MINUTES OF A REGULAR MEETING AND PUBLIC HEARING OF THE CORNWALL

MINUTES OF A SPECIAL MEETING OF THE CORNWALL PLANNING AND ZONING COMMISSION HELD ON JUNE 27, 2006.

A Special Meeting of the Cornwall Planning and Zoning Commission was held at 7:30 pm on Tuesday, June 27, 2006, in the Cornwall Town Hall. Present were: members Lynn Cheney, David Colbert, Patrick Hare, Chris Hopkins, Anne Kosciusko, Richard Lynn (8:15) and alternate James LaPorta.. James was designated to vote. Also present was Land Use Clerk Colin Gold.

OLD BUSINESS

DeLuca Property Gordon Ridgway

Gordon Ridgway told the Commission that Tom McGowan had been consulting with the Northwest Conservation District on the DeLuca property as well as the Merz. NCD was going to prepare GIS maps of both of the properties. The cost of these would be $800. Gordon said that he had walked the Merz property two weeks ago between Baird’s and the firehouse, up to Dark Entry. He revealed that the abutting property owners were probably going to buy some of the Merz parcel, and the remaining lots would be sold on the open market or for affordable housing. Pat said that he would like to see a mixed use neighborhood with higher densities than currently exist. Gordon reminded the Commission that this was a time-sensitive matter and that the Town would have to abide by the wishes of Mrs. Merz. Annie wondered about the zoning in that area of town and Gordon replied that the map would reveal this to us. He stressed that the main goal was to get the property in the Town’s possession first and then worry about the design details. James enquired about the degree of urgency with which this property had to be dealt. Gordon said that he would like for it to be done with by the end of the summer. Pat was still concerned with the future of the property, as this was a unique opportunity to positively shape Cornwall Bridge as a village. Gordon preferred to get the property in hand and then deal with the specifics. Annie suggested that we talk with Tom McGowan once the maps were finished. Rick arrived with the maps and unfortunately, there was no zoning boundary on it. Rick suggested creating a trail from the current trail, down through the property past Baird’s. Annie asked that this subject be further discussed at the 7/25 Planning meeting. Gordon said that only an environmental review would be conducted on the DeLuca property, including an update of the GIS map. He planned on discussing with the DEP potential for housing and funding for conservation. Annie let the Commission know that Tom McGowan did not foresee a need to rush the process. Gordon also told the Commission that there may be some money available from the River Restoration Fund. Annie asked that this be put on the 7/25 meeting agenda as well. Pat asked about the major parcels committee. Annie wanted to know who would serve on it, what their responsibilities would be, and how various administrative issues would be dealt with. Gordon and Rick thought that the informal process that was in place should be sufficient. There were questions about statutory requirements for forming an advisory committee. Pat re-emphasized the need for a formal place that interested parties could turn to. David and Rick thought that using Tom McGowan’s services more would be beneficial in such situations. Gordon said that subdivisions could go directly to the Town Planner.

“Cornwall In The Zeroes” David Grossman

David Grossman regretted that most of the data he was able to acquire was from the year 2000. He wanted to know the reactions of Commission members to his report that they had read prior to the meeting. Some members had trouble opening the electronic attachment he had sent. Fortunately, most were able to read it. Annie thought that David’s assessment was very accurate of the state of affairs in Cornwall in the last ten years. David emphasized a few points about the young working demographic declining and also that of school-age children, at least in public schools. Pat added that this may have something to do with the few market rate affordable housing units in the Town. David forecasted that Cornwall would become a “gated community” in the next few decades, with more and more seasonal housing and less interaction among neighbors. He queried the Commission about ways to change this disturbing trend. He added that a homeowner deduction from the property tax could shift the tax burden to part-time homeowners, and that perhaps a TDR program could alleviate high housing costs. Rick replied that the DEP does not approve of TDR programs because of the need for common septics resulting from smaller zones. Pat added that many of the affordable housing complexes in the area had common septics and that the DEP aversion was slowly subsiding. He suggested getting Roberta Willis and Andrew Roraback on the issue in the Statehouse. David Grossman also wanted to touch on the economic base issues, such as farming, which he saw as falling by the wayside; and artists, whom he thought would play an important role in the future of Cornwall’s economy. He thought it would be useful to get a better picture of the home-based businesses in the town, possibly through an anonymous survey. He also was curious about the number of weekenders in the town. Rick said that this would be very useful and possibly could be added to the POCD survey that was being worked on. David Colbert said that running some of their questions by David Grossman may be beneficial to make sure we were asking the kind of questions that he envisioned being most useful. David Grossman also told the Commission that on the Cornwall website, there was a page entitled “Planning Cornwall’s Future” which could be used by anyone for posting related documents and opinions.

Budget Update

Colin did not have a copy of the available funds. This item would be discussed at the next meeting with an updated budget.

GIS Maps

Rick told the Commission that the final maps would be produced by HVA in the next month and that the suggestions that were garnered would be incorporated. The maps could be updated annually or otherwise.

POCD Progression

Annie emphasized the need to get back on this, and suggested talking about it in more detail at the next Planning meeting on the 25^th. She wanted to have at least an outline of what the Plan would entail. She also wanted to draft a list of areas in the town slated for preservation and those where development would be least harmful.

Seminars Address stickers

Annie divided the stickers and postcards into piles for members to take home, since the meeting was already running late. David wondered what had been said at the “Town Purchases of Land or Development Rights as a Planning Strategy” seminar. Members who were present at the seminar gave a summary of what was said. Pat wanted to know if anyone had any comments about it. Annie thought that it went very well. Pat said that he was interested to hear about the need for economically viable agriculture

NEW BUSINESS

COMMUNICATIONS

ADJOURNMENT

The meeting was adjourned at 10:15.

Colin Gold, Land Use Clerk

NOTE – THESE MINUTES ARE A DRAFT. THEY WILL BE NOTED AS FINAL ONLY AFTER THEY ARE REVIEWED AND APPROVED AS DRAFTED OR AS MODIFIED AT A SUBSEQUENT MEETING OF THE CORNWALL P&Z COMMISSION.