Village of Lansing

Planning Board Meeting

May 31, 2005

 

 

 

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 and Maria Stycos; Trustee Liaison Lynn Leopold; Attorney David Dubow; Code Enforcement Officer Ben Curtis and members of the public.

  

Public Comment:

Hickey opened the Public Comment period.

 

As there was no one who wished to speak, Dankert moved to close the Public Comment period.  Seconded by Stycos.  Ayes by Dankert, Hickey and Stycos.  Motion carried.

 

Taughannock Aviation Landscape Plan:

Hickey stated the next item on the agenda was the Landscape Plan for Taughannock Aviation as well as a possible minor amendment to the previously approved Special Permit. 

 

The Board first discussed the minor amendment.  Roger Dennis from Taughannock Aviation stated that they would like to construct a 16x10 foot vestibule on the rear of the building to allow people to walk between the hangar and the reception area without going outside.  Board members reviewed the rendering of the office building and the 2 story enclosure which would house the vestibule on the first floor and enlarge an office on the second floor. Dennis is seeking approval for this amendment in concept and, if it is approved, he will then have actual construction drawings done.  Hickey stated this can be considered a minor amendment to the Special Permit in which case a public hearing will not be required or it could be classified as a major amendment and a public hearing scheduled for the next meeting.  In any event this amendment will be attached to the current Special Permit and all conditions of that Special Permit will apply to the amendment as well including reviews and approvals by the Code Enforcement Officer and Engineer.  Stycos moved to approve the vestibule as a minor amendment to the Special Permit for Taughannock Aviation which has already been approved.  Seconded by Dankert.  Ayes by Dankert, Hickey and Stycos.  Motion carried.

 

Brown entered the meeting.

 

Next, the Board discussed the Landscape Plan.  Hickey asked who prepared the drawing. 

Dennis stated it was designed by his nephew, a professional landscape designer and will be stamped by a licensed architect.  Board members discussed the various types of trees and shrubs to be planted as well as the existing trees to remain.  Hickey stated that in accordance with the Board’s customary procedure once the trees are planted the Board would return a year later to ascertain that they are still in good condition.  Dennis confirmed that the plants were guaranteed for a year and any plants that failed in that first year would have to be replaced by the landscaper.

Dankert moved to approve the Landscape Plan for Taughannock Aviation.  Seconded by Stycos.  Ayes by Brown, Dankert, Hickey and Stycos.  Motion carried. 

 

Additional Municipal Infrastructure Report:

Next, the Board reviewed a chart provided by Hickey which showed new municipal properties and sidewalks in the Village from recently approved subdivisions as well as the North Triphammer Road Reconstruction Project.  Hickey stated one of the Planning Board’s goals for 2005 was to keep the Board of Trustees informed on what infrastructure the Village would be taking over and have to maintain.  The chart indicates the following information provided by the developers/engineers of each project:

 

            Millcroft Subdivision – 50 acres, 49 dwelling units

                        2.2 acres drainage area, 2.3 acres parklands, 1,400 lf walking trails,

                        3900 lf road surface, no sidewalks

            Lansing Trails II – 34+/- acres, 97 dwelling units

                        2.1 acres drainage area, 5.37 acres parklands, 4100 lf walking trails,

                        5000 +/- lf road surface, 4500 lf sidewalks

            Spitsberg Subdivision – 7+ acres, 6 dwelling units

                        1.33 acres drainage area, no parklands, 260+/- lf walking trails,

                        520+/- lf road surface, no sidewalks

            Cardamone Subdivision – 6.3 acres, 16 dwelling units

                        no drainage area, no parklands, no walking trails,

                        145 lf. road surface, no sidewalks

            North Triphammer Road Reconstruction Project

                        no drainage area, no parklands, no walking trails,

                        no road surface, 4870 lf of new sidewalks   

 

Hickey is unsure of the information on the Spitsberg Subdivision as the drainage area and length of road may be slightly different as a result of the amendment being proposed tonight.  Hickey also chose to add the North Triphammer Road Reconstruction Project as there will be almost a mile of new sidewalk added.  Sidewalk will be installed up to Brook Drive on the east side and up to Graham Road on the west side.

 

Board members liked the chart and it will be forwarded to the Board of Trustees.  Dankert will be attending the Trustees’ meeting on Monday if questions arise.

 

Approval of Minutes – April 26:

Stycos moved to approve the minutes of April 26th as revised.  Seconded by Dankert.  Ayes by Brown, Dankert, Hickey, and Stycos.  Minutes approved.

 

As some of the members had not reviewed the minutes of the May 9 meeting, the Board postponed consideration of those minutes until their June 13 meeting. It was requested that minutes be sent out double-sided in the future.

Spitsberg Subdivision Final Plat Amendment:

Theodore Spitsberg and his engineer, Gary Wood, have submitted a revised Final Plat reflecting changes required by NYSDEC. DEC will permit only very limited relocation of the stream. DEC also confirmed that because this is a residential subdivision and less than 5 acres would be disturbed their regulations do not require storm water detention or treatment for quality. Curtis stated he discussed this exemption with Ellen Hahn in the regional office of DEC and she confirmed this interpretation and referred him to their web page and the section on frequently asked questions. Curtis copied pertinent information from this site and distributed it to the Board.  Curtis noted that Village regulations requiring stormwater detention still apply and that a basic stormwater protection plan is required even though it need not be engineered.  A Notice of Intent must still be filed with DEC and DEC recommends that the Village require confirmation that DEC received the plan.  This determination does relieve Spitsberg from water quality requirements of the EPA Phase II regulations but Village regulations will still require engineered detention on the site to maintain the rate of stormwater discharge at the same level as prior to development.

 

Hickey explained to the public that the Board was awaiting Engineer Gary Wood to discuss drainage and possible reconfiguration of some lots based on Village requirements and policy pertaining to ownership of stormwater management infrastructure, access to it, and recreation trails connecting to the Village trail system .

 

Leopold asked about input from Engineer Brent Cross.  Hickey stated Cross was unclear about the DEC exemption from EPA Phase 2 Regulations which prompted Curtis to research it.  Cross has not seen the materials provided by Curtis and was unable to attend tonight.  Tonight was intended to be an initial review to determine if this is a minor or major amendment. If the Board feels it is a major amendment then there must be a Public Hearing which can be scheduled for June 13th. The consensus of the Board was that this should be treated as a major amendment.

 

Dubow asked if the Army Corps of Engineers have granted their approval which is one of the conditions of the original final plat approval.  Curtis will research this prior to the Public Hearing.

 

Hickey reviewed the letter dated May 27, 2005 from Wood to the Village Planning Board regarding whether the Village would require dedication of the detention area.  Hickey has checked with Cross and for consistency the Board should require that it be dedicated.   If the Village agrees to this, Cross feels there would need to be some realignment of property lines on one of the lots so there would not be an awkward configuration.  Dubow noted that the plans show the Airport Combining District and this should be removed based upon the recent amendment to the Village Zoning Law removing this district. 

 

Hickey also stated the trail connection to the Millcroft Subdivision needs to be retained as the Village did not take a percentage of land for recreation space because the residents of Spitsberg’s Subdivision would have access to the Village trail system immediately adjacent to it in the Millcroft Subdivision .  Curtis stated the detention area on the southern boundary would then connect to the Millcroft Subdivision and might provide an opportunity for such a trail connection.

 

Hickey stated the Planning Board will set a Public Hearing for June 13th.  The Board has also answered the questions in the letter from Wood and Curtis will give the responses to Wood.  In summary, Hickey stated the Village acknowledges receipt of the letter, stormwater treatment for quality is a dead issue, the detention area will be owned by the Village, a trail will be required to connect to the trail system in the Millcroft Subdivision and the previous SEQRA negative declaration will be reviewed to gauge the impact of the proposed changes.

 

Other Business as Time Permits:

Brown distributed material from the City of Ithaca code on planting maintenance and removal of trees and shrubs.  In essence, the ordinance states no one shall plant, remove or replace any tree or shrub on the street or city owned property without the express approval of the City.  There was discussion as to whether Curtis or Superintendent of Public Works Courtney would enforce such an ordinance in the Village.  Hickey stated the Village spent money to inventory the trees in the Village and stated there should be periodic inspections in the future by a forester and this has never occurred.  The Village needs a mechanism to ensure that action is taken after the Planning Board passes on a recommendation to the Trustees and it is approved.  Hickey stated the resources to implement such actions must be built into the budget.  Leopold asked about the legal implications of trees which have been identified in the Village as needing attention.  Hickey stated the initial inventory of trees noted which trees needed to be removed and this was accomplished.  Brown stated the ordinance further details what happens if trees are removed.  Brown provided copies of an excerpt from the ordinance to members.

 

Brown stated she would like to see what is planned for all the new trees on North Triphammer Road, as well as in newly approved subdivisions,.  Hickey stated consultants Trowbridge and Wolf will be assisting the Village on this.  Hickey also stated the Village could save a lot of money on bare root trees and Wolf is aware of this, but the window of opportunity to plant  them is smaller than for balled trees.  Hickey also stated the Village would be mixing the variety of trees so that a single tree disease can not decimate a whole streetscape.  Hickey stated this will probably be the last thing done next year and might need to be planted incrementally.     

      

Adjournment:

Dankert moved to adjourn at 8:25 P.M.  Seconded by Stycos.  Ayes by Brown, Dankert, Hickey and Stycos.  Motion carried.