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HomeMy WebLinkAboutCOC Minutes 2026-06-10 1 TOWN OF ITHACA CODES AND ORDINANCES COMMITTEE (COC) Meeting of June 10, 2026 – 5:30 p.m. Aurora Conference Room, Town Hall Minutes Members Present: Susie Gutenberger-Fitzpatrick: Chair; Diana Sinton; Dave McCune; Connor Terry. Not Present/Excused: Vinny Ferrara & Eva Hoffmann. Staff Present: C.J. Randall, Director of Planning; Christine Balestra, Senior Planner; Dana Magnuson, Senior Code Enforcement Officer, Susan Brock, outgoing Attorney for the Town and Nate Van Why, incoming Attorney for the Town. Guests: Two students in person. The meeting was recorded on Zoom and live streamed on the Town of Ithaca YouTube channel. Susie called the meeting to order at 5:34 p.m. Nathan Van Why was introduced and welcomed by the committee. 1. Member comments/concerns. None 2. Review minutes from May 04, 2026, COC meeting. On a motion made by Dave, seconded by Diana, the May 04, 2026, COC minutes were unanimously approved as presented. 3. Complete amendments to Revised Draft Subdivision of Land Regulations. Chris explained that there were additional clarifications made to the regulations since they were mailed to the committee. She shared the most recent version of the regulations on the screen and explained them in detail. Some of the proposed changes were minor typos or adding in missing words. More significant changes were: • Item “B” moved from Applicability section to §234-10. General Requirements section • Definition of DWELLING added, matches Zoning Code definition • Definition of LOT LINE changed to match Zoning Code definition; committee added “public” on second line, between “of” and “a” (reads: “of a public street”) • Definition of PHASED DEVELOPMENT added • Definition of MINOR subdivision changed from “up to three” lots, to “two or three” lots • Article V- added public hearing requirements • Article VI- Major Subdivisions, §234-26. Conventional subdivisions- added unbuildable language clause to C. • Article XI- Supersession, §234-42- new section. After the word “supersede” in first sentence, end with “all contrary provisions of NYS Town Law, including, but not limited to, the following:” Conclusion: All of the final amendments proposed were accepted by the COC. 2 Next steps: C.J. stated that, as part of the law revisions, the Town’s Open Space Inventory was being digitized using ArcGIS. Staff was also developing a guide for developers to help give clarity to the town’s processes related to development and the overall goals and objectives for the built environment. Staff was updating existing and creating new submission checklists, which will be external from the code to maintain transparency and enable the ability to revise as needed. The OpenGov permitting platform for application submissions will be updated to be more efficient so applications will more accurately reflect the updated code and process. The fee schedule will be reviewed to be commensurate with the type of review being applied. C.J. then noted that the public engagement piece was anticipated to include a presentation from conservation subdivision specialist Randall Arendt. Other municipalities, possibly local real estate or developer representatives, along with the local community, could be invited to attend the presentation. C.J. briefly explained an idea to host a two-part discussion/presentation to show the built environment idea, the development review process and any known funding opportunities in one session, and a natural environment session to go into detail about conservation subdivisions. The committee liked these ideas. A large thank you was given to Chris Balestra, Nick Quilty-Koval, and Susan Brock for carrying the document forward through this point in the process. On a motion by Susie, seconded by Connor, the Codes and Ordinances committee unanimously voted to refer the Draft Revised Subdivision of Land Regulations, as amended that evening, to the Town Board for further action. The Town Board is expected to refer the law to the Conservation Board and Planning Board for their recommendations. 4. Other business: Next meeting date: August 12th, 2026. The committee agreed to cancel the July 8th meeting to allow progress on the subdivision regulations. This was a very memorable last meeting for Susan Brock, Attorney for the Town, as she is retiring. The committee thanked her for more than 25 years of invaluable service to the Town of Ithaca. The meeting adjourned at 6:49 p.m.