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Planning board begins prioritizing topics for zoning rewrite; green infrastructure and PUD policy rise to top
Summary
Board members began shaping priorities for Ithaca's zoning rewrite, emphasizing green infrastructure, incentivized sustainability practices, PUD policy and potential community-benefit mechanisms. Members asked staff to schedule a PUD presentation and to develop a focused work plan on green infrastructure and public-space tradeoffs.
Board members used the March 24 meeting to sketch priorities for the city's accelerated zoning-rewrite process and to identify topics the Planning and Development Board could advance.
Several members urged the board to foreground green infrastructure and a citywide landscape framework that would link density to stormwater capture, pocket parks and rooftop / penthouse design for mechanical screening or usable open space. "It sounds like we need a landscape plan for the city, a kind of a framework plan about green infrastructure," said Mitch Glass as members discussed trade-offs between added density and lost soft surface area.
Members also proposed policy tools to shape developer behavior: incentive programs that trade extra density for green roofs or public open space, community-benefit agreements or public-space impact fees to fund off-site improvements, and clearer PUD (planned-unit development) rules. The board asked staff to invite the planning division's PUD presenter next month to frame options and to provide examples of how incentives and requirements could be implemented.
Board Chair Max Feffer asked staff to condense the dozens of possible topics into a short list that the board could act on this year. The group identified a near-term package for deeper review: (1) PUD policy (presentation scheduled next month); (2) green infrastructure/landscape framework including stormwater and tree canopy goals; and (3) mechanisms to ensure property-management performance and waste-handling on large residential projects.
Next steps: staff will arrange a PUD briefing and compile resources on green-infrastructure incentives and community-benefit models for the board's next meeting.
