April 14, 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; Engineer Brent Cross; Attorney David Dubow; Trustee Liaison Lynn Leopold; and Code Enforcement Officer Ben Curtis.

Public Comment:

Hickey opened the Public Comment.

Roger Jagoda, 17 Janivar Drive, asked for clarification on the Planning Board meeting scheduled for April 29^th. Hickey stated the meeting would be devoted to a discussion on the NE Quadrant of the Village and the purpose is to look at population and traffic.

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

Public Hearing – Special Permit No. 1817 - Triad Foundation Office Building:

The first item on the agenda was a Public Hearing for Special Permit No. 1817, Triad Foundation to construct a 4,789 sf office building at 15 Ascot Place in the Guild Commercial Park, in the Commercial Low Traffic District, Tax Parcel No. 45.1-1-46.16.

Roy Park, Chairman and President of Triad Foundation, gave background information. He stated that the Park Foundation which has been in existence for seven years has been divided into two divisions. Triad Foundation was fully funded in Feb. 2003 and is involved with graduate student scholarships at Cornell University in the business school, as well as graduate and doctorate journalism scholarships and fellowships at the University of North Carolina. The Foundation is also involved with youth education, tropical ecology, marine ecology, local public service, such as PRI, Children’s Garden, and Girl Scouts. Park stated there are about 200 grants given each year which total around 8 or 9 million dollars. There will be 3-6 staff at the new office and administrative headquarters building. The land has been on the market for 13 years and has been recently purchased by Park. It is a wooded area adjacent to the Park Outdoor Advertising Headquarters across from the Montessori School on Ascot Place.

Kathryn Wolf, Trowbridge and Wolf, gave the presentation. Wolf oriented the Board to the location of the proposed building off the end of Ascot Place. The lot is 3.93 acres and the proposed building will utilize the gravel base which exists for the driveway, curl it and connect it to the Park Outdoor Advertising Headquarters. The proposed parking lot has 6 spaces for the employees and they will request a zoning variance to reduce the number of required parking spaces to six as additional parking spaces are needed only about three times a year at which time visitors can use the parking lot for Park Outdoor Advertising. The proposed building has been shifted to minimize the removal of trees. Trees of 6 inches and larger have been identified on the planting plan showing which trees will be removed. Forty such trees will be removed. Of the 40, ten are dead and 10 are in poor condition. There is a 75 ft. buffer between the neighbors to the east and nothing will be touched in that area. White pines are also proposed for around the parking lot to act as a screen. Hickey stated that replacement trees will be 6 to 7 ft. in height.

Wolf also spoke about the lighting. The intention is to provide necessary lighting for the project and to provide safety for the parking area. Light poles are proposed for the entrance drive and to the road linking to the Park Outdoor Advertising Headquarters. There may also be low bollard lights along the walkway to the building. Final plans will be submitted to the Lighting Commission.

Wolf stated that a storm drainage study is being prepared by TG Millers and will provide calculations. Wolf has met with David Herrick and Brent Cross and they are in agreement with the Triad Foundation proposal to direct the upstream water and capture it in the existing drainage swale. The water running off the paved area would be directed into a small detention area west of the building to meet the 25 year storm requirement. Rather than make a depression, Triad Foundation is looking at taking a contour along the woodland and making a natural berm to act as a dam where the water behind it could soak into the ground or discharge slowly.

The front of the building is oriented to Park Outdoor Advertising Headquarters. It will be a Barden Home with dark brown natural cedar siding on every exterior side. The building will match the adjoining Park building.

Clara Wiese, 23 Janivar Drive resident, spoke about her desire to maintain her privacy since she will be an adjoining property owner to the east. Wiese stated she liked blue spruce and Wolf stated they could be planted around the building rather than the white pine.

Roger Jagoda, 17 Janivar Drive, spoke about the swale at the building to the north of the proposed site. He wanted to know how much water would be redirected on this site. Wolf stated the flow from the north and east would not be affected. Cross stated the water from the east would not be affected but would pass through. The calculations are being done for the area to the west of the paved areas.

Tatyana Petukhova, 25 Janivar Drive, indicated that she moved to the area about 6 years ago because of the beauty of the site. She is concerned about pollution from the parking lot and lights from the site. She feels the stream should be mentioned and a report given on it to confirm that the environment would not be negatively affected. Hickey replied that the Board must do a SEQRA and questions will be asked regarding pollution, drainage, lighting, etc. This will determine if there are any negative impacts to the neighbors. Petukhova would also like to see additional trees planted. Hickey stated that the proposed building meets the requirements of the Zoning Law for a Commercial Low Traffic building for the site so the Planning Board’s job is to make sure the project complies with the Special Permit General Conditions. Also, there is an engineer advising the Board who will address some of her concerns.

Gary Sloan, Horizon Drive, spoke of his involvement with the Montessori School on whose behalf he was speaking. They are excited about the project and support it. They realize the 3 acre site will be developed and this is a small building for the size of the site.

Petukhova asked that the building be moved closer to the front of the property so it would be further from hers. Hickey stated the Planning Board would take that into consideration.

There being no one else who wished to speak, Dankert moved to close the Public Hearing. Seconded by Klepack. All aye.

Dubow stated, for the record, that his law firm represented Triad in the purchase of the property but has not been and will not be involved in the construction project, design or layout of the building or any applications for Village approvals.

Hickey asked Wolf when the site was reviewed, was consideration given to moving the building farther to the west. Wolf stated Park is interested in a campus setting and would like the two Park buildings to be somewhat adjacent to each other. Wolf stated that topography of the stream, drainage swales and low areas were factors for placement of the building on the site. The slope of the parcel goes down from east to west and there is approx. 400 ft. between the two buildings.

Cross provided his report for the Board’s review. Regarding traffic and parking, Cross felt the 20 foot drive would be acceptable because of the low traffic volume. The 22 ft. wide aisle behind the parking would also work with the low traffic. If the zoning variance were denied and the full 19 additional parking spaces needed to be built, Cross would then recommend a 24 foot aisle.

Cross asked about the Belgium block curbing. Wolf responded that it is granite that comes in smaller chunks and is cemented together.

Cross stated that the 25 foot ROW easement for the back lot does not line up with the proposed driveway for this lot. This might require the driveway to be widened in the future if the back lot was developed. Cross questioned if the entrance ROW could be shifted to the west to more closely aline with the proposed driveway. Wolf stated the first segment of the driveway is already in place and is not in the existing ROW. Park was in agreement that the entrance not be widened in the future. Park would recommend that future developers of the back lot enter the property through the proposed driveway and then continue down the ROW to enter their parcel.

Cross then addressed drainage concerns. He noted that water from the northeast corner has been identified from another source and may be seasonal. Cross has a drawing which depicts a pipe shown near the building to collect the water and then divert it to the stream and pass it through the site uninterrupted. Cross stated due to the contours on the property, it would take a blockage in the stream at least 7 ft. high to cause any problems for the building or adjoining properties. Cross stated that a topic of discussion is the potential exposure for EPA Phase II storm water regulations and he noted that the proposed disturbed area is less than the one acre which would trigger the new EPA requirements and this allows the Village to address it with current regulations. The 25 year storm water management plan will be calculated by TG Millers.

Cross further noted that photometrics must be submitted to the Lighting Commission, as well as screening details provided about a dumpster location if there will be one. Cross stated that the location of utility services need to be indicated by TG Millers as well as estimated water usage to determine the number of sewer units required.

Leopold asked about the water on the property in the eastern corner and how it would affect the site. Cross stated there would be no impact in velocity of water below the site although there might be some within the site.

The Planning Board then completed SEQRA Part II. Cross noted that on Page 1 there is a typo and Item 6 should be 2.7 percent lot coverage. Page 2: A – No B – No C1 - A condition will be Approval of Village Engineer for drainage plans for the site. A second condition will be submittal and approval by the Code Enforcement Office or the Village Engineer of erosion control measures. C2 – Regarding neighborhood character, the developer will mitigate the impact by planting new trees and screening the east side of the building. A condition will be Approval of the Landscape and Buffer Strip Plans. C3 – None C4 – The building is going into a CLT District and the use and building is consistent with what is permitted in the District. C5 – None C6 – None C7 – No D – No.

Hickey noted that speakers tonight spoke for and against the project. Hickey summarized that the proposed action is a permitted use and will probably have the least impact due to the small volume of traffic, size of building the number of employees.

Klepack moved that this proposed action will have no significant adverse environmental impact. Seconded by Brown. All aye.

Brown noted that this building would have no more impact than a residence of the same size.

The Planning Board then reviewed the General Conditions for all Special Permits in Section 304.05 of the Zoning Law. The Village Engineer will review and approve drainage plans.

Dankert moved that the applicant has met all the general conditions for a Special Permit. Seconded by Klepack. Stycos expressed her support for fewer parking spaces when the variance is considered. A vote was taken. All aye.

Hickey stated that a building of this size, based on square footage, would require 24 parking spaces. The Planning Board has the authority to reduce the number of parking spaces by 20% and could approve the building with 19 parking spaces. Park would prefer to have only 6 spaces and will go before the Board of Zoning Appeals for the reduction in parking spaces and will set aside land which could be used for parking in the future should more parking be required .

Stycos moved to grant the applicant approval to reduce the parking lot requirements by 20% from 24 to 19 parking spaces. Seconded by Brown. All aye.

Klepack moved to approve Special Permit No. 1817, Triad Foundation to construct a 4,789 sf office building at 15 Ascot Place in the Guild Commercial Park, subject to the following conditions: 1) Approval by Village Engineer for drainage plans, stormwater management and erosion control plan, and sitework; 2) Implementation of a Landscape Plan approved by the Planning Board; 3) Implementation of a lighting plan approved by the Lighting Commission; 4) A revised plan for 19 parking spaces unless a variance for 6 parking spaces is approved by the BZA; and 5) Approval by the Planning Board of a buffer strip plan. Seconded by Brown. All aye.

The Planning Board will write a letter of recommendation to the Board of Zoning Appeals stating their support of the reduction in the number of parking spaces. Residents in the public may also write letters of support or attend the BZA meeting and express their support.

Lama Law Building Landscape Plan:

The Planning Board has received a Landscape Plan from Lama dated 4-11-03. Hickey questioned what the plans were for the south side of the building as he had walked over there and was concerned about the abrupt change in grade and the lack of screening. Lama stated it would be re-seeded and they would like to continue the grading from the Colbert property to get rid of the drop-off. Hickey questioned how the cars would be kept from going off the parking lot on the east side of the property. Lama responded that parking barricades will be placed where the curbing is missing on the east side. The northeast corner will also be dedicated to a dumpster with decorative fencing or a screen. Hickey stated that between the fencing and parking area, many bushes were removed. Lama stated that grass would be planted in that area. Hickey stated that does not provide a good screen for the surrounding neighbors. Klepack stated that the removed vegetation needs to be replaced and the applicant should be given the landscape guidelines adopted by the Planning Board. Hickey stated the south side has shrubs for a screening on the neighboring property of Village Office Campus. The east side from the trees to the dumpster area needs to be replanted. Lama was given the checklist and landscape guidelines. Another landscape submittal was requested which would show the size and types of trees, as well as the screened dumpster. Plantings are needed for the east side and southeast corner of the lot. Klepack also recommended plantings where there is soil near the building.

Cross asked about the parking space in the front of the building. Lama will research this by finding out how much land was acquired for the new road. This will determine whether there is sufficient land available for a front parking space. Closing papers from the acquisition will be provided by Lama Law Firm.

Open Space Proposal:

Hickey would like to see the Trowbridge & Wolf proposal placed in this year’s budget. Dubow stated that a time schedule should be incorporated into the document. Dankert moved to recommend the Trowbridge & Wolf proposal for services to prepare an open space protection plan for the Village to the Board of Trustees at a cost of $15,000 amended to include a time schedule. Seconded by Stycos. All aye.

Public Information Meeting Planning:

Hickey distributed materials for the meeting of April 29^th. First, Hickey divided the northeast quadrant into three zones based on census counts. Hickey then analyzed each area for population and traffic distribution. The Board discussed the real figures and projected calculations and made adjustments to the chart. Hickey also made copies of planned maps for the northeast quadrant of the Village. Showing the north/south roads through the Village, Hickey stated that east/west roads should be through neighborhoods and allow traffic to move between neighborhoods without entering onto N. Triphammer Rd., Warren Rd. or Route 13.

Curtis has received a map from Steve Horn, County Planning, which Hickey will be utilizing for the public informational meeting. Curtis will advertise the meeting.

Amendment to Subdivision Regulations – Clustering:

Hickey will be going to the upcoming Trustees’ meeting. Hickey wanted each Board member to know how to determine density for a cluster subdivision. In a hypothetical proposal for a 30 acre medium density residential sewered subdivision the developer would first subtract 6% for recreational land, 10-20% for roads (Hickey used 15%), leaving 23.7 acres available for development. Clustering requires a sketch plan showing the development before clustering and the developer would show 2 family lots of 25000 sf each or 41 two family homes or 82 dwelling units. That establishes the allowed density. Next, the developer would make a sketch plan of the clustered subdivision with the 82 dwelling units configured to efficiently use the land not restrained by the setback requirements that would normally apply, and propose how much open space he would reserve for the common use of the residents. Hickey would recommend a minimum of 20% open space be provided for any cluster subdivision that would be left as such in perpetuity. Dubow stated the Board of Trustees were concerned about the combination of the minimum of the 20% requirement and the “in perpetuity” clause. Dubow stated that part of the Trustees concern is that a developer might desire to leave 40% open space but could be deterred from doing so by the perpetuity clause as it would be too restrictive for that amount of open space. Dubow stated the perpetuity clause might therefore cause developers to leave only 20% as open space. Hickey stated that a plat could show the 20% set aside for open space and the additional 20% be reserved for future developable space. Hickey will explain this to the Board of Trustees for clarification purposes. Dubow stated that the Board of Trustees also had another concern about the language from the Honeoye Falls Open Space Law because the Village does not want to own the open space and does not want that presented as an option. The Planning Board agreed to have open space owned by a homeowner’s association, a not-for-profit or a land trust. Curtis has reservations on how the calculations will be made to determine the maximum density. Curtis stated if two-family lots are being used to calculate density, then two-family lots should be what is built. Hickey states the law does not read this way and thus leads to confusion. Curtis feels the 20% open space is small and 25% or 35% might be better but at least this method would insure that the amount of open space preserved by clustering will be more in line with what would normally be expected for a cluster subdivision.

Reports:

Trustees: Dankert reported the Board of Trustees discussed clustering and are also concerned about the rules for ownership. Hickey stated that Dubow is aware of the concerns and will be addressing them. The Board of Trustees discussed keeping the budget at a 3% increase as in previous years. Regarding N. Triphammer Road, there is an archeological dig being performed now which will take 6-8 weeks and this puts the project out to bid in January 2004 with construction in the summer of 2004. Leopold stated that the State has reviewed the bridge and would like to widen it to five lanes but it is in too good shape to warrant that at the present time, but the State may consider ramp expansions.

Landscape Guidelines for CHT Parking Lots:

Hickey stated the draft did not state that the Design Guidelines are applicable to reconstruction of parking lots as well as to new construction. Klepack will make this addition. Other minor revisions were made by Klepack to refer to parking islands rather than parking areas.

Hickey moved to approve Commercial High Traffic Design Guidelines (Draft 2) with minor additions and revisions by Klepack. Seconded by Dankert. All aye. Klepack will make revisions and have Willard pass them on to the Board of Trustees for further action.

Other Business as Time Permits:

Hickey stated that the next meeting will be a public information meeting dealing with population and traffic in the northeast quadrant. Hickey will further prepare his presentation. Curtis will advertise the meeting in the paper and copy it to Trustee Fresinski for placement on the Village website.

Approval of Minutes – March 25:

Klepack moved to approve the March 25^th minutes as revised. Seconded by Dankert. All aye.

Adjournment:

Stycos moved to adjourn the meeting at 9:59 P.M. Seconded by Klepack. All aye.