Village of Lansing

Planning Board Meeting

Tuesday, April 25, 2000 at 7:30 P.M.

The meeting of the Village Planning Board was called to order at 7:32 P.M. by Chairman Hickey. Present were Planning Board Members Waterman, Halevy, and Hickey; Alternate Member Dankert; Trustee Leopold; and Code Enforcement Officer Curtis.

Public Comment:

There were no public present. A motion to close this segment was moved by Halevy, seconded by Waterman. All in favor.

Commercial Low Traffic Study:

Though unable to attend, Klepack had submitted a draft letter to send to the landowners. Hickey asked for any comments on the letter from Klepack. The EDR will receive a copy of the Minutes. The draft letter contained some confusing language that was corrected by the Planning Board. A motion to approve the draft as amended was made by Halevy, seconded by Waterman. All in favor.

Village Fill Site - Discussion:

The Village has been considering the need for a land fill site for construction type waste materials, particularly as significant quantities of such materials will be generated by the reconstruction of North Triphammer Road. There are limited possibilities for sites and the site may have to be outside the Village. Reinhart will be asked to submit recommendations for the clean fill site. It is in Reinharts' bailiwick to recommend a site to the Planning Board. The Planning Board could review the information and send their conclusions to the Trustees for consideration. The land fill site may have to be purchased or its use could be purchased as an easement. The role of the Planning Board in this process was questioned. The Village needs land fill space for the work that it does. One factor to consider is the cost of transporting the waste material. The closer the site is, the more it will save the Village in hauling costs on construction bids. Curtis reported that the Village has saved thousands of dollars in hauling using space behind the YMCA. Halevy stated that the Village might spend ten thousand dollars for marginal land and once the land is filled in it could be sold for a profit. Sites discussed included behind the airport, the NW corner of Bulter property, berming around the malls, and with a neighboring municipality (Towns of Lansing or Dryden). Halevy will contact Reinhart regarding the site near the access road area west of Pyramid Mall.

There was speculation from the County about the State plans for moving their DOT transportation site from the inlet to Hanshaw Road or Bomax Park but that seemed to be tangential to the Village’s concerns. The State will move their operations but it is the responsibility of the County to locate a new site.

There was some discussion about placing a notice in the Lansing Community News seeking land fill space. Halevy said that Reinhart feels any such action may increase the costs of buying the property.

Report of the Trustee’s Meeting

Leopold announced that the budget was approved and it was not very controversial The Planning Board members will receive a $500 raise. Monies have also been put aside for a sound system for the conference room.

Other Business:

Hickey attended the Planning Advisory Board which is the Tompkins County Planning Board. Monica Roth talked about agricultural lands. The Agricultural Districts have to be reviewed every eight years. Roth went on to talk a little bit about PDR which is the purchase of the development rights. It can be very good for agriculture. For example, if the Town of Ithaca purchases the development rights for the land from a farmer then the land can only be farmed, it can not be used for anything else. There is money available from the State for the purchase of agricultural land but you can also purchase open space. The Mayor has expressed an interest in this and the Village has been setting aside money each year which could be used as matching funds to purchase such land. The municipality submits a request to the State and the State grants the money. The owner of the land gets the money for the development rights but then that land can never be developed. Roth said that in Cortland County, the Industrial Development Committee (IDC) purchased some development rights. The IDC received a grant of a million dollars to purchase development rights for a huge tract of land to keep it as open space.

Discussion ensued about the property known as Dart woods. Mrs. Dart may be motivated to work with the Village to preserve it.

Presentation:

Waterman commended Hickey on his presentation last week touting the Village of Lansing’s smart growth as an alternative to urban sprawl.

Environmental Management Countil:

Leopold said the Environmental Management Council (EMC) is not ready to give their presentation yet on Unique Natural Areas. When they are prepared, they will contact each municipality. Hickey recommended that the presentation also be given to the Planning Federation. Curtis also requested a presentation for the Homebuilder’s Group.

Hickey suggested that it would be nice for EMC to do a presentation at a joint meeting of the Town of Lansing and the Village of Lansing as it has been many years since they have met jointly and there are areas of mutual interest to consider with regard to Unique Natural Areas.

Adjournment:

Halevy made the motion to adjourn at 8:35, seconded by Waterman. All in favor.