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HomeMy WebLinkAboutMN-PLED-2017-08-09 Approved at the September 13, 2017 PEDC Meeting City of Ithaca Planning & Economic Development Committee Wednesday, August 9, 2017 – 6:00 p.m. Common Council Chambers, City Hall, 108 East Green Street Minutes Committee Members Attending: Joseph (Seph) Murtagh, Chair; Josephine Martell, Cynthia Brock, and Steve Smith Committee Members Absent: Alderperson Rob Gearhart Other Elected Officials Attending: Mayor Svante Myrick and Alderperson George McGonigal Staff Attending: JoAnn Cornish, Director, Planning and Development Department; Nels Bohn, Director of Ithaca Urban Renewal Agency; Dan Cogan, Chief of Staff; Tom Parsons, Fire Chief; Deborah Grunder, Executive Assistant Others Attending: None Chair Seph Murtagh called the meeting to order at 6:00 p.m. 1) Call to Order/Agenda Review There were no changes made to the agenda. 2) Special Order of Business a) Public Hearing – Amendment #1 to the 2017 City of Ithaca Action Plan (HUD) Alderperson Martell moved to open the public hearing; seconded by Alderperson Brock. Carried unanimously. No one from the public was present to speak. Alderperson Brock moved to close the public hearing; seconded by Alderperson Martell. Carried unanimously. Approved at the September 13, 2017 PEDC Meeting 3) Public Comment and Response from Committee Members Fay Gougakis, the Commons, spoke regarding the bike rack design project. She has been biking in the City for years and feels she is not respected. The City does not protect cyclists. The bike rack design project is a waste of money and effort. The City needs to focus on safety first. Karen Gellman, 207 Columbia Street, has lived there for 20+ years. She spoke on the Columbia Street development. There are too many people, cars, lack of trees, etc. One of the issues in the neighborhood is poor drainage, the more development, the more problems; there are too many students who don’t know how to behave. She asked the City to take another look at the R1 and R2 zones. John and Rita Graves and Verlaine Boyd, 319 and 315 Pleasant Street. The City needs a moratorium in the South Hill area. South Hill is being transferred from a quiet, pleasant neighborhood to a student “ghetto”. Is this what the Planning Department wants for the City? The parties are numerous, so large the police are afraid to break them up, etc. If development continues as is currently, we will be in big trouble. Verlaine Boyd, 315 Pleasant Street, spoke against the South Hill development. What is the law for owner occupancy? Is the City in control or are the student landlords in charge? Ian Golden, 517 Hudson Street, is a graduate of Ithaca College and agrees that the students do bring vibrancy to the neighborhoods; but too much, is too much. He supports stopping the process and institute a moratorium for a bit. Jed Sheckler, 142 Hawthorne Place, has been in the area for about 20 years. He is raising three young children and supports the others’ comments. We need to step back as a community and see what we are doing. We need a plan. The developers do whatever they want and are allowed to do so. Heather Lambert and Casey Porter, 304 Hudson Street, we have always had a great neighborhood, but what’s happening is young students are moving in and getting trashed, passing out in our yard, throwing up in our lawn, students urinate, and throw garbage, etc. A beautiful neighborhood is being destroyed. She’s concerned about that as well as the safety of the students. Mayor Svante Myrick joined the meeting at 6:25 p.m. Henry Granison, 107 Oxford Place, spoke regarding the South Hill development issues. He agrees with the ‘student ghetto’ terminology. It’s happening. Approved at the September 13, 2017 PEDC Meeting Ken Young, 228 Columbia Street, commented on the new project at 217 Columbia Street. It is yet another student housing project. He renovates and sells home in this area to families, not rented to students. The Cosentini project on Aurora Street has been named as a similar ‘guide’ to the Columbia Street project. These areas are far different. One of the grander houses on Hudson Street has been bought up and cut up for student housing. He quoted many of the City Code statements that contradict the City’s actions to date. He urges a moratorium. The Town of Ithaca is working on a solution in their municipality. The City should follow suite. Sally Lockwood, 641 Hudson Street, near Therm. She worked with INHS to buy this house. Prior to her buying, there were developers who wanted to bring in student housing but were not able to due to the zoning restrictions. She agrees that a moratorium should be in place and make zoning restricted to student housing. Penny VanSchoick, 221 Columbia Street, lives right next to the proposed new development at 217 Columbia Street. She is the last owner occupied on the block. She is afraid that down the road she won’t be able to sell her house to anybody but Charlie O’Conner. Janet Fortess, 225 Columbia Street, is now the senior person on the street. She too enjoys the energy of the students, but enough is enough. She would like a moratorium put in place. When she first bought her home it was a two-family dwelling. She has since converted it to a one-family dwelling. Pam Mackesey, 323 Pleasant Street, with all the development happening, there are no back yards, no parking, etc. We don’t have to make it an ugly and inhabitable place to live. The City needs to step up and do something. The landlords who rent to the students don’t care about the neighborhood or the families that live there. They are all about the money they make. Chris McNamara, 122 Pearsall Place, attended Ithaca College as a student and now is a faculty member there. She has paid off her home and is now looking at an empty lot that she could add another dwelling to. That’s not what her family would like to do. We worked hard to pay off our home. We don’t want to live next to the students. David Beer, 311 Hudson Street, a local landlord with his parents. His parents’ home will gradually decrease due to the surrounding student housing. The notion that the zoning (R1 and R2) was written to allow this dense housing to happen needs to be looked at again. It will benefit the South Hill area a great deal. Charlie O’Connor, owner of 217 Columbia Street. He had a total different vision for 217 Columbia Street. He’s exploring different ideas. As a developer, he looked at what zoning allowed and went from there. He further stated that there will be a meeting to talk in depth about this project scheduled for next week in City Hall on Thursday, August 17th, at 5:30 p.m. Approved at the September 13, 2017 PEDC Meeting 4) Updates, Announcements, Reports a) Community Bike Rack Design Project – JoAnn Cornish 5) Action Items (Voting to send onto Council) a) Amendment #1 to the 2017 City of Ithaca Action Plan (HUD) 2017 Action Plan - Program Amendment #1, Reallocate HOME Funds Declined by Lakeview Health Services, Inc. Moved by Alderperson Brock; seconded by Alderperson Smith. Carried unanimously. Whereas, the City adopted 2017 Action Plan allocated $50,000 in HOME funds to assist the Lakeview Ithaca project, a 50-unit affordable rental housing building sponsored by Lakeview Health Services, Inc., (Lakeview), and Whereas, on June 22, 2017, Lakeview declined the HOME funding award for the project due to regulatory requirements triggered by receipt of HOME federal funds, which are projected to create both a financial and administrative burden far in excess of the $50,000 funding award, and Whereas, on June 26, 2017, the City received formal notice that its FY17 HOME award declined by 16% from the prior year’s award, thereby requiring a pro-rata funding reduction in all HOME- assisted projects, and Whereas, the Lakeview award declined to $43,708.16 from $50,000, and Whereas, the Ithaca Urban Renewal Agency (IURA) is designated by the City of Ithaca as the Lead Agency to develop, administer and implement the HUD Entitlement grant program, including funds received through the Home Investment Partnerships (HOME) program, and Whereas, the City’s HUD Citizen Participation Plan requires a public hearing and Common Council approval for a substantial amendment to the Action Plan, such as reallocation of more than $25,000, and Whereas, at their July 27, 2017 meeting, the IURA recommended reallocating funds awarded to Lakeview to restore funding cuts to other HOME-assisted projects; now, therefore, be it RESOLVED, that the Common Council for the City of Ithaca hereby adopts the IURA-recommended program amendment #1 to the FY17 HUD Action Plan to reallocate HOME funding as follows: Approved at the September 13, 2017 PEDC Meeting Project Name Sponsor Funding Change Final Funding Lakeview Ithaca Lakeview Health Services Decrease: $43,708.16 $0.00 402 S. Cayuga Street Habitat of Tompkins &Cortland Counties Increase: $10,066.95 $80,000.00 Housing Scholarship Program The Learning Web Increase: $8,253.89 $65,592.00 Security Deposit Assistance 2017-18 Catholic Charities of Tompkins/Tioga Increase: $5,379.52 $42,750.00 Unallocated HOME Funds Increase: $20,007.80 $20,007.80 j:\community development\entitlement grants\cdbg 2017\action plan\reso pedc fy17 action plan program amendment #1 8-9-17.docx Approved at the September 13, 2017 PEDC Meeting 6) Discussion a) Development Patterns on South Hill Chair Murtagh thanked all who spoke on this issue. Mayor Myrick stated that we can’t fix the problem without building new student housing. He would agree and propose a moratorium while we complete the neighborhood plan. He would support a moratorium on all housing. To propose it only student housing is discriminating and illegal. When you use the term ‘student ghetto’ it undermines your message. Alderperson Brock stated that the first person who raised issue on this was George McGonigal. He raised the red flag. He sent messages to the list serve, etc. Despite his efforts, it didn’t work. She also thanked Ken Young with all his research and work. She absolutely is in favor of a moratorium, but not on all housing. The existing R1, R2, and R3 zones are fine to offer one dwelling per parcel. This moratorium should be put in place city wide. She also thanked Charlie O’Connor for speaking tonight and for agreeing on a public meeting to discuss this project. We have three new university presidents coming on board this year. At State College, when the administration noticed three students having the same address, they flagged the City. This might be something to put in place here. Alderperson McGonigal thanked all who spoke tonight including Charlie O’Connor and the Mayor. He also praised Alderperson Brock for her forethought on how to correct the problem. He stated that students should live on campus. Homeowners are selling their homes to leave all the student housing around them. He stated that he thinks South Hill is already a dense area. He sees a problem with allowing a second dwelling on one parcel. No family would be able to afford to buy such parcels. He agrees that a moratorium is in order. JoAnn Cornish thanked Alderperson Brock for pointing out that the zoning has been in place for a very long time. It is only recently that we’ve seen an influx of this type of density. She further pointed out the inspection cycle for each type of housing. Single family homes have a five-year inspection cycle. A lot came happen in five years – bedrooms are changed into different rooms, etc. She agrees that a moratorium is a good idea, how the City is already working on the Southside Plan, Waterfront Plan, and the Parks Master Plan. Our staff is stretched very thin. Alderperson Brock stated that it was a complete shock that is was even possible to add multiple dwellings on one parcel. Approved at the September 13, 2017 PEDC Meeting Murtagh stated that in-fill density is needed. Neighborhoods are all different. This isn’t shutting down housing for students. The next step is to how to move forward. Mayor Myrick stated that if the comprehensive plan were in place, there may be more housing on campus with the bars remaining downtown and bus transportation from downtown to campus and back. Alderperson Brock stated that the increase of student parties, etc. is due to the new tools available to the students i.e., social media, etc. Chair Murtagh stated that staff will take all this input into consideration and discuss it at the next meeting. Approved at the September 13, 2017 PEDC Meeting b) Future of College Avenue Fire Station Approved at the September 13, 2017 PEDC Meeting Mayor Myrick left the meeting at 8:50 p.m. 7) Review and Approval of Minutes a) July 2017 Moved by Alderperson Martell; seconded by Alderperson Brock. Passed unanimously. 8) Adjournment Moved by Alderperson Brock; seconded by Alderperson Martell. Passed unanimously. The meeting was adjourned at 8:55 p.m.