Minutes
Planning, Development &
Environmental Quality Committee
Tompkins County Legislature
Regular Meeting
March 16, 2006 3:00 PM Old Jail Conference
Room
Members
Present: Martha Robertson (Chair), Jim Dennis,
Frank Proto, Tyke Randall
Member
Excused: Kathy Luz Herrera
Other
Legislators Present: Dooley Kiefer, Pam
Mackesey
Staff: Joan
Jurkowich, TCPD
Jackie Kippola, T C
Administration
Ed Marx, Commissioner of
Planning & PW
Kathy Wilsea, TCPD
Visitors: Martha
Armstrong, T C Area Development
Fred
Bonn, Convention & Visitors Bureau
Maria
Coles, City of Ithaca Common Council
Gary
Ferguson, Ithaca Downtown Partnership
David
Kay, Southwest Area Committee
Jean
McPheeters, Chamber of Commerce
Steve
Nicholson, Environmental Management Council
Carolyn
Peterson, Mayor, City of Ithaca
Mary
Tomlan, City of Ithaca Common Council
Thys
VanCort, City of Ithaca Planning Director
a Discussion with City Officials -- Thys VanCort provided a map and mentioned the Southwest natural area is separate from the de-parked area. Mayor Peterson provided a summary of the Southwest committee’s charge and said the only criticism received has been about preservation of natural areas and wetlands. The study area is 60 acres of City-owned land. The committee was mostly comprised of volunteers.
David Kay pointed out the committee developed a vision statement, not an implementation plan. They asked themselves whether or not housing would be a good use for the site, and what balance of types of use was desirable. Using New Urbanism concepts, it would be a dense neighborhood, with permanently affordable housing and sustainable building standards. If the concept is considered in a larger context, it also addresses County housing needs.
Martha Robertson said today’s discussion is for information and input for County Legislators. Jim Dennis said he has followed the committee’s work, and hopes it is achievable to retain 1/3 of the land as green space. David Kay said there was some dissention on this, and the committee can only make recommendations. Mayor Peterson noted any implementation would be made in stages anyway. David Kay said the committee did not do research on wetlands delineation or buffer requirements. The function of buffer zones is important, and not necessary linked to acreage. Thys VanCort said 11.7 acres are wetlands under old federal regulations, and it is not clear to him yet about classification under the new federal regulations. Wetlands need to be kept or replaced. He is not sure there is value added if they preserve more than required. His opinion is that it is important to maximize the amount of land that can be developed. Maria Coles said there has been vivid and animated discussion in the community about how much of the land should be developed. Thys showed the levee on the map, and said property on the east side has had creek-level flooding occasionally. Lake-level flooding affects the whole area. The property in the proposal is not in the flood plain because of the levee. The GEIS examined the old dumpsite for toxics, traffic capacity of the neighborhood, and stormwater capacity on the property. They concluded the level of development that is proposed is appropriate.
Legislator
concerns were including a car share lot; permanent affordability; change from
mixed use to minimal retail; and changes in the wetlands in the past few years.
Steve Nicholson mentioned proximity to the Sustainable Tompkins proposed green
business district. David Kay said
the committee was interested in permanent affordability and is trying to
develop an achievable scenario.
Ithaca Neighborhood Housing Services is interested in doing it through a
land trust. They also were very
interested in a car share option, and had other small-use requests from the
public like a fire station and indoor skate park. Since the location is already near major retail development,
they became mostly interested in uses that serve the neighborhood (e.g., day
care) and home-based businesses.
Thys
VanCort thought the wetlands might need to be checked for recertification. Ed Marx mentioned the governor is
supporting changes in NYS regulations for size of wetlands that would be
controlled by DEC. Thys noted the
area doesn’t have native species diversity. The RFQ process will begin soon through the City Planning
Department. They will seek ideas
without specific proposals, and then expect the selected developer to go
through an extensive planning process with public input.
a Develop list of considerations – Mayor Peterson said the City PEDEQ committee had passed a density policy. Common Council reviewed it and referred it back to committee. An in-depth discussion was held last night at Common Council, and they came up with some new ideas and approaches. Basically, she sees support in the City for a density policy.
Martha Robertson said she is interested in the County developing a list of considerations for an IDA policy. So far, items she has heard from PDEQ Committee members include producing jobs, cost of housing, encouraging growth in other population centers in the County, nodal mixed use development per the Comprehensive Plan, and offering a bonus for affordable housing downtown. [Frank Proto arrived at 3:45.] Jim Dennis and Tyke Randall had no other points to add. Dooley Kiefer said the original density policy had a review formula attached, and Thys VanCort said the IDA amended it because it was far too rigid. The old policy was forcing developers to use the maximum heights in efforts to get best funding. Prior recommendations from the City went into the IDA policy, and Thys said they could be more flexible. Dooley Kiefer suggested more flexibility in abatements and definition of need. Martha Robertson pointed out the density policy is not about jobs, unlike other IDA projects, and Thys concurred, saying it is an attempt to concentrate development in central places.
Ed Marx said a straightforward policy is essential, because adding restrictions creates complexities that local developers are not willing to deal with. Pam Mackesey said people who understand IDA know basically it is about job creation, and mixing that with the density policy makes projects confusing and questionable. Separating density as a subcategory might be possible, or listing density policies of the City and other municipalities. Minutes from last night’s Common Council discussion will be provided to PDEQ members, and a tape of the discussion is on TV. There is currently no timetable for revision of the density policy, and the County Legislature’s role would be to offer a statement of support and draft language. Frank asked that Michael Stamm be invited to provide information to the entire Legislature. Martha Robertson also thought Gary Ferguson or Michael should report on what the density policy has meant to downtown development. Other municipalities should be contacted to see if they have anything relevant to share. Frank pointed out that long term expansion of the tax base and job retention are also IDA roles.
a Resolution: Affirming ITCTC Recommendation to
Increase the ITCTC Staff Director’s Salary -- Moved by Jim Dennis, seconded by
Frank. Passed 4:0.
b Resolution: Appropriation of 2006-2007 Budgets for
the ITCTC -- Moved by Frank, seconded by Jim and passed 4:0.
c Update
on Park-and-Ride Survey Results – Fernando deAragon said a survey of
commuting patterns was conducted of employees at Cornell and in the downtown
area. Analysis is expected
soon. This concern came to the
table as a community concern about traffic volume. Frank pointed out that working commuters and shoppers can be
in that mix. Martha said
Park-and-Ride service is not just about selecting a parking spot; having
sufficiently frequent bus service is essential for people to use the lots
instead of driving.
d Cornell/Town
Transportation Study – Fernando reported on the development of the study,
which will be examining neighborhood impacts of Cornell’s growth. Martha said
it seems to her that housing development could also be a traffic mitigation
strategy; housing close to the Cornell campus would reduce the commute for
employees. Ed Marx pointed out the
property close to the campus is critical to keeping the campus compact and
walkable. Fernando said land use
is a big part of the study. The Town of Ithaca is driving the study and they
control land use.
7 Strategic
Tourism Planning Board -- This item was taken out of order to accommodate visitors.
a Resolution: Award of Tourism Capital Grant from
Occupancy Tax Fund -- Moved by Jim, seconded by Tyke. Jackie Kippola said the STPB minutes were provided so PDEQ
members could get an idea of what points were raised by members. Martha Armstrong said the grant review
panel thought it was a strong project, but wanted to defer to STPB for funding
type. The review panel wanted to
support this agency because of their primary role with tourism. They welcome many visitors and the
Scenic Byway will be bringing even more.
Any opposition in discussion was about selecting a type of funding, not
about the project. Guests pointed
out the Chamber of Commerce could receive $15,000 per year as grant money, or
raise the rent of the Convention &Visitors Bureau by $15,000 per year. Martha Armstrong said the only negative
point raised was the possibility of paying this grant and leaving less
available for other potential Capital Tourism Grant applicants later this year. Vote at STPB was 7-6. PDEQ members requested a summary
expressing the will of the STPB, and a spreadsheet of budget impacts for each
scenario. Vote on
resolution was 2 aye (Robertson, Dennis): 2 nay (Proto, Randall). A presentation on the room tax programs
will be made to the full Legislature on 4/18 and this resolution can be brought
back to PDEQ on 4/20. [Note: Per Rule VIII of the Tompkins County
Rules of the Board and Functions of Committees, this resolution can only
proceed on a Motion to Reconsider by Kathy Luz Herrera.]
b Appointments to STPB – The four reappointments (Robert Steinkamp, Mary Rachun, Kathryn Pearce, Richard Adie) were moved by Frank, seconded by Tyke and passed unanimously.
a Proposed New State Legislation That Requires Training for Members of County, City, Town and Village Planning Boards – Ed Marx said he is just letting members know this was received. Training for board members has been a priority of planning professionals for a long time. Jim asked about expenses. Ed said some training might be free to municipalities, provided by the Department of State. There also might be more pressure on County Planning staff to provide training. State conferences usually have some workshops. Funding is a problem, but it is also a problem to have untrained officials. NYS provides some template training on roles of boards, running efficient meetings and keeping records, establishing timeframes, and tools. More teleconferences would probably be made available. Newly appointed members of boards want information on how to function, and feel ignorant and overwhelmed by complicated projects. Ed is concerned that this mandate will make it harder for municipalities to fill board slots. Because the correspondence seeks comments of support, Ed will draft a resolution of support including caveats and recommending some in-kind funding or state grants to cover expenses.
b Commissioner’s
report – Ed said the consultant’s report on housing needs will be presented
to the Legislature on 4/4. He sees
it as a good attempt to quantify need for affordable housing in our
community. The report includes
some recommendations, and Ed finds the zoning recommendation to be especially
key to success. There will be a
community stakeholder meeting later this spring. Copies of the Executive Summary will be distributed to
Legislators.
The Planning Advisory Board will be discussing
Natural Features Focus Areas. This
year’s efforts encompass awareness and feedback. Staff will also organize a meeting for municipal elected
officials and planning board members, and offer to provide public meetings in
municipalities. The first three
stages include stream corridors and riparian wetlands, forest lands and
wildlife areas, and gorges and the lakeshore.
Martha Robertson said she appreciated Heather
Filiberto’s memo on Community Development Block Grant programs, and noted the
economic development projects don’t seem to generate many jobs. Ed said the expectations for loans are
not the same as grants.
a Committee
Goals and Calendar – Frank said the first bullet he added under
Intermunicipal issues (Clarify relationship of TC Planning and various
municipalities re land management) is because there is perception in some
communities that PD staff is orchestrating municipal planning. He knows the PD has tried to remain
neutral and act as a moderator, and we need to make sure their role of support
and guidance is clear. Ed said
staff brings relevant information to support municipal initiatives under
contractual agreements. Jim said
Ulysses is discussing a contract.
Martha expects to have IDP on the July agenda. Frank remains interested in learning more about land
banking, so Valeria Coggin and Jay Franklin will be invited to visit later in
the year. It was agreed to wait
and see if NYS designates an Empire Zone in Tompkins County before the
additional points on EZ are addressed.
“Review membership, seat qualifications, and seat designations to avoid
conflicts of interest, overweighting by various constituencies, etc. for EMC,
WRC, PAB, STPB, MPO, TCAD and IDA” was removed because Government Operations is
performing a complete review of advisory boards this year.
b Due
to lack of time, the minutes were not addressed.
8 Adjournment – The meeting was adjourned
at 5:27 PM.
Respectfully
submitted,
Kathy
Wilsea, Secretary
Tompkins
County Planning Dept.