HomeMy WebLinkAbout2018-01-02-PB-FINALTOWN OF ULYSSES
PLANNING BOARD
MEETING MINUTES
Tuesday, January 02, 2018
Approved: January 16, 2018
Present: Chair David Blake, and board members Benjamin LeWalter, Rebecca Schneider, John
Wertis and Sara Worden.
Mr. LeWalter was named a voting member in place of David Tyler, who was excused.
Public in Attendance: none
Call to order: 7:03 p.m.
Agenda Review; Minutes Review (12/19/17)
Meeting minutes were not yet available.
Privilege of the Floor: No one addressed the Board at this time.
Draft Zoning Discussion
Mr. Blake said Liz Thomas, chair of the Zoning Update Steering Committee (ZUSC), has invited
two members from each of the Town boards and committees to attend ZUSC’s next meeting on
January 18 and offer additional public input. Mr. Wertis, Ms. Schneider, and Mr. LeWalter all
expressed an interest in attending the meeting.
Unrelated to zoning, Mr. Wertis offered a resolution supporting the investigation of historic
properties in the Town of Ulysses and the possible creation of an overlay historic zone and
historic properties local law.
Mr. Wertis MADE the MOTION to approve the resolution, and Ms. Schneider SECONDED the
MOTION. Discussion ensued.
Ms. Schneider thought the proposal was a good idea. Does it include the Village of
Trumansburg? It could, Mr. Wertis said, but it would be more complicated since the Town
cannot govern the Village. He described his research as an ongoing project, saying he found an
old map that labels structures by code, but he has been unable thus far in determining what the
codes mean. A Waterburg resident, Ms. Schneider said she has seen firsthand historic structures
in the Hamlet get torn down. Identifying these historic structures and learning more about the
Town’s options in protecting them are important first steps and are worthwhile. She noted the
number of historic buildings in Trumansburg and said more effort should be made to protect
them. Mr. Blake said he supported the effort but could not support the creation of a local law.
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January 2, 2018
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Mr. Wertis withdrew conditions 2 and 3 from the resolution. The resolution was amended as
follows:
Whereas the 2009 Town of Ulysses Comprehensive Plan begins with the identification and
discussion of “historic small communities” in the town and emphasizes the desirability of
preserving what remains, and
Whereas, the town is currently reviewing the zoning for the A-1, R-1, R-2, and Hamlet zones
where many of these properties are located,
Therefore, The Planning Board proposes that they undertake, with the assistance of the Town
Planner, to identify and map such properties.
The vote was follows:
Mr. Blake AYE
Mr. LeWalter AYE
Ms. Schneider AYE
Mr. Wertis AYE
Ms. Worden AYE
Result: Resolution passed
Draft zoning discussion
Mr. Wertis said ZUSC has not looked at the subdivision analysis since it was submitted more
than a month ago. At the Planning Board’s last meeting, it seemed there was going to be a
slowdown on zoning updates, he said. There needs to be an opportunity to ask questions and get
answers, not just a public hearing. Mr. Blake noted the public comment deadline on the zoning
proposal has been pushed back to January 25.
Ms. Schneider offered her thoughts: there seem to be two different requests – on one side, the
farming community is telling ZUSC that the committee does not have the appropriate statistics to
make an informed decision; on the other side, some – like Bob Howarth and several others – are
suggesting they are not concerned about the number of farmers potentially affected by the
updated zoning, since so many non-farmers own the ag land and lease it for ag use. Those are
two different sets of questions. Meanwhile, there are three major points of concern with the
zoning proposal – acreage, road frontage and the number of subdivisions, and the overarching
contention over whether or not the new zoning is actually justified. At the previous meeting of
stakeholders, most liked the idea of cluster development, but it was dismissed as too expensive
because the Town would need to build roads. Now, ZUSC is right back to allowing roadside
development, she said. Ithaca is growing like crazy, and it is coming our way. Mr. Wertis said
the Ag and Farmland Protection Plan (AFPP) Committee recognized the development in the
southeast corridor of Route 96 is very different from what is happening Townwide. The current
zoning review looks at the whole A1 zone as a single entity, and that is counter to what the AFPP
Committee wanted, he said.
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January 2, 2018
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Ms. Schneider said she is concerned with the prospect of combining both ag and rural areas and
giving them one set of rules. Protecting farmland, protecting farms and preventing suburbia
require three different strategies.
Mr. Wertis said there has not been an effort from the ZUSC to say, “here is where we discussed
this”. It has been frustrating for the Ag Committee because they do not get answers, nor do they
or the public see the data used to inform decisions. There is an impression that the zoning
updates are being rushed to completion, he said. Ms. Schneider said there needs to be an analysis
of the full document, with justifications given for proposed changes. She offered to review the
document and outline areas that need explanation. Ms. Worden said ZUSC is limited in its
perspective based on its membership; the Ag Committee has not had a voice. Will there ever be a
discussion when we all meet face to face? Public outreach and meeting notices are additional
concerns, she said. The Town website has lots of information, but it requires hours of reading.
There are commonalities of vision among the stakeholders; our collective goals overlap, she said.
Planning Board members discussed the zoning process thus far and ways it could have been
improved.
The Planning Board reached a consensus to hold its next meeting on January 16.
Mr. Wertis MADE the MOTION to adjourn the meeting, and Ms. Schneider SECONDED the
MOTION. The motion was unanimously carried.
Meeting adjourned at 8:02 p.m.
Respectfully submitted by Louis A. DiPietro II on January 11, 2018.