January 28, 2003

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; Attorney Bill Troy; Trustee Liaison Lynn Leopold; and Code Enforcement Officer Ben Curtis.

Public Comment:

Hickey opened the Public Comment.

There being no one present who wished to speak, Dankert moved to close the Public Comment period. Seconded by Stycos. All aye.

Comprehensive Plan Update Status:

Hickey asked each Board member to update the Board on the status of the section on which he/she is working. Dankert foresees no problems with the facilities section. Brown is working on the resources section and feels community resources should list Sapsucker Woods. Stycos is continuing her work on transportation. Hickey has spoken with Tom Mank, Planning Analyst at the County Planning Department, on population and economics and will be using the 2002 census to update graphs and tables. Of note is the fact that 22% of the village population is now Asian, higher than anywhere else in the County. Klepack is working on commercial areas and business and has noted where changes may be required. She will update statistics by contacting John Majeroni with regard to the Cornell B & T Park. Hickey will also update trip generation information using data from the County, as well as information the Village is gathering as part of its road improvements. Hickey recommended Board members contact him or the Village clerk Jodi Dake or her deputy Carol Willard to make calls if additional or updated statistics are needed.

Proposed Amendment to the Sign Law:

The next item on the agenda was a list of proposed changes to the Sign Law in order to add Directory Signs. Hickey stated Bob Whitty, CFCU, would like to install directory signage to better enable customers to find both their main office in the Guild Commercial Park and their branch on Sheraton Drive. Gary Sloan, representing the Montessori School which has similar concerns, is working with him. Klepack feels the proposed law is interconnected with the North Triphammer Rd. reconstruction signage and she feels the timing is poor. Directory signage should wait until the other signs are designed to provide consistency for logo, color and style. Klepack also noted that no one knows the businesses on Craft Road are in the Guild Park and will be looking instead for an address. She feels directory signs are just extra advertising for businesses which are not on North Triphammer Road and she would not want to see a precedent set. Klepack would like to see this delayed until more consideration is given for signage on North Triphammer Road. Hickey responded that this proposed signage is wayfinding signage to identify of where the businesses are located as opposed to advertising signs. Klepack pointed out that no addresses are given. Hickey feels identification is needed so drivers can more easily find locations and for the ease of flow of traffic. Dankert and Hickey would, however, support waiting until the North Triphammer Road project is further along so signs will be consistent in color and design. Hickey would recommend making changes to the Sign Law now if there is a desire to add a directory sign provision. Curtis stated there might be an advantage to the Village owning the directory signs and they might be able to charge an annual fee for each business to be identified on it, as the state currently does for signs on State highways. Curtis felt directory signage throughout the Village which was uniform in appearance and location relative to intersections would be the most helpful to drivers. There also needs to be objective criteria for signage as to the number businesses listed, how it is determined which are listed, etc. Troy stated further identification could then be accomplished through individual freestanding signs in front of each business. Hickey felt identifying Craft Road and Guild Park together on the same sign would alleviate some of the confusion.

In summary, Hickey stated the Board has decided first that they do not want to rush into directory signage for Craft Road. Second, the Board is also unsure about listing all businesses on a sign and may prefer an aggregate sign to identify the place, such as Guild Park, not individual businesses. Thirdly, the village would like to own and maintain the signs. Curtis stated maybe the Village needs to look at the whole issue of street signs. Hickey stated that Communique’s proposal has been placed on hold. Troy recommended working with Fisher Associates for assistance with some of these issues.

Hickey stated the Planning Board is not prepared to amend the Sign Law at this time. The Board prefers general location signs over directory signs. Curtis and Hickey will rework the Sign Law changes and make proposed changes for the February meeting.

Parking Lot Landscaping:

Klepack thanked Hickey for copies of the Stafford Code (New Jersey) regarding landscaping. The Board specifically reviewed Section 130-51G regarding parking areas. Klepack provided copies of the City of Ithaca ordinance with detailed parking lot landscaping requirements. She also provided Douglas County requirements including a page about parking lots in general. Klepack is uncertain about the amount of effort the Board should be placing on parking lot landscaping as major parking lots such as those for Cayuga, Triphammer and Pyramid Malls are already completed and there is no where else to put one. Klepack felt possibly adopting the Ithaca ordinance would make sense. Curtis stated developers like to know what is expected when they are proposing major improvements like the Pyramid Mall expansion. Hickey felt this is not a wasted effort because if Triphammer Mall or other malls want to make large-scale changes, it would be useful to have guidelines in place. Stycos felt changes in landscaping requirements could be made in stages. Possibly waiting to see what Joanne Cornish from the City Planning Department has to say in February would make more sense. After Cornish’s talk, Klepack will provide a draft for Board discussion. Hickey recommended the Board review the information from Klepack and come prepared to ask questions of Cornish.

Open Space Article:

The next agenda item was the article on “Open Space” Zoning by Randall Arendt in the Planning Commissioners Journal dated July/August 1992. Hickey informed the Board that the book Rural Landscape by Design by Arendt is in the Planning Board’s Library and has two excellent chapters on this topic for those desiring additional information. Klepack noted that the article states there is a 60-minute video available on “Rural Designs”. It can be ordered from the American Planning Association and Dankert will call for a price to rent or purchase the video.

Hickey has spoken with Joan Jurkowich, County Planning, about a proposal for assisting the Village on open space planning. The Village has little open space remaining and some of the land that remains is protected as Unique Natural Areas. The village needs to identify what lands remain (cliffs along the lake, Jonson’s undeveloped land, Dart property, Crossmore property and Sun Downs property). Hickey stated that Arendt’s article recommends 50% of each space remain open and bonuses in density be given to achieve this. NYS law does not allow for increased density over that which the zoning allows for the district. Curtis and Hickey are currently working with Ivar Jonson on development choices for his remaining property. Jonson would like to cluster using the maximum unit count for two family houses, but also put in single homes. The result would be much less open space than you would expect in a cluster subdivision of this size. Curtis stated the clustering sections of the Zoning Law and of New York Village Law are unclear and confusing. There must be a formula for clustering and open space that insures that when clustering is used significant open space is preserved. Much of the open space in the Janivar Drive area appears to be in private backyards of the residents rather than owned by the Homeowner’s Association. Hickey and Jurkowich discussed the idea of creating area maps indicating desirable open space to preserve and how the Village would like the open space to connect to the Greenway Plan. Hickey will invite Jurkowich to talk to the Board at a later date.

Approval of Minutes – January 13:

Klepack moved to approve the January 13 minutes as revised. Seconded by Dankert. A vote was taken. Ayes by Brown, Dankert, Klepack and Hickey. Abstain by Stycos who was not present at the January 13 meeting.

Other Business as Time Permits:

Hickey provided Board members with average daily traffic counts for North Triphammer Road. The number of vehicles going across the Route 13 bridge are 19,570 per day although Hickey feels this is a low number.

Hickey also provided Board members with the January 2003 Zoning News article on Parking Standards in Zoning Codes.

Hickey announced that on February 5^th from 2:30-7:30 P.M., Fisher Associates will have an Open House in the Village Office for the North Triphammer Road Reconstruction Project. A mailing will be sent out to all residents. Displays will be set up in the Village Office as well as Pyramid Mall.

Leopold has received a complaint from a resident regarding the unsightly riprap along the bank near Target in Pyramid Mall. Hickey stated there was a meeting with Brent Cross, Village Engineer, Hickey, Curtis and representatives from Pyramid, and shrubs were proposed for the top of the bank which might grow down to help tie in the bank. Hickey noted the 4 or 5 trees along the YMCA in that area may need additional protection and soil or may need to be replaced or moved closer to the YMCA.

Hickey distributed a notice about Beautification Grants which are available through the Tompkins County and Cornell Cooperative Extension. The $500 grants are for community-led projects that add attractive features to towns and villages. Leopold will pursue this.

Hickey distributed Mayor Hartill’s letter to Nancy Lorenzini regarding Coventry Walk and the roadway leading to it. One of the items of interest in Hartill’s response is that a permanent walkway will be constructed from the end of Coventry Walk to Churchill during the coming construction season.

Reports:

Trustees: Hickey noted there was no meeting so there is nothing to report.

Adjournment:

Klepack moved to adjourn the meeting at 9:35 P.M. Seconded by Stycos. All aye.