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The Lansing Town Board considered a hefty package of recommendations the Planning Board for the final development plan for Lansing Commons Wednesday.  The development is planned south of Cayuga Vista Drive in three phases with single family homes dominating phase one, townhouses in phase two, and apartments and possibly some businesses in the final phase.  In order to facilitate higher density (smaller lots) called for by the plan, the development will have its own package plant, essentially a small sewage treatment plant.

The Planning Board forwarded 30 recommendations having to do with the treatment of waste water and storm water, procedures for dealing with the Planning Board and the Town, specifications for a pedestrian walkway, a stop sign at the intersection of Cayuga Vista and Woodsedge Drives, underground utility lines, roads, height and sign restrictions, and aesthetics.  Architectural guidelines and four pages of deed restrictions were also included.

Lansing Commons PlanAt first some board members seemed uncomfortable with the extent and specificity of the recommendations. Because the project is being regulated under a PDA (Planned Development Area development plan) rather than the normal zoning ordinance, the process is new to most officials.  Supervisor Scott Pinney asked Town Attorney Guy Krogh whether the extent of the recommendations is normal, and whether the board is bound by them.

"What they seek to do is to create a special form of zoning to allow or not allow certain types of things," Krogh told him.  "Getting something of this length relative to a PDA is not unusual in most towns.  They are recommendations from the planning board.  They are not binding on you."

Councilman Marty Cristopher commented on the extent and specificity of the recommendations, and asked for clarification of legal terms.  Pinney also noted that there are a lot of deed restrictions.  Councilman Matt Besemer asked developer Ron Secord whether they were in line with the deed restrictions he planned for the development.  Secord said he has worked closely with the planning board on the recommendations.

"We went through the whole zoning code line by line," he said.  "We agreed on what we wanted to see and what we didn't want to see there.  I think it's a pretty good product."

The Town Board voted to go ahead and schedule a public hearing for the project.  The hearing will be part of the next Town Board meeting, October 21st at 6:15pm.

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