Greetings, Several upcoming meetings will address important land use questions in the Town of Ithaca. Please consider attending and including your voice in the discussions.
This Monday, December 7, the Ithaca Town Board will hold a public hearing to receive comments on their proposed rezoning of undeveloped lands near the Lab of Ornithology. The Town Board’s proposal would extend Conservation Zoning from the Lab of Ornithology to much of the contiguous woodland south of the sanctuary, including the area where the Briarwood II development would be located. This rezoning would reduce the density of future development to an environmentally appropriate level. It would also help to preserve the woodlands and wetlands found on the site while limiting stormwater impacts downstream. The public hearing is at 6:00 pm at Town Hall, located at 215 North Tioga St. in downtown Ithaca. For more information visit http://savesapsuckerwoods.blogspot.com On Tuesday, December 15, the Town of Ithaca Planning Board will hold a public hearing to receive comments on the potential environmental impacts of the proposed Holochuck housing development near the hospital on west hill. This proposal has raised numerous concerns, including habitat loss, stormwater runoff affecting Cayuga Lake, erosion of steep slopes, and worsening traffic woes in the area. The Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) submitted by the developer is available on the Town of Ithaca website. The public hearing is at 7:15 pm, also at Town Hall (215 N. Tioga St.). In preparation for this Planning Board meeting, a study session is being organized by concerned citizens to work through the lengthy DEIS. This meeting will be on Thursday, December 10 at 6:00 pm, at the Smart Monkey Café (335 Elmira Road). Whether or not you live in the Town of Ithaca, I urge you to come to these meetings to be part of the ongoing conversation of how we can protect our environment in light of pressures for more housing. Thanks, Adrian Williams _______________________________________________ For more information about sustainability in the Tompkins County area, please visit: http://www.sustainabletompkins.org/ RSS, archives, subscription & listserv information for: [email protected] http://lists.mutualaid.org/mailman/listinfo/sustainabletompkins Questions about the list? ask [email protected] free hosting by http://www.mutualaid.org
