Planning board endorses draft limited site‑plan review and revised sign ordinances to speed reviews and reduce BZA referrals

At its Oct. 28 meeting, the Ithaca City Planning and Development Board reviewed two draft ordinance updates and voted to forward recommendations to the Common Council.

Site‑plan review draft: Planning staff proposed raising the threshold for administrative, limited site‑plan review to include projects up to 14 dwelling units (the draft sets limited review at up to 14 units so that projects of that scale avoid automatic Type I SEQR thresholds). Staff said the change aims to speed review and reduce costs for “missing middle” housing typologies while preserving board oversight for projects that require discretionary design review. Board members supported the change and clarified that staff or applicants can still refer an application to the full board when discretionary design decisions are required.

Sign ordinance draft: Staff also presented a rewrite of the city sign ordinance that would allow the zoning administrator to grant waivers and administrative approvals for certain sign design and dimensional questions rather than requiring separate appeals to the Board of Zoning Appeals (BZA). The proposed approach includes a written waiver process, clearer evaluation criteria and an associated training proposal so board members and staff share a consistent understanding of the design and code expectations. The board supported the draft and asked staff to schedule a January training session on signage design and the ordinance framework for members.

Board action: The board voted to recommend both draft ordinance packages to the Common Council for consideration and asked staff to present the board’s formal recommendation at the November council agenda. Staff noted the legal team is preparing the final versions for council consideration.