Community Preservation Panel  
Draft Minutes  - Joint Public Hearing
October 12, 2011

Present:  Community Preservation Panel (CPP)- Christopher MacCormick:, Deputy Chairman; 			Derwood Crocker and Claire Morehouse

	   Planning Board (PB)- Nancy Gil, Chair; Patricia Bianconi, Ann Balloni, 
			Frank Zimdahl and Alan Connors.  

Also Present:   Village Residents:  David Brooks, Michael Peter, Larry Church, Charles 				& Marsha Echelbarger, Jeffrey Blum, Randi Zabriskie, and Grace Bates.
	Town of Ledyard Residents: L. John Miller, David Kauber, Virgil & Jacci Farlow, 			Melissa Miller and George Slocum.
		Deborah Brooks, Deputy Village Clerk
		Sue Edinger and C. Greg Rhoad from the Aurora Inn, Inc. 
		Bruce King and Aino Parlo from Holmes & Kallquist
Aurora Inn employees:  Tina Post and Emily Ambrose  
Wells College employee;  Tracy Brandenburg

Absent:  Community Preservation Panel Chairman Avery Ayers

  	PB Chairwoman Gil called the Planning Board meeting to order at 7:04 PM by opening the Public Hearings for Application #11-05 Pleasant Rowland and the Aurora Inn, Inc. on the property called Abbott House located at 453 Main Street .
	PB Chairwoman Gil announced that the first item of business was to go through the State Environmental Quality Review - Long Form.  She noted that the applicant had already filled in pages 1-10, but they would quickly review their answers.  (SEQR attached to Minutes)

	Pg 2 - Applicant’s name is Pleasant T. Rowland, LLC located at 453 Main Street, Aurora, NY  13026.
		Description of action - The applicant intends to renovate the Abbott House to create ten (10) guest rooms for overnight accommodations.  The work will involve exterior and interior renovations at the Abbott House, the demolition of the garage, creation of adequate parking spaces and installation of geothermal wells.

	Pg 3 -A. Site Description:
		14. Does the present site include scenic views known to be important to the community? YES  Views of Cayuga Lake
	Mrs. Zabriskie also suggested adding the Greek Temple located on the south west corner of the property, as it has been there for many years.
		15. Streams within or contiguous to project area:  NONE
		16. Lakes, ponds, wetland areas within or contiguous to project area: CAYUGA LAKE 		 b. Size (in acres): 42,956 acres
	Mrs. Echelbarger noted the spring that runs along the edge of the property.  Mr. Peters corrected her saying that the spring is on his property when it crosses State Rte 90

	  Pg 5 - 17. Is the site served by existing public utilities? YES
a. If YES, does sufficient capacity exist to allow connection?  YES
b. If YES, will improvements be necessary to allow connection?  YES
	Ms Parlo and Mr. King added that there is a need to increase the water supply to Abbott House from under Rte 90 to accommodate the need for the sprinkler system   Mr. King noted that the line currently change from one inch to two inch on east side of house and they have already spoken with Aurora’s Superintendent of Public Works, Mr. Wilmot.  Ms Parlo noted there was no change needed for the electric or sewer.

	20. B.  1.  e. If the project is an expansion, indicate percent of expansion proposed.%  N/A
	Chairwomen Gil questioned the need to change this due to the addition of the proposed catering kitchen.  Mr. King noted that for now the kitchen has been tabled and they would be returning to the board at a later date to do that project.  

f. Number of off-street parking spaces existing 4;  11  proposed 
	Discussion ensued on the need to have a ten (10‘) setback from the adjoining property owner and the drawings show only a five (5’) foot setback.  The Boards agreed that the applicant should adjust their plans to include 12 parking spaces  
g. Maximum vehicular trips generated per hour:  1 or 2  (upon completion of project)? 
	Discussion was had  on how the applicant answered this question.  Mr. King noted that they took the daily average number of cars over a period of several weeks.  He further stated that the facility would not be as busy during the week thus reducing the count.

2. How much natural material (i.e. rock, earth, etc.) will be removed from the site?  0 tons/cubic yards.   
	Discussion ensued on how the Geo-Thermal would be installed  Mr. King stated that this project would be less invasive, using shallow wells, than the E. B Morgan project because technology has advanced considerably.  This project would be installed in the west (rear) yard of Abbott House not the front as E. B. Morgan House.

4. How many acres of vegetation (trees, shrubs, ground covers) will be removed from site?  
 .05 acres. 
	Mrs. Echelbarger, whose property overlooks the proposed parking lot, questioned their answer on this subject as she felt they would be disturbing the agricultural/residential lot proposed for parking on Sherwood Road. She explained that the lot is currently leased to Mr. Yale and that he has sub leased to a Mennonite couple who have just reseeded the fields with clover for crops for next year.  Ms. Edinger noted she wasn’t aware of how Wells College (lot owner) was using the location.  
	Mr. Echelbarger asked if there were any drawings available on how this proposed parking lot would be configured.  Mr. King said that they had no drawings at this time as they have not formulated how to develop the lot yet.
	Mr. Zimdahl (PB) asked the Boards to consider having an Environmental Impact Study done to see how the Inns of Aurora facility would affect the Villages way of life.  Mr. Zimdahl noted that the increased traffic flow for all three facilities on any given weekend could result in a nightmare situation.  The Boards agreed that there would be traffic problems in the future with having so many event facilities in such a small proximity.

	Pg 6 - 	9. Number of jobs generated: during construction 40-50; after project is complete 1 Housekeeper in residence during rental visits  
	CPP Deputy Chairman MacCormick questioned the number of employees at this facility. Mr. Rhoads responded that there would be one full time (housekeeper), but they would move staff in for the day to the various events as needed.     ( Mr. Echelbarger left 8:40 PM)

20. Will project produce operating noise exceeding the local ambient noise levels?  YES
	Discussion ensued.  Mr. Zimdahl (PB) noted that all events will generate a certain amount of noise especially when music and alcohol is involved.  Ms. Balloni (PB) & Mr. Blum (CPP elect) believed this question pertained to during work hours only.  Mr. King noted he felt it applied to after work.  Mr. Peter noted that as an adjoining property owner, he would hope the Inn would be respectful of the neighbors and control the type of noise (band volume) and time events ended.
	The Boards discussed how the catering kitchen would work.  Mr. Rhoad outlined the concept by saying that the food itself would be prepared at the Aurora Inn kitchens then transported to Abbott House where they would use the catering (staging) kitchen to set up serving trays and steamer dishes to serve for the event. 
	(Mr. Echelbarger returned 8:46 PM)

21. Will project result in an increase in energy use?  NO        
	Mr. King noted that with using the Geo-Thermal they would be using less as the house currently uses electric.
23. Total anticipated water usage per day   750 gallons/day. 
24. Does project involve Local, State or Federal funding? NO

	PG 8 - 25. Approvals Required:
City, Town, Village Board   NO
City, Town, Village Planning Board   YES   Site Plan Approvals & Special Use Permit
City, Town Zoning Board  NO
City, County Health Department  YES  Temporary Residence Permit
Other Local Agencies   YES   CPP - Certificate of Appropriateness
Other Regional Agencies  YES   Cayuga County Planning Board/GML Section 239
State Agencies  YES    NYS DEC
Federal Agencies  NO

	Mr. Zimdahl (PB) once again asked the Boards to consider asking for an outside, professional group to do an Environmental Impact Study (EIS).  He noted that as they discussed the project, he has been making a list of item that need to be addressed such as number of people in the community at any given time, consider the number of cars in the village; how traffic flows, etc.  PB Chairwomen Gil noted that the Planning Board could ask County Planning for help with an EIS when they submitted the 239GML Review.  (Grace Bates arrived 7:50 PM)  
	Mr. Zimdahl noted that he has added crime to his list.  Mr. King suggested that the County do the traffic study.  
	At this point, the discussion turned to who would do the study and what to be looking for in the study.  Mr. King noted that the applicant might do a limited study, but that the full study could cost several thousands of dollars.  Mr. Zimdahl pointed out that the Village’s Zoning Law provided that the applicant can be required to do the study at their cost (Section 904 E.).  
	CPP Deputy Chairman MacCormick asked how many rooms were needed to make this project work.  Ms. Edinger  responded they would have 30 rooms.  Mr. Rhoad noted 8 at Aurora Inn, 10 at E. B. Morgan House, 10 at Abbott House & 3 at Leffingwell House.  PB Chairwoman Gil informed the Boards that the Inns of Aurora have submitted an application for Leffingwell House, too.  Mr. Rhoad noted that the Leffingwell House facility would be used for family rental where small weddings or anniversary events could take place. 
	Further discussion from the Boards questioned the need for NYS DOT to be notified.  Mrs. Bianconi (PB) noted that a permit to install the new water line under State Rte 90 would be required.  Mr. King said that they wouldn’t be any changes to the road so DOT would not need to be notified, they just had to get a “work” permit to do the job.  	
	PB Chairwoman Gil questioned using gravel at the Sherwood Road entrance.  Mr. Echelbarger questioned how the proposed Sherwood Road parking lot entrance would work with Court Street and how the farmer would get to his other fields if the entrance he used was redesigned to accommodate parking of cars for events and buffered for the neighbors.   
	Ms. Gil asked what the width of the curb cut is at the proposed Sherwood Road entrance.  Mr. King informed the Boards that he had no idea the size and if farm equipment would be allowed to enter the fields east of proposed parking lot as no plans have been prepared yet.  Mr. King added that the curb cut is just east of the entrance to Court Street.  (Slocum left 8:12 PM)  
	At this point, PB Chairwoman Gil retrieved the Village’s maps for review by the Boards.  CPP Deputy Chairman MacCormick noted that the CPP would have to review this part of the plan when filed with the Village Clerk before any further decisions could be made.  The PB agreed that they needed a better map to visualize the lot(s) involved as they couldn’t tell if the location in question was separate from the main farm land. 
	 The Boards reviewed Village law section 903 C.2.f. in which the Village Law states that drawings and maps may include location, design, type of construction, of all parking and truck loading areas showing access and egress.  (Jacci Farlow left 8:20 PM)
It was noted that other documents maybe needed by PB.  Mr. King said a limited list would be better for the applicant than to do an Environmental Impact Study. 
	 Mr. Zimdahl (PB) voiced his concerns that a Master Plan for the full scope of the Inns of Aurora be submitted to the PB. He noted that his list of concerns now include lighting the parking lot, noise, crime, the strain on the Aurora Volunteer Fire Department (AVFD) and their Emergency Management Team (EMTS), security in the area for neighbors and visitors coming into the area.  Ms. Morehouse (CPP) asked how many people might be coming into the village for events. Mr. Rhoad  responded that they can handle about 150 at the Aurora Inn, about 100 at E. B. Morgan House, about 150 at Abbot House and about 50 at Leffingwell House for a total of 450 guests.
	Ms. Brandenburg added that these locations would make for great destinations for executive conferences for businesses to use during the week.  She asked that the Boards approve this project to help her promote conference events to these facilities.  Mr. King noted that this could be another possible use for any of the locations and would be cost effective.  (Brandenburg left 8:30 PM)
	Mrs. Echelbarger noted that she had served on the Town of Oswego PB and that she knew that there were issued to be addressed under NYS Code pertaining to how agricultural land is uses in a residential area.  
	PB Chairwoman Gil asked the Boards to refer to the Village Zoning Map in the Law.  The Boards agreed to add agriculture/residential to question #2 of Part 1. 
	PB Chairwoman Gil asked Ms. Balloni (PB), member of AVFD, if she had any concerns about how the department could handle multiple situations.  Ms. Balloni replied that the County has a Mutual Aid Program in place and the department would call in additional help from outside the Fire District when needed.

	PG 10 - 12. Will the proposed action result in the generation of traffic significantly above present levels?   Changed from NO to YES  agreed to by Boards.
a. If yes, is the existing road network adequate to handle the additional traffic.  YES
	Mr. King informed the Boards that the applicant could do a “trip generation” study could be done for the village streets and the proposed parking lot.  (G. Bates returned at 8:35 PM)   Mrs. Echelbarger asked the Boards to do the study for all the businesses in the Village to get an accurate study during prime season not now after summer is over.  Deputy Chairman MacCormick noted that this study though interesting wasn’t required by the CPP.  PB Chairwomen voiced her concern that with the addition of Leffingwell House to the Inns of Aurora business that they are in error of segmentation.   Mr. Rhoad again explained the used of all the facilities to the Boards.
	Ms Ambrose noted to the Board that those attending events would not all be driving individually but would share rides so there would not be a huge number of cars in the community.  Mrs. Echelbarger questioned how the proposed parking lot would have lights on at all times.  Mr. Rhoad responded that no plans have been made yet.  (Virgil Farlow left 8:45 PM)

Planning Board as the Lead Agency completed the following: ( J. Miller left 8:58 PM)

PART 2 -PROJECT IMPACTS AND THEIR MAGNITUDE 
	Pg 11 -Impact on Land
1. Will the Proposed Action result in a physical change to the project site?  YES 
	Ms. Morehouse (CPP) asked if they had considered using mesh parking lot ground cover then planting grass.  Mr. King responded that there would not be enough recovery time between events to keep the area green.    
	Mrs. Echelbarger again asked how many cars would be using the lot, would the lot be maintained between events and protect the neighbors privacy.  Ms. Edinger said they may have 200 spaces to accommodate all the events possible.  Mr. King again noted that no plans have been generated for this area, but suspected that some sort of buffers or fence would be used.  Mr. Echelbarger stressed the need for some sort of security in the parking lot as they have had several problems already from the youth of the area in the fields.  (Echelbargers left 9:15 PM)
	Ms. Edinger suggested that the PB ask for help with the wording of questions from Cayuga County Planning or from the Village Attorney.  Mr. King added that a zoning attorney would be able to aid the boards to understand the questions asked in the SEQR.  PB Chairwoman Gil informed the Boards that they could finish up and she would discuss their concerns and get help with answers from County Planning.
	
	Pg 12- Other impact:  POTENTIAL LARGE IMPACT
REMOVE GARAGE, REMOVE CONCRETE; POROUS ASPHALT DRIVES ADDED
Chairwoman Gil noted that they will have to do Part 3 of report with this declaration.

		NOISE AND ODOR IMPACT 
17. Will there be objectionable odors, noise, or vibration as a result of the Proposed Action? NO 
	Discussion ensued as to whether the neighbors would be bothered.  Mr. Zimdahl felt this should be answered as YES.  Mr. Connors asked Chairwoman Gil to consult with Cayuga County Planning on this issue.

		IMPACT ON GROWTH AND CHARACTER OF COMMUNITY 
				OR NEIGHBORHOOD 
19. Will Proposed Action affect the character of the existing community? NOT ANSWERED
	Pg 20 - Proposed Action will set an important precedent for future projects? NOT ANSWERED 
Proposed Action will create or eliminate employment.  NOT ANSWERED 
Other impacts:

20. Is there, or is there likely to be, public controversy related to potential adverse environment impacts?   NOT ANSWERED
(Please note page 20 was not included in the Boards packet, so not reviewed.)

(If Any Action in Part 2 Is Identified as a Potential Large Impact or If you Cannot Determine the Magnitude of Impact, Proceed to Part 3 

	PB Chairwoman Gil noted that if the applicant was willing to do traffic study and produce a written statement that would answer the Boards lists of concerns, she saw no reason to do Part 3 of the SEQR.  
	Ms. Balloni and Mr. Connors (PB) noted that if the answers received would address the problems; they felt small to moderate would be an appropriate answer to question on page 12 - other impacts and the noise issues.  CPP Deputy Chairman MacCormick asked if that Board agreed with this change.  All ayes with CPP.
	PB Chairwoman Gil noted that she would contact Cayuga County Planning to discuss the questions left unanswered by the boards and the added concerns before completing the SEQR and signing it.

Page 1 of EAF

THIS AREA FOR LEAD AGENCY USE ONLY 

DETERMINATION OF SIGNIFICANCE -- Type 1 and Unlisted Actions 

Identify the Portions of EAF completed for this project: 

Part 1     CHECKED AS DONE      Part 2    CHECKED AS DONE        Part 3 	  Unchecked

Upon review of the information recorded on this EAF (Parts 1 and 2 and 3 if appropriate), and any other supporting information, and considering both the magnitude and importance of each impact, it is reasonably determined by the lead agency that: 

	Mr. King recommended they do a negative declaration with conditions being met prior to the issuance of the Special Use Permit.  The PB agreed that a traffic survey be done by the Inns of Aurora during the time of events use and that a parking design and management plan be presented to the boards.

	Chairwoman Gil asked for a motion of the PB to close Public Hearing #1 for the SEQR. Ms. Bianconi moved to close the SEQR Public Hearing at 10:03 PM.  Seconded by Mr. Connors.  Motion Carried.
	CPP Deputy Chairman MacCormick opened the second Public Hearing by asking his Board to approve the demolition of the garage located at 453 Main Street.  Mr. Crocker moved the demolition of the garage without the addition of the catering kitchen.  Seconded by Ms. Morehouse.  
	Public Comment- Ms. Zabriskie noted that Mr. Abbott was planning to replace the garage prior to his death.  Mr. Zimdahl noted that the garage would make a nice storage area, if it could be moved.  
	Having no further comment, Deputy Chairman MacCormick closed the hearing at 10:05 PM. The CPP noted that the proposed excavating, is more a grading issue and not a concern to them.  Deputy Chairman MacCormick called the vote.
Crocker		AYE
Morehouse 	AYE
MacCormick	AYE		

Motion Carried 3:0:1

	The public was asked for comments on the project.  Ms. Zabriskie noted that this was a good move for the community and that all the events at the E. B. Morgan House, which abuts her property, have been well managed.
	Ms. Post & Ms. Ambrose both voiced, as employees of the Aurora Inn, that they felt the area was in need of growth and this project was a way to gain economic stability for the Inn while promoting the beauty of the area to the public.
	PB Chairwoman Gil closed the final Public Hearing at 10:20 PM.  The members of the CPP all agreed to adjourn.(Crocker left at 10:20 PM).

Respectfully Submitted,

Deborah M. Brooks
Deputy Village Clerk