ГлавнаяMy WebLinkО нас2018-01-24 PAB Final Minutes1 PLANNING ADVISORY BOARD Wednesday, January 24, 2018 OLD JAIL CONFERENCE ROOM 125 E. Court Street, Ithaca NY 14850 FINAL MEETING MINUTES Members Attending: Guests: None Call to Order: Commissioner Katie Borgella called the meeting to order at 9:10 am as the chair, David Kay, had yet to arrive. Agenda Review/Changes: The Oath of Office was moved to earlier in the meeting. Administering Oath of Office – Maureen Reynolds County Clerk Maureen Reynolds swore Marcus Riehl, Joe Bowes, Susan Mann, and Leslie Schill into their new terms on the PAB. Draft Minutes Approval: Rod Howe moved, and Fernando de Aragón seconded, approval of the November 29, 2017, draft minutes. The minutes were approved with minor editorial changes. Welcome to Newly Appointed Members – David Kay and Katie Borgella Katie introduced and welcomed new member Marcus Riehl to the Board and acknowledged all of the members who recently renewed their seats. Everyone then went around the table and introduced themselves to Marcus. Katie reported that Anna Kelles is the new chair of PDEQ and will be joining the Board for future meetings. Also, two candidates who had applied for seats on the PAB but were not selected had been informed of the status of their applications. Report and Election of New Officers – Nominating Committee Monika Roth presented the 2018 slate of officers for a vote by the PAB. The committee nominated David Herrick as chair and Darby Kiley as vice chair. There no additional nominations from the floor. Name Representation Name Representation Martha Armstrong P Econ. Development Martha Robertson P Legislature Joe Bowes P Housing Monika Roth P Agriculture Sue Cosentini E Business Leslie Schill P Education Fernando de Aragón P Transportation Kathy Schlather P Human Services David Herrick P Facilities/Infrastructure Rob Steuteville A Built Environment Design Rod Howe P Historical/Cultural Resources Andy Zepp E Land Pres/Public Land Mgmt David Kay P Local Planning (urban) Dooley Kiefer E Associate Member Darby Kiley P Local Planning (non-urban) Others Present Susan Mann P Energy Katie Borgella P Interim Commissioner Gay Nicholson E At-Large Kristin McCarthy E Administrative Assistant Marcus Riehl P Natural Environment Megan McDonald P Associate Planner 2 Appointment Nominating Committee – David Kay David Kay moved to appoint David Herrick as chair and Darby Kiley as vice chair. Motion carried unanimously. Legislature Chair 2018 Message and Organizational Structure – Martha Robertson Martha Robertson provided an overview of what to look forward to in the coming year from the Legislature in terms of committees and other activities. She started with a quick summary of the sea changes that have taken place at the County over the last six months in terms of personnel and other structural adjustments. She gave a little background on the incoming County Administrator, Jason Molino, who will be in office (physically) starting in early February. Five new legislators recently joined the County and Anna Kelles will serve as vice chair of the Legislature. A new legislator will serve as vice chair of each committee, as it is a great learning experience; however, one exception is Shawna Black, who will serve as chair of the Health and Human Services Committee. Overall priorities for the year include ensuring a smooth transition period with the changes in administration and representation, as well as preserving policies and funding that could be at risk with the governor’s budget and happenings in Washington, D.C. and safeguarding relationships between the County and various state and federal bodies. Last, Martha R. stressed the equal importance of continuing to make progress on long-term priorities such as energy, economic development, housing, criminal justice, transportation, and other issues Discussion: Enhancing Understanding of the Rental Housing Market – Megan McDonald Megan McDonald updated the board members on efforts to gain a better understanding of the housing market in Tompkins County, which stems in part from the process that led to the County Housing Strategy. In particular, during the Housing Needs Assessment, there was disagreement over the vacancy rate. There is a rental housing development boom happening in the city, and quite a few landlords have expressed concern about the changing market. Another complicating factor is the need to consider future housing needs when examining vacancy rates. To that end, there is a monitoring piece built into the Housing Strategy. One possible evolution would be the transition of vacated student housing into workforce housing or housing for other underserved markets. Funds set aside from the Legislature’s Contingency Fund were earmarked for implementation of the Housing Strategy. Part of that funding was used for a small infrastructure study with the Town of Dryden to explore the potential for housing development on a property there. The remaining funds could possibly be used to hire a consultant to help the County develop a methodology for a rent and vacancy survey. An RFQ was released and the County had conversations with consultants. However, the costs would have been prohibitive to proceed with such a study. Commissioner’s Report – Katie Borgella • Tom Knipe’s last day is Thursday (Jan. 26). The Department continues recruiting for his replacement. • Department also continues searching for a housing planner and business energy navigator. • Department will be remodeling the office in mid-February and will be looking to re-home old furniture. • The business energy navigator position is partially funded by a Clean Energy Community Grant. Part of the grant will also go toward greening the County fleet. • Planning staff have been meeting with local government officials to see how the County might better support development efforts in their municipalities. • In terms of funding, they are still waiting to hear about a disaster recovery grant, applied for a HeatSmart 3 grant, and will be administering the Cayuga Lake Blueway Trail. 3 • Department is also looking over its General Municipal Law 239 Review guide. Member Reports • Fernando relayed that in April a pilot bike share program will launch within Cornell and the City of Ithaca with roughly 150-200 dockless bikes. It’s a collaboration between Ithaca Car Share/Bike Walk Tompkins funded by a NYSERDA grant. • Kathy Schlather reported that the volunteer-led Point in Time Count of homeless individuals in Tompkins County took place recently. There has been a steady increase in the number of homeless in the County over the last few years, including a notable increase in people staying at shelters over the last six months. Adjournment: Chair David Kay declared the meeting adjourned at 10:40 am.