Village of Lansing

Planning Board Meeting

March 28, 2006

The meeting of the Village of Lansing Planning Board was called to order at 7:30 P.M. by Chairman Ned Hickey. Present at the meeting were Planning Board Members Doris Brown, Phil Dankert, Carol Klepack and Maria Stycos; Alternate Member Mario Tomei; Trustee Liaison Lynn Leopold; Attorney David Dubow; Code Enforcement Officer Ben Curtis and members of the public.

Public Comment:

Hickey opened the Public Comment period. As there was no one present who wished to speak, Klepack moved to close the Public Comment Period. Seconded by Dankert. Ayes by Brown, Dankert, Hickey, Klepack and Stycos. Motion carried.

Advion - 19 Brown Road - Landscape Plan:

Hickey stated the first item on the agenda was a Landscape Plan for Advion. Herman Sieverding, Project Manager for the developer, Integrated Acquisition and Development, distributed additional information on the project and the Board took a few minutes to review the material. Hickey stated he and Curtis have met with Integrated Acquisition and Development and requested the number of trees to be removed and the number to be planted be included in the documents. This information is in the material provided tonight. Klepack asked about the architects and Sieverding responded that it is QPK Design who have done other projects in the Ithaca area including some in the B&T Park.

Sieverding gave a brief presentation. Sieverding stated there will be a new building, driveway and parking lot and TG Miller has been hired to work with them. The plan calls for 235 trees to be removed to accommodate the building, driveway and parking areas. Landscape Architect David Stewart has walked the area with the applicants and evaluated the existing trees. There will be 65 trees saved. They are mostly pines and along the edges of the property. Trees to be added are evergreen as well as deciduous. There will be 5 varieties of deciduous added which include red oak, maple, red bud trees, crab apples, and northern red oak . The pines and firs will be interspersed amongst the deciduous trees and include 3 varieties of fir, spruce and hemlock. The trees will screen the parking areas. There will also be berming to provide additional screening and privacy for patio areas around the building. At the entrance to the site, the drop-off circle will be landscaped. Walkways to the building will also be landscaped along both sides. The space between the two buildings will receive ground cover under the remaining large white pines. On the Warren Road side, there will be a mix of gray and red dogwood of 6-10 feet tall to provide more screening for the parking area. In all, there will be 44 or 45 evergreen added as well as 44-45 deciduous trees and 129 red and gray dogwoods to provide a significant presence on site. This site will end up with 65 existing trees, about 90 evergreens or deciduous trees, and 129 dogwoods. Hickey asked if the applicants were concerned about overplanting. Hickey stated the Board has never required a 1 to 1 ratio of trees removed to those planted, being more concerned with overall impact. Hickey has looked at the site and many of the existing trees are overcrowded and bottom branches have died. Sieverding responded that much time has been spent in discussion with John Majeroni of Cornell University, which must also approve the landscaping, to come to reach an agreement about this plan. There was discussion about dogwood trees and it was decided that these type of dogwoods are less susceptible to disease and are more of a shrub variety.

Klepack noted there were no plantings between the pathway and the parking lot. Tim Colbert of Integrated Acquisition and Development stated there would be underbrush in that area that would remain. There was also discussion about shifting some of the dogwoods to that area. Klepack recommended possibly a larger maple to provide shading for the parking area and screening from Warren Road. The applicants were receptive to these suggestions.

Board members discussed the plantings with regard to deer damage.

Klepack moved to approve the Landscape Plan for Advion dated March 26 as submitted with the attached letter dated March 28th. Seconded by Stycos. Ayes by Brown, Dankert, Hickey, Klepack and Stycos. Motion carried.

Regarding the Lighting Plan, it will be reviewed by the Light Commission.

Sieverding stated ground breaking for the project is scheduled for April 15th.

Curtis informed the Board that this building would be 19 Brown Road and the existing building on the lot would be 9 Brown Road.

Proposed Local Law Amending Frontage and Lot Size Requirements in HHS, CHT & CLT Districts:

The next item on the agenda was a proposed local law amending the frontage and lot size requirements in the Human Health Services District, the Commercial High Traffic District and the Commercial Low Traffic District. Dubow has prepared a draft law pursuant to discussion at the previous meeting regarding the problems associated with frontage and area requirements based on number of uses or tenants. Dubow noted that the Village Zoning Law states that the area regulations for the Human Health Services District will be the same as those of the Commercial low Traffic District. The proposed amendment will require changes in the district regulations for the CHT and CLT districts as well as the Dimensions Chart found in Appendix C of the Zoning Law. The Board was in agreement with recommending the proposed local law to the Board of Trustees. Since the Dimension Chart is to be amended, Dubow felt this might also be a good time to add the Human Health Services District as a separate line item on the chart. Curtis and the Board were in agreement with this. Dubow will revise the proposed draft to include this District on the Dimensions Chart prior to giving this law to the Board of Trustees.

Greenway Plan Addendum:

Hickey stated he and Klepack have met on the Greenway Plan. Klepack stated she had worked on the document many years ago and it was good to review it again to see what has and has not been accomplished over the years. Klepack stated there is work that needs to be done on the plan. At their meeting, Klepack and Hickey discussed the possibility of an intern from Cornell University working on this plan. Klepack contacted the Department of City and Regional Planning as well as the Department of Landscape Architecture at Cornell and they both asked Klepack to fax them the ad. Klepack provided a draft ad for Board review. Klepack stated that Hickey felt the original plan should remain and the updates be presented as an addendum. Klepack explained that some of the tasks to be done by the intern would include writing a lengthy introduction to explain the reasons and rationale for the re-write of the plan, changing/updating maps to reflect current conditions, review/identification of parcels/updating of pages 11 - 18, review of Dart property for a possible park site, and review of the Murray Estates property for view shed possibilities.

Hickey gave out the long-term plans/maps of the Greenway Plan so Board members could determine where future trails and parks should be located. Leopold stated the document from the County for the Waterfront Plan has been given to all Board of Trustees members and the Planning Board can review the Plan and evaluate the parts that might impact the Village. Hickey recommended Board members look at the plan and provide recommendations for the next meeting.

Hickey stated the Greenway Plan title should be broadened to Greenway and Recreation Plan so it also would include parks.

Klepack asked for comments on the draft internship proposal. Hickey stated money is available and he would find out how much there is, but a $500 stipend might be appropriate. Klepack and Hickey will oversee this project. Klepack also called Joan Jurkowich of County Planning and was told they could probably not fit the project in this year but she would review the idea. There was discussion as to the rate of pay and length of time that it would take an intern to complete the project. It was noted this could be a good resume item for the right student. Hickey stated this is not a lengthy project and there would be much guidance given by Klepack, Dankert and Hickey. Hickey stated the surface of trails would not be changed but would remain as stone dust surfacing or asphalt surfacing for those where erosion might be a problem. Hickey stated he will be walking the trails with Superintendent of Public Works John Courtney and Courtney may be able to provide additional ideas. Hickey will also talk to Courtney about making a connecting trail between the Janivar Drive stub and the Wood Thrush Hollow Trail. Dubow stated the 6% exaction amount for recreation land is not in State Law although it is referred to in the Village’s local law and no mention of any particular percentage of exaction should be stated in the summer internship notification.

Sign Law Amendment - Directory Signs:

Hickey stated he found a draft amendment for the Sign Law which was never adopted. The law relates to directory signage and may have been from the time Bob Witty of CFCU proposed a directory sign to be placed at the end of Craft Road on N. Triphammer Road. Hickey stated the signs could be standardized with no logos or advertising and be for directional use only. Curtis stated sometimes the logos are easier to identify than the name. Hickey stated such a sign could be on Craft Road rather than N. Triphammer Road. Klepack could not see the need of having the sign on Craft Road. Hickey stated it can be hard to find the doctors on Ascot Road as well as the Montessori School. There are also additional businesses further up Craft Road. Hickey stated the businesses would pay for these signs. Board members will think about the need for having directory signage. Klepack can see the value of such a sign for Village Office Campus as there are many buildings with the same address yet on Craft Road each business has its own address. Hickey stated the Board should consider whether there is a need for directory signs and if so, what provisions should be added to the Sign Law, and not deal with specific locations. Curtis stated there could also be a Planned Sign Area formulated for Craft Road. Dubow stated there is currently language in the Sign Law about identification signs for multiple businesses located on the same parcel of property. Curtis stated the situation for which there is no provision other than a Planned Sign Area occurs when the businesses are located on different parcels. Dubow suggested that the Board should figure out specifically what, if any, current problems exist and what they want to accomplish and then proceed from there. Curtis stated that the biggest problem he has experienced is drivers trying to locate the doctor's office on Ascot Road. The Board decided not to proceed with this draft law at this time.

Planning Board Goals:

Hickey stated he has added the other goal regarding the need to develop a new Lighting Plan.

Other Business as Time Permits:

Hickey distributed an information sheet about the County’s Natural Features Focus Areas project which describes the program and includes a map. The program is intended to identify sites in the County which are important in terms of natural resources. They include Unique Natural Areas, wetlands, stream corridors, public drinking water resources, Important Bird Areas, and hiking and multi-use trails and trail corridors. The program will also evaluate these areas, devise strategies to protect them, and then encourage implementation of the various strategies. The map shows key areas identified to date and a schedule of public meetings is shown on the bottom of the map. The Planning Board might be interested in some of the meetings in the spring of 2006, particularly the one pertaining to Airport Ponds and Wetlands. Hickey stated he would have liked to have this information about 3 years ago. No action is required by the Board.

Approval of Minutes - March13:

Dankert moved to approve the minutes of March 13th as revised. Seconded by Klepack. Ayes by Brown, Dankert, Hickey, Klepack and Stycos. Minutes approved.

Reports:

Board of Trustees: Dankert stated construction for N. Triphammer Road will resume on April 3rd and storm sewer and utility work remains to be done between McDonalds and Route 13. Leopold stated municipalities must comply with the new stormwater regulations and a coalition of municipalities including the Village is working diligently on this as well as applying for grants. Dubow also stated that the Board of Trustees gave their preliminary approval for an easement for T-Mobile and he is presently drafting the necessary final documents that will require further approval by the Board of Trustees. Curtis stated he has received a telephone call from Cingular inquiring about colocating on the T-Mobile pole. This would require T-Mobile to extend the height of the pole which would bring them back to both the Planning Board and the BZA. Dubow stated work is proceeding to convey the Northwood driveway to the Village.

Hickey stated he has spoken with Don Edwards regarding the Colonial Vet project to have a larger parking area in the back which has been stalled because there is not enough room. Edwards, who owns the area behind the Vet, stated they have come to an agreement of a price for the wedge piece of property. Hickey feels the project might be coming to the Board again this spring.

Hickey stated the Board is expecting the Sketch Plan to subdivide the Dart Estate into 3 parcels on the April 10th agenda.

Curtis provided members with an article entitled Marketing Analysis: A Zoning Necessity from Zoning Practice. Hickey recommended all Board members read the article. Curtis also stated he will be attending an AIA program about new urbanism on April 6th. Stycos will also attend and possibly Dankert.

Regarding the Millcroft Subdivision, Hickey stated school redistricting issues seem to have slowed things down. Curtis added that there has not been much action on the Spitsberg Subdivision either.

Adjournment:

Klepack moved to adjourn at 8:54 P.M. Seconded by Stycos. Ayes by Brown, Dankert, Hickey, Klepack and Stycos. Motion carried.