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Home My WebLink AboutMN-BZA-1972-04-03 i !I BOARD OF ZONING APPEALS, CITY OF ITHAICA, CITY BALL, ITHACA, NEW YORK APRIL 3rd, 1972 NMy��►MN�N�w��►MAI��M�NN��•/r M�r4��A��AM�i•�.�A�N�MN� 11AY PRESENT: JAMES ROGAN, Chairman GREG KASPRZAK C. MURRAY VAN T4ARTER GEORGE HARPER ! EDISON JONES, Building Commissioner & Secretary The Chairman opens meeting and informs appellants that inasmuch as only four members of the Board of Zoning Appeals, City of Ithaca, are present, and inasmuch as four affirmative votes will be necessary in order to grant an appeal, appellants may have the opportunity to re- quest adjournment, in order to submit application at a subsequent meeting. �( COMMISSIONER JONES: The first case will be No. 975, the Appeal of Mobil Oil Corporation of 675 Brooks Avenue,i Rochester, New York, seeking an exception from the Zoning Ordinance of the City of Ithaca, for property located at 540 West State Street, at North Meadow i Street, in a 3-4 district. THE CHAIR: Who is representing the Mobil Oil Corporation? WILLIAM M. WOODHOUSE: Mr. Chairman, Members of the Board, my f name is William M. Woodhouse, engines representative for the Mobil Oil Corporation, in the Rochester district of Mobil Oil Corporation, which comprises some eighteen oountibs in the central part of the State. My office is at 675 Brooks Avenue, Rochester, New York 14534. i The petition before you is the result of a requirement in the Zoning of a B-4 zone, calling fo a set-back of 10 feet from the property lines for any structure. We found from consultation with the Building Commissioner that the new pump island canopies which we propose to install would be regarded as structures. Therefore we made a study of our plot plan and found that it would be very difficult for us to set the edge of the canopies back 10 feet from each property line because that would necessitate moving the two islands. i MR. WOODHOUSE: This would cause the island to be converged towards the building and would disrupt the natural traffic pattern to the point of an impossible situation, at least totally impractical. We would need to move the island on North Meadow Street in an easterly direction towards the buil- ding, and the island on West State Street in a northerly direction, also towards the building, causing the two to converge to a point where the natural traffic pattern would be very difficult for oustomers, to give them some help and protec- tion from the weather. The islands will be re- built in their entirety, the island on North Meadow Street being a 19 foot island and the is- land on West State Street being a 16 Foot island The size of the canopies is the same for both' islands, 25 by 25 square feet. The bottom of th canopy, per se, would be approximately 14 feet above the driveway grade. The canopy would con- tain fluorescent lighting under the canopy' directed downwards so as to create a pool of i light at the island only. It would not shine ou towards the streets, but would be confined to the island area. The island would have two sup- ports for the oanopy, the supports being 6 inches square, of steel, and these would in no way Ante fere with the view of the motorist at the inter- section; in fact, nothing we propose would in any way detract from the safety of the intersootJon. Unless you gentlemen have some quer tions, that is all I have in my presentation. MR. HARPER: You want it a half a foot from the sidewalk. We have snow here. Do you have any `ray of counter- acting this? A. In the roof there is a lip and it is pitched towards the center and the drainage comes dozen one of the two supporting columns. THE CHAIR: Is this high enough so that if a truck pulled up close it would miss it? A. Yes, sir. It is 14 feet from the grade to the canopy. This canopy is made of struotural steel with a substantial roof. The facia, one foot thick, is of plastic and is white. The general appearance would be something in this order. i . Mr. Woodhouse shows colored sketch of station with canopies and surroun- dings. MR. KASPRZAE: Is there any danger of the wind loads tipping that over? A. No, sir, that hos been incorporated in the designp and designed by engineers qualified to design it. MR. VAN MA.RTER: Are there any signs on the canopy? `-� A. No. sire none. We only propose to change the existing sign to the same sizes but with a dif- ferent message on it. THE CHAIR: The island on the west side is how far from the line? A, The island is 10.75 feet from the property line; the edge of the canopy would be 6 inches. Q. How far is the present island from the gas stab ? A. We are going to move them a little bit. Q. What would be the distance from the center line of that island to the front of the station? A. 28 feet. MR, VAN MARTER: This operation is to be an attended service? A. Yes, it is. • MR. HARPER: Will you have standard cut-offs? A. This will be a system designed specifically for • self-servioeq, all controlled within the building, and there is built into the system a panic button in case anything should go wrong. THE CHAIR: Is there any one here to speak in favor of this? None. Is there any one here to speak against this? None. 0 i THE CHAIR: The next case is Case No. 9690 the Appeal of Rhomao DLvision, Rhomac Aviation, Incorporated, of 210 Center Street in an R-3 district, owner of property, Ralph S. Marvin Assooiates, Inc., seeking an exception to the Zoning Ordinance, Who is appearing for the application? KAREN ASHWORTH: Yq name is Karen Ashworth and I am representing the Rhomao Division, Rhomao Aviation, Incorporated, for an exception to sign. I an the secretary there. The sign now there is using the same frame as Towner Electric used for many years. The ligh on the sign is the same lighting as that used by Towner Electric., two incandescent lights, I beliepve, two of them illuminating the sign. There is a sign on the side of the building, 8 feet square, with no writing. It is also left over from Towner Eleotrio. All we have done is basically to change the lettering on the Towner Electric sign. In preparation for tonight, I have a petition and two letters with me, noting neighbors' approval of the sign. out of the 32 properties listed within 200 square feet I have 28 yeses and I could not contact the others The people who live across the street and the people who are next to us have all signed; in fact, one of the two people who live opposite us wrote a letter which I have here. This neighbor casae over and said they liked our sign and it is in no way detrimental as far as the neighbors are concerned. MR. HARPER: Where is the sign that is on the side? A. It is on the east side and I think a request is already in the application. Signs are quite expensive and we are quite happy with our one sign in the front, and we have just re-painted it. That was the one Towner Electric had. We have no plan for the second sign. We have just changed the name on the sign because "Towner Electric" does not apply to us. We are just using the same backing. COMMISSIONER JONES: We now have a now ball game in there. We have a now corporation which is in no regard Towner Electric. They applied for a sign permit and l � COMMISSIONER JONES (continuing) ; we said if they wanted more, they would havb to come for sign size. At the time the other representative came, he did not know what they were going to do with the sign. . KAREN AS34ORTH: It has been a very mixed up company and they are trying to get things organized together. THE CHAIR: Is there any one here who wishes to speak in favor of this application? None. Is there any one here who wishes to speak in opposition to this application? None. MMCTMVE SESSIONS BOARD OF ZONING APPEALS, CITY OF ITHACA April 3rd, 1972 ww.rwwwwNwwwwww.NwNwwNNN wNNNwww ww+-www! +wwwwww.�wwwrr.w.www+wa -5: MR. HARPER: Move to grant the exception requested with the following condition: That no signs be put on any part of the structure. MR. K&SPRZAK: Second. I Findings of Fat: 1) That the canopy does not have the oonnotatiom of a building; 2) That there is no obstruction to visibility at the intersection from the proposed con- struction; 3) That there have been no complaints from neighboring properties. VOTE: Yes - 4 No - 0 Nwww�wwl�-�wl►wwwwwMNwMww-wrlr-�►ww--wiw wMNwNNwY--w�llww-www-www.M-+1► GM NO., 969: MR. HARPER: Move to grant the exception as requested. MR. KASPRZAK: Second. E&Ususs.,ofFact: 1) That there are no neighborhood complaints; 2) That lighting in this neighborhood would add to the safety factor. VOTE: Yes - 3 No - 1 • wwwwaw.�wwr--ww+AwwwwrMr�ww-.��wMw+-Mww.N�ww�-w-wwww.��w�ww�www.�w.�w-rwN i