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HomeMy WebLinkAboutPC Packet 2025.11.20 DEPARTMENT OF PLANNING 215 N. Tioga St 14850 607.273.1747 www.town.ithaca.ny.us TOWN OF ITHACA PLANNING COMMITTEE THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 20, 2025 at 3:00 P.M. Meeting Location: Ithaca Town Hall, 215 N. Tioga Street, Aurora Conference Room (Enter from the rear entrance of Town Hall, adjacent employee parking lot.) Members of the public may also join the meeting virtually via Zoom at https://us06web.zoom.us/j/6750593272. AGENDA 1. Persons to be heard. 2. Committee announcements and concerns. 3. Consider approval of September meeting minutes. 4. Review and discussion: South Hill Traditional Neighborhood Development (TND) SEQRA professional services procurement responses received. 5. Continue discussion of potential historic preservation program. 6. Staff updates and reports. 7. Discuss next meeting date and upcoming agenda items. A quorum of the Ithaca Town Board may be present, however, no official Board business will be conducted. 1 Town of Ithaca Planning Committee Thursday, September 18, 2025 (3:00 PM Aurora Conference Room and on Zoom) Draft Minutes Committee members present: Rich DePaolo, Chair; Rod Howe Board/Staff members: Director of Codes Marty Moseley; Director of Planning C.J. Randall. Guests: None 1. Persons to be heard: None. 2. Committee announcements and concerns: None 3. Approval of August minutes: Rich moved the minutes for approval as presented, Rod seconded. August 21, 2025, minutes were approved. 4. Proposed timeline for South Hill Traditional Neighborhood Development (TND) SEQRA professional services procurement. It was noted, with some degree of relief, that the Town’s YouTube channel was restored; this platform housed the two South Hill design charrette videos from October 2021 which were an important and necessary part of the project. The town has a dedicated webpage with the project history and information to date and will continue to be the public reference point for the project. C.J. distributed the draft RFQ for consultant services to review the draft South Hill TND Regulating Plan for potential impacts under state environmental quality review (SEQRA). A Full Environmental Assessment Form (FEAF) will be completed and a GEIS likely based on the results of the environmental assessment. These contracted services are part of the overall project budget in the 2025 Town Budget year, anticipated to have expenditures carry into 2026 as the project is expected to be over an 18-month period. Some of the work on the project will be done in-house. The anticipation is that once the FEAF and GEIS are completed for the overall project, individual development proposals will not need a SEQRA, they would go through the Site Plan process with environmental review already complete. The committee was asked for feedback on the draft document submitted. The Town Engineering Department provided feedback previously to C.J. on the process and design and other related engineering pieces of the draft RFQ. The Town Planning Board would be an interested party in the environmental review, and the Town Board is anticipated to be the Lead Agency. Rich asked for the language in the Anticipated Tasks section #4 and in the Introduction section to be amended to add conditional wording that does not imply the result of the SEQRA review will require a GEIS. Add something like “…if or if necessary,” “as anticipated or envisioned,” to be acknowledge that the Town Board will have the final say on whether a positive or negative declaration of environmental significance is warranted. Everyone agreed that a positive declaration and GEIS is the outcome predicted, however there will still be action by the Town Board independent of the consultant recommendation. C.J noted that in June 2025 a letter was sent to the majority property owners/stakeholders in the area indicating the Town’s intent to move forward with the environmental review process. 2 The committee was comfortable with the draft RFQ with the revision noted above to be presented at the next Town Board study session. 5. Discussion on recommendation to rescind Chapter 161-Freshwater wetlands from the Town Code. C.J. followed up on the previous few discussions related to the potential recommendation to rescind the town’s section on wetlands. The draft Housing Development Freshwater Wetlands Permit is still in development by the NYS DEC, however the original recommendation to rescind the Town’s local chapter stands. She said a referral to the County per GML is not required for the local law action however it can be referred if in doubt. No urgency in the action as the town has no enforcement authority for freshwater wetlands at this time. Marty followed up that the adoption of the NYS Freshwater wetland regulations and modifications has brought light to this chapter of the town law. 6. Staff updates and reports. C.J. noted the Safe Streets Tompkins- Final Safety Action plan is complete on the website featuring links for other additional interesting materials at https://safestreetstompkins.com. C.J. reported on the recent meeting with the new Ithaca Tompkins County Transportation Council Executive Director, Tom Knipe. The discussion centered around past planning transportation collaboration efforts and ideas for reviving those successful past initiatives. The former Cornell / Community Transportation Investment Initiative was mentioned as a past example which was successful and beneficial. The Town received a $50,000 grant from the Park Foundation towards the update on the Forest Home Traffic Calming study. An RFQ will be drafted to send out to procure professional services to complete the study. Margaret Johnson joined the meeting, and Rich gave a brief recap of the agenda items the committee had gone through and she offered to follow up with C.J. if needed. C.J. noted recent inquiries into the development feasibility/entitlement process of the RaNic County Club property. She mentioned the Area of Special Concern outlined in the Town Comprehensive Plan. The area is currently zoned Low Density Residential, and a developer may propose a rezoning of the property. A PDZ is a possibility to concentrate development and maintain open space. There is a County Road (Pleasant Grove Rd) and bordering municipal boundary that are interagency factors in any project proposal. Any developer is advised of the process beginning with the Planning Committee. 7. Next meeting date and upcoming agenda items: The October meeting was tentatively moved to Thursday, October 23, 2025, 3:00 p.m. due to scheduling conflicts for the regular meeting date of October 16. If there are no urgent agenda items, the October meeting may be cancelled. Marty noted he is not available in person for the October meeting; however, he could join via Zoom videoconference if there is a meeting. The Town of Ithaca Planning Committee meeting concluded at 3:30 p.m.