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HomeMy WebLinkAboutPC Minutes 2025-11-20 1 Town of Ithaca Planning Committee Thursday, November 20, 2025 (3:00 PM Aurora Conference Room and on Zoom) Minutes Committee members present: Rich DePaolo, Chair; Rod Howe & Margaret Johnson Board/Staff members: Director of Codes Marty Moseley; Director of Planning C.J. Randall & Justin McNeal, Senior Civil Engineer Guests: None 1. Persons to be heard: None. 2. Committee announcements and concerns: None 3. Approval of September minutes: Rod moved the minutes for approval as presented, Rich seconded, minutes were approved. 4. Review and discussion: South Hill TND SEQRA professional services procurement responses received. Five responses to the RFQ were received, reviewed by Planning staff and put into a matrix with evaluation criteria (as stated in the RFQ) to compare responses. Planning Committee members received the qualification sections from all five firms to review prior to the meeting and the matrix was shown onscreen. Two firms were recommended based on their qualifications. The firms of Fisher Associates / Cambridge Systematics / Phillips Lytle was the team that seemed best suited to what the town needs. Rich asked about cost estimates for this SEQRA professional services contract portion of the project. C.J. replied that cost estimates were not requested at this time, however the rates were and the two top firms were within a close range of each other for technical assistance. She offered to send those numbers to the Committee. The overall project budget was noted again at just over $200,000 and has carried over from the previous year(s). The RFQ that was sent out meets the town procurement policy for professional services. Once the contract is authorized by the Town Board upon recommendation of the Director of Planning, the project scope of work (presuming there will be a positive declaration of environmental significance by the Town Board as lead agency) will be used with the firm’s rates and a not-to-exceed amount will be set. Justin asked if the intent is to provide the Town Board with the two top firm qualifications or the recommended firm only. C.J. replied that the full package that was submitted by the top firm will be sent to the Town Board along with any additional information that is requested. The major landowners in the area received a letter from C.J. and Rod notifying them of the town’s intent to move forward with the environmental review process step of the project in June 2025. The Committee was in favor of the Director of Planning’s anticipated recommendation to the Town Board to approve and award the bid for professional service related to the South Hill TND SEQRA to Fisher Associates et. al. This is anticipated to take place at the December 8th board meeting, pending preparation of contract documents. Town Engineer and Codes Department’s review, and comments were 2 welcomed as well. The legal services portions would be used in circumstances when/if the attorneys for the town were unable to provide the counsel or needed specific supplementary support. 5. Continued discussion of potential historic preservation program. Rod gave a brief history that the town and City have worked on a draft joint ordinance and MOU for a historical preservation program beginning in 2020. The draft ordinance had not been presented to the City’s Common Council for review until recently when it was provided in an e-mail for their November meeting. C.J. and Rich attended the meeting and there was not a sense that Common Council members were aware of the program’s draft ordinance and MOU at the time of the meeting. Rod asked the Committee if town staff should explore having a town only program or present the joint proposal again to the City in the upcoming year. Both the town and City comprehensive plans identify this as a key policy area and it is important to move forward for the town. C.J. has a meeting request in with the City director of Planning to discuss this topic before the end of the year. The town’s goal is to have a clear direction by May 2026, which coincides with Historic Preservation Month. C.J. briefly explained an option for a town-only program would include an ordinance, public outreach and education, an outside consultant along with the establishment of a town design review board for historic preservation and potentially other town projects. The town has done significant research and an inventory of historic buildings which will aid the process and having the ordinance already drafted and needing minor changes will be a benefit to the town as well. Consultant information is being gathered and prepared to be presented to the Town Board with a recommendation to move forward with the budgeted expense of hiring a historic preservation consultant in January 2026. Even if the Town decides to present the joint MOU and ordinance collaboration to the City again in the new year, the consultant was part of the process and is needed either way. The consultant would work with the NYS Historic Preservation Office (SHPO) for the Town to become a Certified Local Government. Once certified, the designation process will begin and an 18-month total timeframe to implementation is anticipated. There are vulnerable historic properties in the town that do not have current state or local historic preservation designation. The Planning Board review of building demolition of any property is only triggered when it exceeds a certain square footage. Rich asked if lowering the square foot threshold would be beneficial while the historic preservation legislation is being worked on. While that change is not difficult to propose, the Planning Department would like the overall impact of any change to carry the most momentum going forward. A deconstruction ordinance is also being researched and presented by the Planning Department to the Town Board in the new year as well. 6. Staff program or Updates. C.J. reported that the Forest Home Traffic Calming Plan Update RFQ was sent out to many firms and planning related websites. Questions from the parties interested have a December 1st deadline. Engineering, Planning, and Public Works will coordinate the responses to the technical questions as they come in. The final date for the town to receive responses to the RFQ is January 9, 2026. There is an 3 upcoming meeting with the Forest Home Improvement Association representatives who have comments on the RFQ to share with the town. NYSEG is moving forward with the Finger Lakes Area Infrastructure Reliability (FLAIR), a multi-year electric transmission line project, consisting of the reconstruction of approximately 21 miles of 115 kilovolt (kV) transmission lines, connecting the Coddington Road Substation and Montour Falls Substation in Tompkins and Schuyler counties, respectively. Representatives from NYSEG will be at an upcoming Town Board meeting for a brief presentation. The City of Ithaca received a grant to undergo a City-wide zoning update. C.J. asked for the Town to be a participant in the process specifically related to institutional zoning. The former Buttermilk Falls B&B is now on the market for sale. The property was previously noted as under consideration for the Limited Historic Commercial Overlay district. The Committee went into detailed discussion on how to prioritize applications for potential funding under the Transportation Alternatives Program (TAP). Based on the 2022 Town Pedestrian Facilities map, priority segments were listed. The segments were reviewed by the Planning Committee again in 2024. The highest priority segments with the most feasibility are the Maple Ave to Pine Tree Road sidewalk segment and the Rt. 96/Trumansburg Road sidewalk from Harris B. Dates Drive to the City Line. One application for each of the two top priorities could be submitted although it would be a heavy lift and unlikely (although possible) for both to be awarded. Or the Town can prioritize one project application to submit for funding. The application deadline is March 2026 and concurrence with NYS DOT is needed to apply for the TAP funding. The concurrence may provide additional financial assistance from the NYS DOT if the project is approved for TAP funding. C.J. has reached out to the regional DOT office to discuss the potential concurrence on the Rt. 96 segment as the top priority. After the meeting with DOT, C.J. will come back with a firmer recommendation about how to move forward. The Committee asked for the maps that highlighted the priority segments and summary of the 2020 study for the next meeting, however C.J. was prepared to share on screen. The cost estimates for 2020 potential projects are likely to have doubled from then to now. Other transportation funding opportunities could include Climate Smart Communities and MPO formula funding. Maplewood II project building permits are anticipated in the spring. Compliance with the Ithaca Energy Code Supplement (including ICC Net Zero Appendices) is required, and minor modifications may be needed before the building permits are issued. The Road Use Agreement is still being reviewed as well. Margaret asked if the Town has considered an infrastructure notification system for residents to register complaints like streetlights, potholes, etc. SeeClickFix is one used by the City of Ithaca. Marty and Justin noted that there is a complaint form on the Codes OpenGov platform for property complaints and the Town website has an area to e-mail/contact/ comment to the town for department specific inquiries. Justin noted that it has come up as a potential GIS mapping project in the future for certain issues. 7. Next meeting date and upcoming agenda items: December 18, 2025. Draft Greenhouse Gas Emissions Inventory for Government Operations. Deconstruction Policy is anticipated in January for Planning Committee review. 4 The Town of Ithaca Planning Committee meeting concluded at 4:00 p.m.