Planning commission recommends water element amendment to Syracuse general plan

The Syracuse City Planning Commission on Oct. 7 voted to recommend that the City Council adopt a proposed water element amendment to the city's general plan, a document city staff said updates how Syracuse will plan for water supply and conservation as the city grows.

The amendment, presented by city planning staff, pulls together existing water studies and policies and adds a draft element that addresses both culinary and secondary water systems, secondary-meter installation and the relationship between water shares, impact fees and full-buildout planning. Commissioners voted verbally in favor after a staff presentation and several questions.

City planner Royce said the draft aims to meet recent state requirements and to help the city plan for "full buildout" based on the general plan's density assumptions. "The goal is to make sure that we have enough water for our projected build out," Royce said, noting the plan uses a buildout figure of about 60,000 residents and that the city currently is about 40,000. He told commissioners the city holds water shares and has planned for future capacity through wells and infrastructure.

Royce described a city project to retrofit secondary meters as an example of implementation costs tied to the plan. "We're installing secondary meters on every house. That's a $16,000,000 project," he said, adding the city obtained some grant funding but that the program still represents a major expense. He said culinary connections are already metered and that secondary metering is roughly 60% complete.

Commissioners asked how the 60,000 buildout number was calculated and whether it assumed additional conservation measures or higher densities. Royce and other planning staff said the figure is a long-standing planning estimate tied to the current general plan and that actual needs will depend on density, housing types and future conservation efforts. Staff also said the city requires developers to dedicate water shares before plats are recorded and that impact fees are used to finance large, systemwide projects that do not align neatly with the pace of development.

The amendment references the city's existing water conservation plan and the city's impact fee study plans, which staff said are being updated by consultant JUB; staff told commissioners the water element draft has been sent to the state for comment. Royce said that once secondary meters are installed and read, the city will have better data to consider tiered secondary rates or other conservation pricing.

At the end of the hearing, a commissioner moved "that we recommend approval to the city council, as worded on the amendment to the Syracuse general plan in accordance with SB 110 water as part of the general plan and SB 76 water amendments." A second was recorded. The motion passed on a verbal voice vote with no opposition recorded in the meeting transcript; the item will be forwarded to the City Council for final action.

Department business during the meeting noted related upcoming planning items, including Antelope Station Lot No. 2, Sadies Glen Phase 4 (a senior housing final plat), and commercial and residential plats tied to the Westlake Landing and lakeside subdivision. Staff also reported ongoing private development activity near the former JAG site and the Costco construction project, which staff said is expected to increase sales tax receipts but also create traffic and other impacts.

The commission's action is a recommendation; adoption of the water element would require City Council approval. Staff told commissioners they expect the draft to be presented to the council either later this year or early next year after further work on impact fees and state comments.

For clarity: direct quotes in this article are attributed to planning staff identified in the meeting transcript as Royce; the motion and voice vote were recorded in the transcript but the individuals who moved and seconded the motion were not identified by full name in the public record excerpt provided.