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In a special meeting Wednesday the Lansing Town Board voted to hire Planner Jonathan Kantor to guide the town as it updates its comprehensive plan and land use ordinances.  Last month the Board voted to enact a one year moratorium on heavy industry, especially natural gas drilling, to allow time to update the comprehensive plan and land use ordinances.

"After talking with Jon it was really obvious that there are so many places where we can use his expertise going forward with all the projects that we have," said Supervisor Kathy Miller.  "We really need someone like this on board to help us do what we need to do."

On May 16 the Board passed a one year 'Moratorium and Prohibition within the Town of Lansing of High-Impact Industrial Uses, Including Natural Gas and Petroleum Exploration and Extraction Activities, the Underground Storage of Natural Gas, and the Disposal of Natural Gas or Petroleum Extraction, Exploration, and Production Wastes.'  The purpose of the moratorium is to allow the town time to update its laws and ordinances to protect the town from possible adverse consequences of hydrofracking.  Town officials estimate it will take longer than a year to conduct inventories of current roads and natural resources and update the comprehensive plan and land use ordinances.  If so they plan to extend the moratorium.

Kantor has been a professional planner for over 32 years.  Until he retired last year he spent nearly 17 years as Director of Planning for the Town of Ithaca.  A resident of the Village of Lansing, he currently serves as an alternate on the Village Planning Board, has worked with the Town of Ulysses, and is currently working part time with the Town of Caroline on developing site plan review law.  He has worked on a number of comprehensive plan updates and land use regulations among other aspects of community planning.

Kantor was hired by unanimous vote of the board as 'Temporary Independent Planner' for hourly work capped at $8,000.  Miler explained that 'Temporary' means the appointment goes through the end of the year, after which it is renewable if there is still work to be done that the Board needs Kantor's help with. 

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