Village of Lansing
Planning Board Meeting
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 Phil Dankert, and Carol Klepack; Village
Attorney David Dubow; Trustee Liaison Lynn Leopold; and Code Enforcement
Officer Ben Curtis.
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 Dankert, Hickey, and Klepack. Motion carried.
Bolton Estate
Subdivision Final Plat Review:
Hickey stated the next item on the agenda was the Bolton Estate Subdivision Final Plat Review. Hickey stated the Conditions for Approval of the Preliminary Plat need to be reviewed and one of the items was Village Engineer Brent Cross’ approval of several engineering items. Since Cross was not present Hickey indicated that no final action would be taken at this meeting. Hickey then asked the Project Engineer, Andy Sciarabba, to review the Conditions of Preliminary Plat Approval and indicate how each of the conditions have been met thus far. Hickey stated at the end of the meeting, the Planning Board would set Oct. 30th as the date for the Public Hearing. The developer, Edward Crossmore, said that would work for him.
Condition 1: This condition involves engineering details and is in progress. Sciarabba stated there were a number of issues regarding stormwater, grades, and lighting that were given to Cross for review. Road grades were revised to meet Cross’ concerns and do not exceed 10% and meet intersection grades off Route 34 and at the cul-de-sac. Stormwater management design was addressed on lots 8 and 23. The stormwater management facility was removed from Lot 8 as the lot was too small. The Lot 23 stormwater management facility was increased and will be conveyed to the Village. This adds area to the recreation area. The parking areas will remain the same. Total construction details will be given to Cross as they are finalized.
Conditions 2 & 3: Regarding items for the Attorney, Sciarabba stated that dedication documents will be sent to Dubow when completed. Condition 4: Restrictive Covenants – the “Limits of Disturbance “ will be shown on the plat. The plat also indicates the vegetative buffer ensuring development does not encroach on the 50 ft. setback line. Dubow noted the plat should indicate the area that can be disturbed shall not exceed 1.5 acres per lot. Condition 5: Note was included on the final plat as requested. Condition 6: Dubow stated an understanding regarding the use of the road and trail to the Bolton Point pump house particularly with regard to Lot 22 will need to be confirmed. Crossmore indicated that is all in place in the agreement with Bolton Point. Conditions 7 & 8: These items have been addressed and may require further approval of the Village Engineer. Condition 9: Letter of credit will be an item to be addressed later in the process. Condition 10: Regarding the capacity for water, Sciarabba stated the Village has received a letter from the water supplier Bolton Point indicating that water would be available. Condition 11: A plan for access to the pump station during construction has also been worked out with Bolton Point. Hickey asked about the timeline for construction. Crossmore indicated that if approval were given on Oct. 30th, construction would begin in the spring after the roads are in place as per the settlement agreement. Crossmore stated the settlement agreement would dictate the process, but there is a series of steps to be met including final subdivision approval, conveyances, etc. There is a window built in during which time the road construction must occur. In all likelihood, the Town of Ithaca will build the road. There can not be an actual timeline at this point because there are too many unknowns, although there can be a list of steps which can be enumerated. The Village will be given a plan based on steps. Dubow stated over the winter months there will be discussions involving the Village, the Town of Ithaca and Crossmore, and a plan can be developed.
Condition 12: Sciarabba stated the next condition was to gain approval of other agencies. Board members were given correspondence regarding Bolton Point water approval, Health Department approval of septic, and DOT approval for location of entrances on East Shore Drive. Condition 13: Note was included on final plat as requested. Condition 14: Dubow stated the Letter of Credit is one of the last steps and will be established at a later time by the Board of Trustees. Condition 15: Nothing has been received from the Fire Department. Sciarabba will follow up with this item. Condition 16: Hickey stated approval of the Landscape Plan can be considered later tonight. Dubow noted that the Conservation easement area is now shown on the plat. Condition 17: Hickey also stated that the Lighting Plan lacks cut sheets with additional details for review by the Lighting Commission. Condition 18: Regarding work schedules, Curtis stated the hours of construction will be 7 AM to 7 PM Monday through Saturday. This should be included in the bid documents. Condition 19: Final construction will comply with all standards. Condition 20: Documentation for DEC will be submitted with copies to be provided to the Village. Condition 21: The road names are shown on the plat and will be Blackchin Boulevard and Rockcress Lane (both named after fish). Curtis will run these names by 911 as it is hard to change road names at a later time. The road going down to the pump house does not have a name and will be owned by the Town of Ithaca or possibly another governmental entity. It is not a public road and will not be maintained as a public road. Condition 22: Hickey noted that there is no indication on the plat that Lot 23 is to be dedicated to the Village. The parking lot which is part of Lot 23 will also be owned by the Village. Condition 23: Dubow stated this will be confirmed at a later date and will be consistent with the agreement of the parties involved. Condition 24: This will be done. Condition 25: Sciarabba noted that the plat also includes the easement for the proposed public sewer main from the Town of Lansing. Dubow stated the easement will be conveyed to the Village even though it will be the Town of Lansing who benefits from the sewer. Dubow noted that the proposed easement has been designed so as not to conflict with the placement of the houses Condition 26: Board members received a letter from the SHPO. Dubow stated the note might need to be clarified. Condition 27: No comments.
Next the Board reviewed the Landscaping Plan. Kathryn Wolf of Trowbridge & Wolf made the presentation. Plants selected were to blend with the native landscaping in the area. Plantings along the cul-de-sac include trees,shrubs and ground cover. Near light fixtures at entrances are small plants and native shrubs which are salt tolerant and require minimal maintenance. There was a general discussion of light pole heights. Board members preferred minimal light trespass from street lights and no lights in the parking area to encourage visitors at night as parks often close at dusk. Sciarabba stated he would leave a pole box to allow the option to have light at the parking area in the future. Leopold stated she liked the landscaping concept of reflecting what is already there. Hickey stated the Village would need an as-built plan of what is planted. Wolf stated that the trees near the light poles would not grow tall but those proposed for along Blackchin Boulevard would be larger shade trees. Hickey expressed concern that at least one proposed tree might block the view of a neighboring residence but it was determined that the proposed tree would not grow tall enough to block a view. Regarding the parking area, there will be some area for benches. There are no sidewalks or walkways along the road, although there will be a trail which goes across lots 4 & 5.
Dubow spoke about the drainage easements which would be of concern for Cross. At the very least they would need to be accessible to the Village or conveyed to the Village for maintenance purposes. Crossmore thought the easements and drainage areas would be owned by the Village. Crossmore and Cross will discuss this.
Dankert moved to set the Public Hearing for the Bolton Estate Subdivision Final Plat Approval for October 30th. Seconded by Klepack. Ayes by Dankert, Hickey and Klepack. Motion carried.
Hickey asked about getting across the railroad lines. Dubow responded that it was reviewed years ago and will be reviewed again by the Village.
Tax Parcel
Boundaries vs. Lot Lines:
Curtis stated this is an issue that comes to the surface from time to time. When B & T Park building plans are reviewed, the buildings are shown on what look like lots, but the boundaries of those “lots” are long term lease lines, not lot lines. Cornell owns the land and the buildings are rented under long term leases. Dubow stated the lease lines are often shown as tax parcel lines because the individual tenants are responsible for paying the property taxes. The Zoning Law, however, establishes required setbacks from lot lines, not lease lines. Technically, because they have never been subdivided, the B&T Park and Healthcare Campus are just two big parcels portions of which are leased to various tenants. Curtis stated the Zoning Law does not limit how close to a lease line a building can be built. In the course of Special Permit review the Planning Board can determine where on a parcel a building must be located in relation to other buildings and to lease lines. In the interest of consistency, however, it might be useful to develop some sort of policy with regard to, for example, minimum distance separation of buildings. As the Zoning Law is currently written, buildings could be built close together on a single parcel, blocks of which are leased to different tenants.. Hickey noted that the Building Code requires a minimum distance between buildings. Curtis responded that that was a minimal separation of 5 or 6 feet and less if the buildings were noncombustible. Curtis stated there will be a case coming up where this might be an issue. Curtis also stated that Cornell has strict standards which often exceed those of the Village, and their standards may establish minimum distances between buildings. Dubow stated it would be fair to ask the developer what their plans are. Hickey and Curtis will work up something to present to the Planning Board.
Map and
Directory Signage:
Curtis stated a proposal has come in which had to be referred to the BZA. At the University Park Apts., there are two parking lots and two entrances. The entrance to Gaslight Village is close to one of them. There has been confusion for the Fire Department, police and other emergency responders with regard to which entrance serves which units. University Park Apts. put up a second entrance sign and then called the Village to determine if that was okay. Currently, the Sign Law only allows for one entrance sign for an apartment complex like University Park Apts.. Curtis stated that in addition to the entrance signs, University Park Apts. wants to put up two “You are here” map signs for wayfinding purposes. There is no provision for this in the Sign Law. While facilitating wayfinding seems like a positive thing, in this case Curtis had no alternative but to send the applicants to the BZA. Curtis stated that Gaslight Village has three entrances and has 2 signs, but they probably predated the Village Sign Law. Dubow stated the Board needs to determine if the law works in which case it is appropriate that the BZA be used to provide relief for unusual circumstances; or if the law does not work, and therefore needs to be changed. Hickey stated the Village Sign Law has accomplished what it was set out to do, which was to avoid the proliferation of signs. Dankert expressed concerns about the lack of wayfinding signs for Cayuga Medical Center. Dubow stated that if this is an isolated situation there may not be a reason to change the law, but if there is a broader concern, then Curtis can present something to the Board for their review. Hickey and Curtis will work something up to present to the Planning Board.
Klepack moved to adjourn at 8:55 P.M. Seconded by Dankert. Ayes by Dankert, Hickey, and Klepack. Motion carried.