The meeting of the Village of Lansing Planning Board was called to order at 7:30 P.M. by Chairman Hickey. Present at the meeting were Planning Board Members Brown, Halevy, Klepack and Waterman; Alternate Member Phil Dankert; Code Enforcement Officer Curtis; Trustee Lynn Leopold; Engineer Cross; and Attorney Marcus.

Hickey directed the Planning Board’s attention to an ad he had clipped from Saturday’s Ithaca Journal advertising the Glassworks Optical in the Human Health Services District. The Glassworks is the accessory business in the ophthalmologist’s office that actually produces the glasses and lenses prescribed by the doctor. Hickey has spoken to the Colberts, the building’s owners about this and they agree that such an ad exceeds the limits imposed by the Planning Board for accessory retail uses in the Human Health Services District and violates the tenant’s lease as well. Curtis will send a letter to the tenants notifying them that they are violating the zoning restrictions of the Human Health District.

There was no one present who wished speak. Waterman moved to close Public Comment. Seconded by Halevy. All in favor.

The Planning Board members received a 9/12 letter from McDonalds in their packets proposing some minor amendments to the plans approved as part of their Special Permit. Cross reviewed Change Items 1 and 2. For Change Item 1, an additional piece of underground drain is being added to intercept grease or foul water to take it underground to the catch basin rather than have it wash across the parking lot. Item 2 is a clarification and expansion of a field change to eliminate the proposed retaining wall on the west edge of the parking lot by installing a drainage culvert in place of the existing swale allowing a gradual grade which can be seeded rather than a retaining wall. This most recent proposed change would extend the culvert both south and north eliminating additional steep banks and connecting it directly to the drainage system for the whole property. Cross felt that this would be an improvement from the Village’s perspective. Klepack moved to approve Change Items 1 & 2 to the Special Permit site plan for McDonalds. Seconded by Waterman. All aye.

Next, the Planning Board reviewed the landscaping plan. Change Item 3 proposes that the west side of the building was originally designed with a grassy area for junipers. Now the building has been relocated to the west and the grass strip has been removed. McDonalds is requesting that the junipers be moved to the west embankment. Hickey would like to request the junipers be spread out and some of them moved to the west side of the trash corral. Hickey has also spoken with Cayuga Landscape and learned that the linden trees proposed for the road side of the building have a low tolerance to salt and would recommend a change to white ash, red oak or white oak. Brown also recommended the Bradford Pear and sycamore was also suggested . Waterman recommended Japanese Lilac. The plan calls for rhododendron which will not survive well out in the open and may be eaten by the deer. Barberry and burning bushes were suggested. Spirea, hydrangeas and snow ball bushes were also recommended. Curtis and Hickey will meet with the consultant on the site and work out a plan.

Change Item 4 was for a 20-seat patio on the island north of the building and would include appropriate landscaping. Waterman moved to approve Change Items 3 & 4 to the Special Permit site plan for McDonalds. Seconded by Halevy. All aye.

Marcus noted that the decisions affecting the two resolutions were exempt from SEQR Review under the provision for the Village’s list of minor amendments.

In regards to lighting, Leopold was concerned about the outdoor lighting plan as she heard high wattage bulbs were being contemplated. Additionally, Curtis will check with McDonalds for an amendment to the light plan if lights are being proposed for the decorative bars to be placed on the roof. Leopold was also concerned about the security lights at TCTC and M& T Banks which shine directly into the traffic. Hickey recommended she ask Reinhart to check it out with his light meter. Curtis will also speak to the manager at TCTC and see what can be done within the requirements of the Federal banking regulations.

Hickey has made revisions and additions to the original document and provided the Board with a 9/13 draft. Klepack was concerned that there is no signage to indicate where the walkways are located. The Village approved a logo a year ago but no one is seeing that it is utilized. Reinhart is responsible for installation. The Planning Board is responsible for their overall appearance, wording and implementation. This will be placed as a future agenda item as Board members feel it is important and will be a new goal. Waterman moved to forward the Walkway Implementation Plan to the Board of Trustees. Seconded by Halevy. All aye.

Curtis reported that some of the houses on Hemlock Lane actually had addresses on Cedar Lane. The owner of one such residence is selling their home and has requested that the address be changed to more accurately reflect the location of the house. Brown moved that the residence currently known as 15 Cedar Lane should be designated 6 Hemlock Lane. Seconded by Waterman. All aye.

Klepack attended the last Trustee’s meeting and reported that the Village has purchased a new truck, will pave the Churchill turnaround this season, supported the NEST Study mass transit proposal with a $5000 payment, discussed Janivar Dr. Extension concerns regarding road dedication, and noted that property acquisitions for N. Triphammer Road are now getting under way.

Klepack also mentioned that a letter has gone out to the Focus Group members regarding the CLT Guidelines and there will be an article in the Fall Newsletter.

Copies of the Pyramid Mall Parking calculations were distributed to all members. Curtis has spoken with Jim Tull, General Manager of Pyramid Mall, regarding additional parking for the 150,000 SF retail space expansion which could raise to 3500 the total amount of parking spaces at the mall. Hickey was concerned because he felt the additional retail space they were building did not justify that number of parking spaces. Hickey took their calculations for the existing mall of 2515 spaces and the net expansion of 150,000 SF because that is what was approved. This would require up to 500 additional spaces and then taking 20% off that they could get by with 400. Using these calculations, rather than the 3500 spaces they would only need a maximum of 2915 spaces. Waterman stated the Home Depot will entail the loss of parking spaces where it is proposed which will mean that additional parking will have to be provided elsewhere.

Hickey reported that three new buildings will be coming in for the B&T Park. The first is 10 Brown Rd. which the Board has already approved, but for which the plans are being amended. It will now have two floors in part of the building adding about 10,000sf which will require additional parking spaces though the building footprint will remain the same. Another building, the E-Cornell distance learning facility, will be constructed at the corner of Brown Rd. and the new Thornwood Drive Extension. It will include roughly 92,000sf on two floors and will require 428 parking spaces. The third project in the park is a new building for Kionics. The addition to their building approved last year is now up and operating and they now require an additional building for a clean room and office space. Although more square footage is required the number of employees will not increase. According to the Zoning Law, using square footage, parking spaces will be required which will not be utilized. Hickey stated an amendment should be considered to address this issue. Halevy suggested considering it as storage space for purposes of calculating parking might be another approach. Leopold was concerned about the fact that the building might revert to office space in the future and then the number of parking spaces would be deficient. Hickey recommended changing the requirements for parking spaces to more closely approximate the need. Curtis stated there is already a problem in the Zoning Law regarding parking requirements because there are uses which are permitted for which there are no parking requirements stipulated. There are uses such as the clean room and light manufacturing which are not listed for a required number of parking spaces. At the end of the off-street parking section there is a sort of catch all category for which the Planning Board must simply confirm that the parking spaces proposed are sufficient for the use. Curtis suggested making this category more all encompassing by adding to uses already covered a final item, "and all other uses for which no specific parking requirement is stated above." Leopold’s concern about future changes in use should also be addressed, however. Waterman suggested area be left for future parking which need not be paved over. Cross stated drainage is also a factor when considering the number of parking spaces, both proposed and future, because impervious surface is a key factor in calculating storm water runoff. Marcus will make the necessary changes for a catch-all phrase. Marcus noted that problems such as this were addressed during codification but will not become effective until the codification is complete and adopted by the Board of Trustees. Curtis will request Dake put this on the agenda. Hickey will present it to the Trustees in October in order to schedule a Public Hearing.

Cross would like to see resolution to the large pile of dirt. It formerly belonged to Tops and now belongs to Pyramid who are required to have it graded and seeded. Pyramid says they will be moving some of it and will have the remainder seeded. Curtis stated that he has spoken with Tops and that they are aware that they will not receive their CO until this issue is resolved. He does not anticipate any problem achieving compliance on this matter.

Klepack moved to adjourn the meeting at 9:45PM. Seconded by Klepack. All aye.