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Four Town Board members met with the Lansing Sewer Committee Wednesday to be brought up to date on the proposed sewer district project.  The project is at the point where the Board has to decide on whether to support the project both in concept and tangibly, and to begin planning public information sessions that Lansing Supervisor Kathy Miller says could begin as early as June.  Committee member Andy Sciarabba said that it is time for the board to get behind the sewer proposal.

"You represent us.  We elected you," Sciarabba said.  "We want you to show leadership and take a position on some of these things."

Town officials will have to sell the community on the benefits of a sewer if the project is to be successful.  The main topic of discussion Wednesday was how soon public information sessions can be held, which means putting together answers to questions residents will ask about the project.  Councilman Robert Cree said he wants public input before the board commits to support the project, and Councilwoman Ruth Hopkins asked about the costs of roads, sidewalks , and infrastructure.

Councilman Ed LaVigne said the committee must build a list of benefits that will explain why the sewer district should be formed.  He mentioned aging septic systems at the schools and reducing local SPDES output into the environment among points that need to be made.

"I think we need to start getting a punch list together of points," said LaVigne.  "As they say you need five complements for every criticism.  If you have six different reasons you're going to hit a nerve with six different people and build your consensus."

Town officials are considering supporting the sewer project by paying sewer fees for vacant land the town is purchasing for town center development.  The fees would diminish as more development takes place, and would be recovered by the town when it sells the land.  Board members say the Town will eventually make a profit on the land, paying back taxpayer money that is fronted to support the project.

The town is already investing in the town center concept by paying New York State $294,800 to lift deed restrictions on over 150 acres of land across the street from the Town Hall and ballfields that is targeted for development.  Before that sale is complete the town may only use the land for recreational purposes.  Final paperwork on the sale is expected to be completed within the next few months, after which there is no impediment to construction.  This money will also be recovered when the land is sold to developers.

Another way the town may support the project is by building the main roads in the town center property.  Officials say this can be done economically in-house because the Lansing Highway Department is capable of building the roads.  Because of a mild winter department employees were already able to clean up frontage on the property, removing concrete and other materials that had been dumped there over the years.

The sewer district can only be formed if those with property within the proposed district vote to create it.  Only district property owners pay for sewer.  Because Lansing is not a large community the town faces a chicken and egg conundrum: building a town center will depend on the availability of sewer, but building an affordable sewer depends on firm commitments to build a town center. 

The $9.7 million project is thought to be too costly for existing district residents alone.  Three things will make it affordable.  The first is commitments from two developers that have projects ready to begin if sewer is available.  Sewer costs are spread out among property owners in the district.  If there are more properties contributing, the cost to each is reduced.  Two projects proposed by a partnership between NRP Group and Better Housing of Tompkins County on town center land could be built concurrently with the sewer, jump-starting the town center in a condensed time frame, and increasing the number of units contributing to sewer before the first payment is due.  A third project within the proposed district is being developed for an area to the west of the town center land.

Second, town officials are considering paying sewer fees for the first few years for vacant land until it is sold to developers.  Initially that might amount to $50,000 per year.  That money would be folded into the sale price of the land so the town would recover it as more development occurs.  Third, the town is applying for a $3 million state grant that, if successful, would reduce the cost by almost a third.  Additionally the committee is pursuing grants to help residents with hookup costs that could range between one and three thousand dollars, depending on a home's distance from the sewer line.

Miller says that investing in infrastructure is the only way communities attract developers in a competitive environment.  She says the whole town benefits from having a sewer, so it is justifiable for the town to invest in the project, particularly because all the money the town invests will eventually be recovered.  Among  benefits she sites are an attractive walkable retail area closer to residents, housing that is affordable, senior housing, trail and park land, sidewalks, protecting farm land by focusing denser development in a central area, and tax relief for town taxpayers.

While residential projects make up a large part of the town center concept, officials hope to attract businesses to a business and technology park at the north end of the property, and professional and retail business to the frontage on Route 34.  Miller says that bringing these businesses to Lansing will help offset income losses due to the reduced valuation of the AES Cayuga power plant, especially for school taxpayers.

In 2010 the Town Center Committee, which Miller chaired, hosted two well attended public meetings at which residents told the committee what it wants in a town center.  Among the ideas were doctor's offices, retail and commercial space, a more permanent farmer's market space, a dog park, trails, sidewalks, and street lights.  Architects provided drawings of what a town center could look like, including converting what is now a parking lot into a central town green.

"By the second meeting the people who really wanted a town center came and brought their friends," Miller said.  "We should bring them back again and say we've gotten this far, and say sewer is important to this.  I think by the end of the month we'll be able to put something together.  We need to have pictures and possibilities.  People really want affordable housing for young people.  They want their children to be able to live here.  They don't just want housing for old folks."

An initial application for funding has been submitted to the Environmental Facilities Corporation's (EFC), and the committee is considering alternate funding paths.  On the agenda for next week is to compile a bullet list of benefits and to try to anticipate tough questions residents will raise.  The committee is also soliciting commitments from businesses who may move to the town center if sewer is available.  Such commitments will support funding and grant applications.

"The housing density is the first part of this project.  It will take longer to get the commercial side," Sciarabba said.  "Then it will reach critical mass to get all the basic services.  We want to have that coffee shop, a doctor's office.  Frankly, the grocery store could use more customers.  The more people we have here to support our local businesses, the more successful we will be in keeping those businesses here.  We've gone through a lot of this process and now the timing is so right."

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