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HomeMy WebLinkAboutMN-PLED-2017-10-11 Approved at the February 14, 2018 PEDC Meeting City of Ithaca Planning & Economic Development Committee Wednesday, October 11, 2017 – 6:00 p.m. Common Council Chambers, City Hall, 108 East Green Street Minutes Committee Members Attending: Joseph (Seph) Murtagh, Chair; Cynthia Brock, Rob Gearhart, Michael Decatur, and Stephen Smith Committee Members Absent: None Other Elected Officials Attending: None Staff Attending: JoAnn Cornish, Director, Planning and Development Department; Jennifer Kusznir, Senior Planner; Megan Wilson, Senior Planner; Bryan McCracken, Historic Preservation Planner; Nels Bohn, Director of Ithaca Urban Renewal Agency; Anisa Mendizabal, IURA Community Planner; 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 The Collegetown and Downtown Design Guidelines presentation and the vote to circulate were moved to the front of the meeting agenda. Alderperson Brock asked before this goes to a vote, she would like to see the zoning changes. 2) Special Order of Business a) Design Guidelines for Collegetown and Downtown Megan Wilson presented the guidelines to the group. The presentation can be found at the following links: Collegetown: http://www.cityofithaca.org/DocumentCenter/Home/View/6923 Downtown: http://www.cityofithaca.org/DocumentCenter/Home/View/6924 Approved at the February 14, 2018 PEDC Meeting b) Public Hearing – South Hill Overlay District Alderperson Brock moved to open the public hearing; seconded by Alderperson Smith. Carried Unanimously. Steve Rogers, 152 Coddington Road, spoke in favor of the implementation of the overlay district. Jes Seaver, 218 CoddingtonRoad Columbia Street. She lives across from the controversial site at 217 Coddington Road Columbia Street that began this overlay district. She is happy that the developer has changed his plan to focus on single family homes family-oriented design rather than rental property student-oriented design. She would like to see Council focus more on the student behavior. Kenny Broadwell, 218 Coddington Road Columbia Street. He mirrors the comments of his spouse Jes Seaver. They are currently in the building permit and site plan review of their current project. He asks for some time before this goes into effect. Patrick Braga, 118 Prospect Street, supports the overlay district proposal as a temporary measure. In fills should attract families to keep the neighborhood a more family friendly neighborhood. Kurt Martin, 311 Turner Place, he and his partner value the student population to help enrich the neighborhood. He defined the term in -fill. He stated that this does not follow the Comprehensive Plan. Ken Young, 228 Columbia Street, is in favor the proposed overlay district. John Efroymson (sp?), 407 Columbia Street, is in favor of the overlay district proposal. He’s been a member of the neighborhood for years. We are on the brink of our neighborhoods going away from families. John Graves, 319 Pleasant Street. The majority of these properties are in the R1 and R2 zones. Permanent residents living with undergraduates is challenging but is worth working on. An interim overlay district is a must until the City can review this neighborhood using the guidelines of the Comprehensive Plan. Jessie Hill, changing the zoning in this area will not solve the current issues. When will the City accept that Ithaca is a Collegetown? Those who want to build then decide to rent to a student will run into problems because the City won’t let it happen. Alderperson Smith moved to close the public hearing; seconded by Alderperson Brock. Carried Unanimously. Approved at the February 14, 2018 PEDC Meeting c) Public Hearing – Assessment of Fair Housing Alderperson Brock moved to open the public hearing; seconded by Alderperson Smith. Carried unanimously. Denise Katzman, 309 Center Street, spoke in favor of the fair housing assessment. We need to take care of the current and future tenants. Housing crisis occur in many cities. The United States spends $1.2 M a year in homelessness. We should focus on fair housing first. Alderperson Brock moved to close the public hearing; seconded by Alderperson Smith. Carried Unanimously. 3) Public Comment and Response from Committee Members Patrick Braga, 118 Prospect Street, spoke regarding the Collegetown and Downtown Guidelines. We need to review what the samples we are looking at to help determine these guidelines. They need to be consistent with our local landscape. Dan Hoffman, 915 Elm Street, has many years of Ithaca experience in many different arenas – student, council member, city attorney – spoke in support of the historic designation of the Chacona Block to be a blend of different styles and eras. Caroline O’Malley, 212 Center Street and Historic Ithaca. She fully supports the designation of the Chacona Block. It blends the old and the new of street scape Alphonse Pieper, 139 Ithaca Road, supports the designation of the Chacona Block. His written comments are included with these minutes. Nancy Break, 5214 Jacksonville Road, supports the designation of the Chacona Block. When we lose old buildings, we lose a bit of ourselves. Ithaca is a city who claims to support the green practices. This is one way to do so. Kyle Karnes, Student Agencies, 409 College Avenue, he fully respects and understands the meaning of landmark designation. In terms of these buildings, they need to be replaced. They were not build to remain standing. He asks the City to reject the designation of the Chacona Block. W endy Wilcox, 220 Bryant Avenue. In the case of the Nines, 411 College Avenue, the profits made will be used to further the commitment of students. There has Approved at the February 14, 2018 PEDC Meeting been a recent trend where parents buy homes in the Collegetown area for their children to live. She encourages the City to not designate the Chacona Block. Brad Edmundson, 106 Short Street, has worked at Cornell Sun for years. A lot of their workers are students. Student Agencies do a large amount of good. He urges Student Agencies be allowed to continue as they are without designation. Frost Travis, 204 White Park Road, is in favor of Student Agencies. If this building is designated, we add a huge of financial hardship to make any changes. He encourages the City not to designate this building. Nick Lambrou, 405 Eddy Street, stated that he has always had good experiences with the ILPC. I believe the historic designation is valuable. Zachary Shulman, 417 Hudson Street, supports the non -designation of the Chacona Block. It houses Students Agencies which has provided a lot to the City. Collegetown Bagels is housed in the Chacona Block. It’s the CTB business that make the building what it is. If you landmark the building, you will burden Student Agencies. Ravi Meel, 5076 Cold Springs Road, does not support the designation of the Chacona Block. Ken Rother, 954 Coddington Road, does not support the designation of the Chacona Block. It will seriously deflate any continuation of Students Agencies. G. Lincoln Morse, 720 Willow Avenue, spoke against the designation of the Chacona Block. He has many years of experience in remodeling, etc. He does not know how to fix the façade of this building. Steve Hugo, 111 Center Street, is not in favor of the designation. Not all old buildings are good. Surely new development could favor this area as a gateway to the City. Yamila Fournier, Village of Lansing, works for Whitham Consulting. This is not a great building. An engineering report from Tatum Engineering states that this building is beyond its reasonable life. Scott Whitham, City of Ithaca, he urges the City to not designate this property and allow Student Agencies to update and renovate this building. Costa Lambrou, 309 Eddy Street, is a huge supporter of Student Agencies and why it’s important to keep this building as is and not designate. Madeline Leiber, 409 College Avenue, she too is a huge supporter of Student Agencies and how much they helped her. Approved at the February 14, 2018 PEDC Meeting Mary Tomlan, 200 Delaware Avenue, City historian and neighbor. She sees this building as a great example of teaching those students helped by Student Agencies. The façade of the very simple Chacona Block is very subtle. Very composition of architecture that should not be easily dismissed. John Schroeder, 618 Stewart Avenue, he sees this building as a prime examp le of a designated building. This building was built to allow the Chacona family to work at their confectionary business. Historic designation is key. Kenny Broadwell, is an electrician who has worked on this building. He does not find this building is worth working on or renovating it. Alderperson Smith stated that there was large packet of information supplied by Student Agencies that did not make its way into the agenda packet, however, Common Council was provided this information. 4) Updates, Announcements, Reports No updates or announcements were given. 5) Action Items (Voting to send onto Council) (a) Assessment of Fair Housing – HUD Entitlement Program Moved by Alderperson Smith; seconded by Alderperson Gearhart. Passed unanimously. WHEREAS, the City of Ithaca (City) receives an annual grant funding from the U.S. Department of Housing & Urban Development (HUD) Entitlement program, which requires the City to adopt and submit an Assessment of Fair Housing (AFH) by November 4, 2017 as a condition for continued funding, and WHEREAS, the City has contracted with the Ithaca Urban Renewal Agency (IURA) to administer, implement and monitor the City’s HUD Entitlement program in compliance with all applicable regulations, and WHEREAS, the IURA has conducted community engagement activities, analyzed fair housing issues and completed a draft Assessment of Fair Housing (AFH), and WHEREAS, Federal fair housing law prohibits discrimination based on race, color, religion, national origin, sex, disability or familial status, and WHEREAS, fair housing issues restrict housing choice and access to opportunity for protected classes, and include:  Patterns of segregation  Racially or ethnically concentrated areas of poverty Approved at the February 14, 2018 PEDC Meeting  Disparities in access to opportunity  Disproportionate housing need, and WHEREAS, the AFH utilizes HUD-provided data and local information to assess housing issues; identifies contributing factors that create, contribute to, perpetuate or increase the severity of one or more housing issues; and develops goals to address barriers to fair housing, and WHEREAS, a public hearing was held on September 13, 2017 during the development of the AFH, and WHEREAS, the draft AFH is available for a 30-day comment period ending October 30, 2017, now, therefore, be it RESOLVED, that the Common Council for the City of Ithaca hereby adopts the City of Ithaca Assessment of Fair Housing, Ithaca, NY as amended to incorporate comments received. b) South Hill Overlay District An Ordinance Amending The Municipal Code Of The City Of Ithaca, Chapter 325, Entitled “Zoning,” In Order to Create a South Hill Overlay District – Declaration of Lead Agency Moved by Alderperson Smith; seconded by Alderperson Gearhart. Passed unanimously. WHEREAS, State Law and Section 176-6 of the City Code require that a lead agency be established for conducting environmental review of projects in accordance with local and state environmental law, and WHEREAS, State Law specifies that, for actions governed by local environmental review, the lead agency shall be that local agency which has primary responsibility for approving and funding or carrying out the action, and WHEREAS, the proposed zoning amendment is an “Type 1” Action pursuant to the City Environmental Quality Review (CEQR) Ordinance, which requires environmental review under CEQR; now, therefore, be it RESOLVED, that the Common Council of the City of Ithaca does hereby declare itself lead agency for the environmental review of the proposal to amending the Municipal Code Of The City Of Ithaca, Chapter 325, Entitled “Zoning,” To Create a South Hill Overlay District. Approved at the February 14, 2018 PEDC Meeting An Ordinance Amending The Municipal Code Of The City Of Ithaca, Chapter 325, Entitled “Zoning,” In Order to Create a South Hill Overlay District – Declaration of Environmental Significance Moved by Alderperson Smith; seconded by Alderperson Brock. Passed unanimously. 1. WHEREAS, The Common Council is considering a proposal to amend the Municipal Code of the City Of Ithaca, Chapter 325, Entitled “Zoning,” in order to create a South Hill Overlay District, and 2. WHEREAS, the appropriate environmental review has been conducted, including the preparation of a Full Environmental Assessment Form Parts 1, 2, and 3 (FEAF), dated September 15, 2007 and 3. WHEREAS, the proposed action is a “TYPE I” Action under the City Environmental Quality Review Ordinance, and 4. WHEREAS, the Common Council of the City of Ithaca, acting as lead agency, has reviewed the FEAF prepared by planning staff; now, therefore, be it 1. RESOLVED, that this Common Council, as lead agency in this matter, hereby adopts as its own the findings and conclusions more fully set forth on the Full Environmental Assessment Form, dated September 15, 2017 and be it further 2. RESOLVED, that this Common Council, as lead agency in this matter, hereby determines that the proposed action at issue will not have a significant effect on the environment, and that further environmental review is unnecessary, and be it further 3. RESOLVED, that this resolution constitutes notice of this negative declaration and that the City Clerk is hereby directed to file a copy of the same, together with any attachments, in the City Clerk’s Office, and forward the same to any other parties as required by law. Approved at the February 14, 2018 PEDC Meeting An Ordinance Amending The Municipal Code Of The City Of Ithaca, Chapter 325, Entitled “Zoning,” in Order to Establish a South Hill Overlay District ORDINANCE NO. ____ Moved by Alderperson Brock; seconded by Alderperson Smith. Passed unanimously. 1. WHEREAS, residents of the South Hill neighborhood have expressed concerns that rapid in-fill development is taking place in the neighborhood and will have a drastic impact on both the aesthetic qualities and the character of the neighborhood, and WHEREAS, currently, this area is predominantly zoned R- 1b, R-2a and R-3b, and 2. WHEREAS, the R-1 and R-2 districts are intended to be lower density districts that are restricted to 1 and 2 family houses and larger lot sizes and these zones are usually located in areas where there are established owner occupied neighborhoods, and 3. WHEREAS, existing zoning regulations permit properties to construct multiple primary structures on a single tax parcel if they are able to meet the area requirements for each additional structure, and 4. WHEREAS, recent development projects in the South Hill neighborhood have been able to meet area requirements allowing development of multiple primary structures on one parcel, which has the potential to significantly change the character of this neighborhood, and 5. WHEREAS, in September of 2015, the Common Council adopted Plan Ithaca as Phase I of the City’s Comprehensive Plan and in 2016, the City began working on Phase II of the Comprehensive Plan, which is a series of neighborhood and area plans, and 6. WHEREAS, in order to allow residents to participate in creating a vision for this area and for the City to develop a plan for sensible growth and development, the City anticipates beginning work on an area plan for the South Hill neighborhood within the next year, and Approved at the February 14, 2018 PEDC Meeting 7. WHEREAS, to ensure that any ongoing development while the plan is being developed supports the goals of the City’s Comprehensive Plan, the City is proposing the creation of an overlay zoning district that would restrict properties to constructing only one primary structure per tax parcel, and 8. WHEREAS, this overlay district will be used to establish the boundaries of the South Hill Study Area, and 9. WHEREAS, once the City completes the planning process for this area, it can determine whether there are locations where in-fill development is more appropriate and whether design guidelines are needed to ensure new development is in line with the neighborhood character, now therefore BE IT ORDAINED AND ENACTED by the Common Council of the City of Ithaca that Chapter 325, Zoning, be amended as follows: Section 1. Chapter 325 (“Zoning”), Section 325- 3(“Definitions and Word Usage”) of the Municipal Code of the City of Ithaca is hereby amended in order to add a definition of the term Primary Structure, to read as follows: Primary Structure A single structure (located on a parcel) containing a use permitted in the zoning district in which it is located. Section 2. Chapter 325 (“Zoning”), Section 325-4(“Zoning Districts”) of the Municipal Code of the City of Ithaca is hereby amended to add a South Hill Overlay District (SHOD). Section 3. Chapter 325, Section 325-5, Zoning Map of the Municipal Code of the City of Ithaca is hereby amended to create a South Hill Overlay District (SHOD) to include properties located within the boundaries displayed on the map entitled “Proposed Boundary for South Hill Overlay District-September 2017”, a copy of which is attached and shall be kept on file in the City Clerk’s office. Approved at the February 14, 2018 PEDC Meeting Section 4. Chapter 325 (“Zoning”), Section 325-8(“District Regulations”) of the Municipal Code of the City of Ithaca is hereby amended to add a subsection 325-8E. Entitled “Additional Restrictions in the South Hill Area” to read as follows: E. Additional Restrictions in the South Hill Area (1) South Hill Overlay District Restrictions a. After the date of this ordinance, any property located within the South Hill Overlay District with a zoning designation of R-1 or R-2 is prohibited from constructing a primary structure on any parcel already containing one or more primary structures, and is prohibited from constructing more than one primary structure on a parcel containing no primary structures. The preceding sentence shall not impact future changes to primary structures existing prior to the effective date of this paragraph. Section 5. Severability. If any section, subsection, sentence, clause, phrase or portion of this ordinance is held to be invalid or unconstitutional by a court of competent jurisdiction, then that decision shall not affect the validity of the remaining portions of this ordinance. Section 6. Effective date. This ordinance shall take effect immediately and in accordance with law upon publication of notices as provided in the Ithaca City Charter. Mayor Myrick joined the meeting at 8:45 p.m. c) Proposed Local Landmark Designation of the Chacona Block at 411 -415 College Avenue A structural engineer was asked for his opinion on the building. The building is in good shape its age. The façade has deteriorated and no longer keeps water, etc. out of the building. In his opinion, he doesn’t think the façade can be saved. It would need to be replaced. Mayor Myrick stated he doesn’t think that this committee should designate this building. It’s not the building that makes it great, it’s the use of it. Moved by Alderperson Murtagh; seconded by no one. WHEREAS, as set forth in Section 228-4 of the Municipal Code, the Ithaca Landmarks Preservation Commission (ILPC) is responsible for recommending to Common Council Approved at the February 14, 2018 PEDC Meeting the designation of identified structures or resources as individual landmarks and historic districts within the city, and WHEREAS, on August 8, 2017, the ILPC concluded a public hearing for the purpose of considering a proposal to designate the Chacona Block at 411-415 College Avenue as a local landmark, and WHEREAS, the designation of a local landmark is a Type II action under the NYS Environmental Quality Review Act and the City Environmental Quality Review Ordinance and as such requires no further environmental review, and WHEREAS, the ILPC found that the proposal meets criteria 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5 defining a “Local Landmark” under Section 228-3B of the Municipal Code and on August 8, 2017, voted to recommend the designation of the Chacona Block at 411-415 College Avenue, and WHEREAS, as set forth in Section 228-4 of the Municipal Code, the Planning Board shall file a report with Common Council with respect to the relation of such designation to the comprehensive plan, the zoning law, projected public improvements and any plans for the renewal of the site or area involved, and WHEREAS, a cop y of the Planning Board's report and recommendation for approval of the designation, adopted b y resolution at the meeting held on September 26, 2017, has been reviewed b y the Common Council, and WHEREAS, Section 228-4 of the Municipal Code states that the Council shall within ninety days of said recommendation of designation, approve, disapprove or refer back to the ILPC for modification of same; now, therefore, be it RESOLVED, that the Common Council finds that the designation [is/is not] compatible with and [will/will not] conflict with the comprehensive plan, existing zoning, projected public improvements or an y plans for renewal of the site and area involved, and be it further RESOLVED, that the Chacona Block at 411-415 College Avenue, meets criteria for local designation, as set forth in the Municipal Code, as follows: 1. it possesses special character or historic or aesthetic interest or value as part of the cultural, political, economic, or social history of the locality, region, state, or nation; or 2. it is identified with historically significant person(s) or event(s); or 3. it embodies the distinguishing characteristics of an architectural style; or is the work of a designer whose work has significantl y influenced an age; or 4. represents an established and familiar visual feature of the community by virtue of its unique location or singular physical characteristics. RESOLVED, that the Ithaca Common Council [approves/disapproves] the designation of the Chacona Block at 411-415 College Avenue and the adjacent areas that are identified as tax parcel #64.-2-1 as a local landmark. RECORD OF VOTE: Moved by: 0 Approved at the February 14, 2018 PEDC Meeting Seconded: 0 In favor: 0 Against: 0 Abstain: 0 Absent: 0 Vacancies: Chair Murtagh made a motion to move this resolution that failed in committee to the full Council for a vote. 6) Review and Approval of Minutes a) September 2017 – The minutes were not available for a vote. 7) Adjournment Moved by Alderperson Gearhart; seconded by Alderperson Brock. Passed unanimously. The meeting was adjourned at 9:45 p.m.