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 Ned Hickey. Present at the meeting were Planning Board Members Doris Brown, Phil Dankert, John Piscopo and Maria Stycos; Attorney David Dubow; Trustee Liaison Lynn Leopold; Code Enforcement Officer Ben Curtis; and members of the public.
Hickey opened the Public Comment.
John O’Neill, 53 Janivar Drive, spoke for residents of the Janivar Drive and
Leifs Way area. Their concerns are about
drainage from Lansing Trails Phase II.
There being no one else who wished to speak, Dankert moved to close the Public Comment period. Seconded by Brown. All aye.
Triad Foundation – Parking
Reduction:
Hickey stated that he was altering the agenda to remedy an administrative glitch and accommodate Triad Foundation. Hickey noted that the Planning Board, when it previously received Triad’s Special Permit application, approved the request for a 20% reduction to 19 parking spaces for Triad Foundation, but told the applicant that any further reduction would require a variance from the Board of Zoning Appeals. Subsequently, Hickey found out a law was passed in 2001 by the Village giving the Planning Board the authority to reduce the number of parking spaces by any amount requested by the applicant with the stipulation that the applicant document that the requested parking would be adequate for the proposed use and that the land that would otherwise be required for parking be set aside for future parking if deemed necessary. This law will negate the necessity of Triad Foundation requesting a variance from the Board of Zoning Appeals. Hickey stated that Triad Foundation would be required to set aside land for the original 24 parking spaces calculated on the square footage of the building. Dubow stated that the set aside land would remain in perpetuity as the requirements for parking might change. Brown moved to approve Triad Foundation to provide only 6 parking spaces rather than the 19 as previously approved, and the site plan will indicate the land to be set aside for future parking and the easement to show access between the two parking lots on adjoining sites. Seconded by Stycos. All aye.
Next, the Triad Landscape Plan was discussed. Hickey stated it was difficult to determine where to plant conifers in the buffer zone as required in the Zoning Law because the buffer is densely forested with deciduous trees and conifers are not likely to survive in that shaded environment. Spaces were found for 5 trees. Hickey would recommend approval for the 5 trees in the buffer zone with the understanding that if they fail due to insufficient sunlight then the developer would not be required to replace them. Dubow read from the Zoning Law (Section 104.21) that deciduous trees currently in the buffer zone may be incorporated into the buffer. Hickey stated he has met three times with the neighbors to obtain a consensus as to the location of the trees. Dankert moved to approve the Lanscape Plan for Triad Foundation as presented. Seconded by Stycos. All aye.
Curtis noted that the parking layout would have to change somewhat to accommodate handicapped parking.
Special Permit No. 1833,
Squeaky Clean Car Wash:
Hickey
stated this is a Public Hearing for Special Permit No. 1833, Squeaky Clean Car
Wash to construct a 2,800 sf addition to the existing car wash at 2326 North
Triphammer Road in the Commercial High Traffic District, Tax Parcel No.
47.1-1-17.5.
Gary
Sloan gave a brief summary of what is proposed.
He stated the proposed addition is on the rear center of the building
and will be faced in brick. The site
plan shows the existing building with the addition on the back for four
self-serve car wash bays. There is also
office space proposed for upstairs.
Employee parking will be moved to another location from where it is
currently located in the rear. Variances
will be needed for parking and building setbacks. Curtis stated there would be a need for 2
parking variances, one from the north and one from the west. Curtis stated variances would also be needed
for building setbacks from the west side and a second for the extension of the
nonconforming front yard setback from Catherwood Road.
Sloan
stated that behind the building is a steep incline which is messy and causes
maintenance problems. Also, the drainage
is not enclosed with a culvert and is only an open ditch. As part of the car wash proposal he would
install a culvert and would connect it to the existing McDonalds culvert. Sloan also has proposed lighting and
landscape plans.
Hickey
opened the Public Comment period.
John
O’Neill, 53 Janivar Drive, noted that the traffic emptying onto Catherwood Road
would exacerbate the problems at the intersection of Catherwood and North
Triphammer. Sloan stated there would be
a second curb cut to service the self-serve bays. Sloan stated that the self-serve bays would
not have the high volume of traffic as the existing tunnel so traffic impact
would be minimal.
Hickey
read aloud a letter he has received from Andy Sciarabba dated 5/27/03 which he
passed out to Board members. Sciarabba
is concerned about the final plans which call for a concrete retaining wall to
be constructed on the west property line.
The wall will be 10 to 12 feet in height with a 42 inch railing system
on top. Sciarabba was concerned about
further obstructing the visibility of Lansing Village Place from N. Triphammer
Road. Sciarabba also wrote of his
concerns about the potential walking path between the south line of McDonalds
and the north line of Squeaky Clean which would terminate in his parking lot
and he would require more information before agreeing to this.
There
being no one else who wished to speak, Brown moved to close the Public
hearing. Seconded by Stycos. All aye.
Sloan
was aware of Sciarabba’s concerns and responded. The dumpster enclosure will be placed in the
northwest corner of the lot and a storage shed will be removed. This will open up visibility of Sciarabba’s
property. Behind the building on Sciarabba’s property there are large trees
which also obstruct visibility. Some of these trees will be removed which may
increase visibility. Sloan showed pictures showing the view from the Lansing
Village Place parking lot to N. Triphammer Road. Sloan stated the retaining
wall would not come higher than the high point of the existing drive lanes of
Squeaky Clean and therefore the retaining wall will not decrease the visibility
of Lansing Village Place. Hickey recommended
Sloan put posts from the end of the building to the north end of the property
where the retaining wall will be and at the elevation of the wall and railing,
then the Planning Board could determine for themselves what impact the project
will have on the visibility of Sciarabba’s property. Leopold questioned whether visibility to the
Sciarabba property should be a consideration.
Dubow read from the Zoning Law General Conditions for all Special
Permits (Section 304.5) that the project should not be injurious to the use and
enjoyment of other properties in the vicinity.
The developers were agreeable to placing a string line to show the wall
elevation for the Board’s review.
Hickey
expressed concerns about the volume of traffic.
With the rebuild on N. Triphammer Road, there will be an increased use
of Catherwood Road. The proposal
indicates there will be three driveways in close proximity to each other. Sloan stated the new curb cut will be for
egress only for the four bays and will be 20 feet from the other entrance. Sloan stated that the tunnel releases 150
cars per hour and the self-serve car wash will release about 12 cars per hour
for each of the car bays. For safety reasons,
the self-serve wash bays will not tie in with the tunnel exit but will have
their own exit. Hickey asked if there is room to stack eight cars for the two
bays. Sloan responded that a circular
flow has been established to queue up the cars as they do presently. At one point, the drivers can remain in the
current car wash lane or go to the self-serve wash bay. There is stacking room for 8 cars and
additional space in the escape route.
Hickey
asked about the amount of water required for the proposed bays. Sloan stated that 16% of the water evaporates
or is carried out with each vehicle.
Calculations have been performed with the low water use heads and
nozzles using ½ gallon per minute. Going
full blast on an average of 6 hours a day equates to 2.2 sewer units. Hickey stated 2 or 3 new sewer permits will
be required. Sloan stated that it is an
existing structure and would not require additional permits as it is not new
construction. He cited Pyramid Mall as another case where an addition did not
require additional sewer permits. Curtis stated Pyramid Mall calculations were
based on the peak usage over the years and the recent increase in leasable area
did not increase the water usage above the levels the mall reported in prior
years when there were several restaurants in the tenant mix. Hickey will review the laws regarding
this. Sloan also noted that if they are
currently charged for 10 units based
upon usage of water, they are only discharging 8 units into the sewer system.
Stycos
wondered about setbacks. Hickey stated
that several variances would be needed.
Curtis stated the required rear yard setback (which is actually
considered a side yard setback) of the building is 25 ft. Sloan stated the proposal is for 9 feet so a
16 ft. reduction would be requested for the rear. A reduction in the requirement for front yard setback from
75 feet to 25 feet on the Catherwood Road side would also be required. Another variance would be needed for the
parking setback in the northwest corner as 15 feet is required and the proposed
parking goes right up to the lot line.
Curtis stated the BZA is scheduled to meet on June 3rd.
Brown
expressed concerns about the water usage as Squeaky Clean has exceeded their
original projected water usage by as much as 4-fold. Hickey stated that on this issue the Board
should defer to Brent Cross, the Village Engineer, who was unable to attend
tonight’s meeting, and let him make a decision or explain his thoughts to the
Board.
The
Planning Board asked to have an opportunity to review the site prior to
performing the SEQR. Dubow stated the
BZA works independently from the Planning Board. Should the BZA not grant the necessary
variances, there would be no need to continue review of the project. For expediency, Sloan stated they would
prefer to go before the BZA June 3rd
since the BZA would not be meeting again until August.
Dankert
moved to defer the decision until the June 9th meeting after the BZA
has met and the Planning Board has had the opportunity to visit the site with
the string in place as a visual aid.
Seconded by Hickey. Ayes by
Brown, Dankert and Hickey. Abstain by
Stycos.
Sloan
will notify Hickey and Andy Sciarabba when the string is in place and they can
view it at their leisure.
Curtis
noted that Planning Board recommendation is required for a use variance but
this is an area variance so none is required.
Special Permit No. 1834,
Southern Cayuga Lake Intermunicipal Water Commission:
Hickey stated this is a public hearing for Special Permit
No. 1834, Southern Cayuga Lake Intermunicipal Water Commission (SCLIWC) to construct
a 7616 sf addition to the existing water plant and office building at 1402 E.
Shore Drive in the Low Density Residential District, Tax Parcel No.
42.1-1-50.3.
Paul
Tunison, General Manager of SCLWIC,
spoke first about the proposed addition on the east side of the treatment
facility for office and work space.
Original plans from 1974 depicted an office for the east side, but it
was cut due to the cost of the building at that time. Presently, the facility is overcrowded. The cost of the project is about 2 M dollars
and is slightly larger than the one originally proposed.
Hickey
stated there appears to be more than the addition proposed. Tunison responded that there will be an
addition of four more parking areas.
There is also widening of the north entrance and paving it to the
existing paved area. Original office
spaces will also be renovated.
Hickey
opened the Public Hearing. John O’Neill,
53 Janivar Drive asked how the project is paid for. Tunison responded that there could be as much
as a 7% increase in water rates, but this has not been worked out. The finance committee must determine how much
will be paid from the capital project fund and how much through bonds. The 7% will be paid by SCLIWC users until the
bond is paid off. Hickey noted that all
five municipalities making up SCLIWC are represented on the Board of
Commissioners for SCLIWC. Tunison stated
this project must be approved by all five municipalities and will make the
current facility and offices handicapped accessible.
Curtis
requested the proof of mailing and Tunison gave it to him.
There
being no one else who wished to speak, Stycos moved to close the Public
Hearing. Seconded by Brown. All aye.
Hickey
asked how secure the plant is for terrorism and vandalism. Tunison responded that it is as secure as any
other facility with a chain link fence.
Hickey stated the south gate was open on Sunday and he walked through
the area checking landscaping. Hickey
also noted the storage building with flammable materials. No one stopped or questioned him. Hickey also rattled the door and no one
appeared. Tunison stated the gate is
supposed to be closed except Monday through Friday from 8 to 5.
Hickey reviewed the landscaping. He noted that item 21 called for two memorial
trees to be saved and relocated, but 22 trees will be removed and replaced with
only 5 new trees. Hickey felt there
should be some parity between trees being removed and trees and/or shrubs being
planted. Hickey also noted there is no
planting depicted on the shore side of the building. Tunison stated there is a long open distance
on this side and then a 150 ft. rock ledge.
Hickey also noted that there is room on the front side along the fence
line which could use some vegetation and he would urge the applicant to
consider flowering shrubs or small trees.
Hickey also noted that there is no drainage plan provided. Tunison stated that Hunt Engineers is still
working on the calculations and a drainage detention area might be placed to
the north of the plant. The current
driveway on the north is gravel and will be paved. Hickey is concerned about the runoff from
that area. Tunison responded that it
could be taken to a drainage detention area and then into the stream. Hickey stated the Village would require a
drainage plan approved by the Village Engineer.
Curtis asked about the timing of the proposed phases of the project and
Tunison replied that there are no definite plans for future phases and the
drainage would all be addressed in the first phase.
Stycos
stated she liked the looks of the gravel driveway. Hickey stated that it may be less expensive
to go for a gravel drive as the need for storm water detention would be
reduced. Tunison stated the reason they
are proposing blacktop is because they desire, for safety reasons, to have
tractor trailer deliveries use the north driveway rather than the one across
from Burdick Hill Road. Tunison stated
there are 2 – 3 tractor trailer deliveries a week which use the driveway and
parking lot in addition to the staff and about 5 individuals a day requiring
permits or doing other business at the facility.
Stycos
walked the area and she looked over the edge to the lake and saw a pond. Tunison stated there are 4 or 5 ponds to dry
the sludge from treatment of the lake water.
It is condensed for final drying in that area.
Curtis
stated the Lighting Commission will review the lighting proposals.
The
Planning Board then completed SEQRA Part II.
A- No B – No C1 – Review and approval by Village Engineer will be
required for erosion control and drainage management. C2 – None C3 – None C4 – None. This use is
permitted in this zoning district. C5 – None. It is needed as the office space
is very crowded. C6 – None C7 None. Hickey noted this is in a Unique Natural
Area. D - No
Dankert
moved that this proposed action will have no significant adverse environmental
impact. Seconded by Brown. All aye.
The
Planning Board then reviewed the General Condition for all Special Permits in
Section 304.05 of the Zoning Law.
Hickey
asked how the new addition would match the existing building. Tunison stated that additional trees will be
added as requested by the Planning Board and the exterior would be dark red
brick.
Dankert
moved that the applicant has met all the general conditions for a Special
Permit. Seconded by Brown. All aye.
Hickey
mentioned for the record that the County has responded with a favorable 239
Review.
Hickey noted the following conditions for approval of the
Special Permit: 1) Submission of
drainage and storm water management plan to be approved by the Village
Engineer; 2) Review and approval by Lighting Commission of Lighting Plan; 3)
Submission and approval of revised Landscaping Plan with additional
plantings. This motion was moved by
Stycos and seconded by Brown. All aye.
Leopold provided the applicant with the type of
information which is required by the Lighting Commission for their review.
Residential Street Patterns:
Hickey
circulated the latest copy of Journal of the Planning Commission as well as
handouts on residential street patterns.
The first handout was about cul-de-sac and grid subdivisions and the
second handout was about build-to lines for houses in residential settings
which may serve as a traffic calming measure.
Prior to the meeting, Hickey and Brown reviewed Ward Bauder’s material
regarding traffic and its effect in various types of development. Hickey will reproduce the Bauder material for
members for the next meeting. Brown also
reviewed excerpts from Rural by Design which is in the Planning Board’s
library. Dankert borrowed the book for
review.
Approval of Minutes – April 29 & May 12:
None
available.
Reports:
Trustees:
Brown stated she enjoyed the discussion of parking by Dubow. The rest of the meeting involved vouchers and
fee increases.
Fire Department: Dankert talked with Lansing Fire Chief
Dale Oplinger regarding emergency vehicle access to the Coventry Walk
area. Oplinger was agreeable to the idea
of emergency access gates for fire rescue vehicles. The location could be through Janivar or
Wakefield or another location. Hickey
asked Dubow if this is legal to designate a public road with limited
access. Dubow feels it is permissible,
but will research it to be sure. Closer
to decision time, Dankert will discuss this further with Oplinger.
Traffic Calming: Brown has the Transportation Bulletin and
a traffic calming handout provided previously by John O’Neill. Brown stated most of the Village residents
already have traffic calming measures since they live in subdivisions. Traffic calming would be of particular
benefit for roads like Dart Drive, Burdick Hill and Oakcrest Road. Brown is concerned about Burdick Hill Road
during the N. Triphammer Road reconstruction and feels input should be gathered
from those residents. Brown noted that
Cambridge, Mass. is also concerned about pedestrian safety. Cambridge is raising the level of the
crosswalks to the level of the sidewalks and uses a different color, texture in
addition to the hump. This makes it
easier for bicycles and strollers.
Hickey stated the plan for N. Triphammer is to have red pavers at
crosswalks. Brown commented that
Cambridge is also having the curbs bump out at intersections to prevent
vehicles from parking near the corner which limits visibility. Hickey stated this might be a solution for
Bush Lane near Bergman’s house. Hickey
stated Brown would be the Planning Board traffic calming expert for Lansing
Trails.
Other Business as Time Permits:
Leopold
expressed concerns about her neighbors cutting down large trees. Leopold sees no soil stabilization
measures. Hickey stated the Planning
Board has discussed this in the past and determined there was no easy way to
regulate tree cutting on private property. Stycos is very aware of concerns for
brush and tree removal in her neighborhood and the effects on the gorges. Leopold also stated that Mayor Hartill will
be removing fallen trees from the Kate’s Hole area in Twins Glen.
Dubow
stated he strongly encouraged the Codification process be completed. The Board of Trustees set the deadline as
September for completion. Dubow would
recommend adopting the code and then make amendments as needed.
Adjournment:
Stycos moved to adjourn at 9:25 P.M. Seconded by Dankert. All aye.