budget. He expected, however, that the project would be ready for the advisory site plan review in time for the codes and administration meeting in January. The project will go out to bid at the end of January. C. Tompkins County Recycling and Solid Waste Center/Office and Entry. Board' s review is advisory only. Linda Tsang was asked to send a memorandum to the County with recommendations and requesting information on how the number of parking spaces was calculated, number of employees, and drainage to Southwest Park. D. Cleary Oil Change/334 Elmira Road. Because of the soil condition at the site, a modified site plan was submitted. During review of this plan, an oversight was discovered. The applicant explained that the building department was - delaying his building permit by requesting some written documentation from the landowner, Reuben Weiner. Phyllis Radke (bldg. dept. ) explained that there are zoning and code problems with several of the uses on Weiner' s property. This project has prompted the building dept. to press him to bring these uses into compliance. There was some concern expressed regarding the use of used motor oil in heating the building; there have been claims that this common practice is a major source of lead pollution. However, the EPA is currently allowing this use to continue. Adams, seconded by Schroeder, moved for conditional site development plan approval, carried unanimously. 6. Old Business Elmira Road Sidewalks. ' The following resolution was moved by Schroeder, seconded by Berg: WHEREAS, there are many people who walk, or would walk, along the southerly portion of Elmira Road, south of its intersection with Meadow Street, and Planning and Development Board -4- Minutes of November 26, 1991 WHEREAS, there are no sidewalks along that portion of the road, and WHEREAS, this constitutes an inconvenience to persons who might like to walk or conduct business in that area, but who do not have vehicles, and WHEREAS, this also constitutes a danger to those pedestrians forced to walk either on the pavement or directly next to it along a dirt path, and WHEREAS, this situation presents extreme danger, difficulty and inconvenience to handicapped persons and persons wheeling strollers, and WHEREAS, consultant Peter Weed recently prepared a proposed design for Elmira Road sidewalks, and WHEREAS, at two recent public meetings, numerous speakers requested that a major project for the installation of all proposed Elmira Road sidewalks- not be undertaken at this time because of the economic burden this would place on property owners during the current recession, and WHEREAS, speakers at these public meetings also suggested that, in certain places, the safety and utility of the proposed sidewalks would be enhanced by moving them further back from Elmira Road, and WHEREAS, the Board of Public Works has requested that the Board of Planning and Development comment on Peter Weed' s design, NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Board of Planning and Development strongly endorses the principle of accessibility of the southerly portion of Elmira Road to all individuals, including those without vehicles or with physical handicaps, and, be it further RESOLVED, that the Board firmly supports the eventual provision of sidewalks on both sides of Elmira Road, but feels this should be accomplished gradually as a long-range City goal rather than immediately as a one-time capital project, and be it further RESOLVED, that the Board, accordingly, intends to consider requiring the provision of sidewalks whenever relevant new projects on individual Elmira Road properties come under site plan review, and be it further Planning and Development Board -5- Minutes of November 26, 1991 RESOLVED, that the Board intends to use the Peter Weed design as a resource when considering the inclusion of sidewalks in such projects, but also intends to consider the feasibility and desirability--as appropriate in each individual case--of placing the sidewalks further back from the highway, and be it further RESOLVED, that when it is financially feasible, the sidewalks be redesigned based upon complete survey of existing topographics and other conditions that will affect the design of the sidewalks, and be it further RESOLVED, that the Board asks that handicapped accessible public transportation service to the Elmira Road area be expanded, if possible. Passed unanimously. 7. New Business. A. Amendments to Subdivision Regulations. A memo from Van Cort was reviewed regarding subdivisions that involve non- buildable lots. He proposed that such subdivisions would be handled at the staff level and not go through review by CAC and the Board. An exception to the procedure would be if there is public controversy. Approved unanimously. B. Ordinance Amending Section 30.22 entitled "zoning map. ,, The Board was unanimously in favor of this amendment. C. 1992 Planning Department work plan. Priorities similar to Planning Committee (Inlet Island land use, West State Street/CBD rezoning, Southwest Park) except to add neighborhood assistance,. DVTF followup, and rezoning R-2 & R-3. D. Enlarging the Planning Board. Chair reported that the Mayor asked if the planning board should be enlarged. The Board suggested that as vacancies occur they be filled by people who are willing to commit their time to attending the meetings and doing some committee work, rather than adding additional members 8. Zoning Appeals Report. Subject appeals 2077, 2078, 2080-82 and 12-1-91 were remanded for action without comment or recommendation by the Board. 9. Approval of Minutes. August minutes amended, but not approved. September and October minutes deferred. Planning and Development Board -6- Minutes of November 26, 1991 10. Reports A. Committees of the Board. No report. B. Director. No report. C. Chair. No report. D. Board of Public Works. E. Planning and Development Committee. Schroeder reported that the P&D Committee had discussed the West Hill Master Plan, especially with relation to Cliff Street, the Planning Department work plan, back yard parking, and Northside Park survey. Meeting was adjourned at 11: 15 p.m. epj-November.min