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STAKEHOLDER INTERVIEW SUMMARIES

OCTOBER 11, 2019

City of Geneva 2020 Zoning Code Update

City of Geneva – 2020 Zoning Code Update Stakeholder Summaries

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RLF, LDC, IDA & BID REPRESENTATIVES Revolving Loan Fund (RLF), Local Development Corporation (LDC), Industrial Development Agency (IDA) & Business Improvement District (BID)

DATE: May 2, 2019

TIME: 12:00 – 1:00PM

LOCATION: Geneva Housing Authority

ATTENDEES: J. Steinmetz, M. Gaudioso, C. Lopez, C. Knopp, S. Gerling, N. Braman, A.

Nenneau, T. Angelo, J. Brennan, D. Linger, B. Stivers, C. Fick, P. Passavant, T. Burrall, M.

Wallace, R. Wallace, J. Kron, J. Hagerman

14 non-consultant team

AGENDA

1. Project Process & Scope Overview

2. Geneva Planning History, Nexus Between Planning & Zoning

3. Hybrid Code Balance

4. Project Timeline

5. Discussion

*A copy of the presentation provided to the group has been provided at the end of this summary.

PARTICIPANTS’ EXPERIENCE WITH CODE

• Permitting a solar array, passing a planned unit development

• Council administration

• First floor occupancy for residential purposes

• Neighbor opposed to use variance request (was granted)

• Felt wording was insufficient, ZBA did not address the zoning considerations

appropriately; Process was not disciplined and became confusing which descended

into simple decisions

• Process was not disciplined because process was not properly outlined


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• Language was too broad and there was no way to address that in the process

• Code is too open to interpretation, which leaves much open to opinions

• PUD process was a breeze, totaled three meetings, no complaints; in that specific

case it was a very clear process (the PUD is a newer part of the code)

• Worked off of PUD example in the Chapter, so that made things easy

• City experience with PUD was also positive, left changes necessary to design to be

addressed by developer

• The PUD structure forced the developer to have the answers ready before coming to

Board

• Antiquated aspects of code cause problems – For example, places with reference to

ratios for cars to people

• City of Geneva one of only two municipalities they’ve experienced that SP solar rooftop

panels

• Noted code was out of step/sync back in 90s

• Code is contradictory to city staff

• Use variance experience went well for first floor residential

• Minimum square footage for apartments – prescribed in another Chapter of the City

Code (look up and compare to building code)

• AirBnBs need to have more restrictions like hotels (Canandaigua ex.) How far do we

go?

• How are we going to address the things that will never reach a concensus? Lakefront

for example

WHAT ARE THE TRENDS/OPPORTUNITIES YOU SEE

• Downtown housing stock being renovated for variety of purposes – there is a market

that is based around smaller, more creative housing styles (common spaces, shared

spaces, etc.)

• Co-op, community, collaborative living population with young people

• Invested in PUD – Two work at home sales $10M, retired professor, business owner

from Canandaigua, hedgefund manager, CFO of constellation brands, couple from

Canandaigua, retired real estate investor from out of state, retired doctor, etc.


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• Increased interest in downtown living

• Smaller lot sizes with minimal to no maintenance (no mowing, landscaping, no

front/back yard, etc)

• Boarding Houses are a problem/issue, because most don’t know how to comply with

NYS building code and zoning

• Student Housing is an issue

• The larger houses that have previously been used for multi units, etc. may pose an

opportunity for other reuses (airBnB, etc) – Single-family is not likely viable

• Aging in Place

• Middle Street – lakefront is a divisive issue, but lakeview people seem supportive of

• Permit infill on smaller lots with smaller homes

• General sense to increase tax base without losing our sense of community

• We have the housing stock for our residents, but the stock is not of high enough quality

• Council has been working to demo poor quality houses and “right size” neighborhoods;

provide neighboring homes with larger lots in effort to increase value

• Potential to capture on retirees moving; and provide better quality of life than Victor,

Farmington, etc. with increasing traffic issues

• Pocket parks are underutilized

COMMERCIAL DEVELOPMENT

• Noise ordinance has caused disinterest from clubs/bars, etc.

• Zoning inhibits commercial growth, except in certain spaces (downtown); Why can’t

you have a convenience store down by North Genesee Street? (Currently prohibited)

• Focus on tourism related uses, encourage and permit them – Experience based

tourism, go to apple cidery, glassblowing, candle maker, ice cream maker, etc. with

retail components

• There is a significant amount of money that may come into this community with a

single development, they may not be tourists but they are also excited to follow the

tourism trends


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CONNECTION BETWEEN DOWNTOWN & THE LAKEFRONT

• Need improvements to 5/20 to better connect Downtown to Lakefront

• Lakefront is better being Open Space than commercialized, except for strategically

placed supportive uses

• Connection from Castle Street – Things that help make this more agreeable to the

pedestrian are good

• Downtown merchants have concern that commercial on lakefront will be to the

detriment of downtown

• We need to explore this more – People are missing the point that more activity will

attract more people to the area and will benefit downtown

• Cause passersby on Route 5/20 to slow down and stop – draw them into downtown

• People are eating lunch by the lake – will bring their own lunch after purchasing at

Wegmans, etc. Are food trucks a good interim option?

LAST THOUGHTS FROM PARTICIPANTS

• Don’t mess it up; how can we make it work best for us today, but not have it be so

inflexible that it puts limitations on future actions

• Downtown BID was hesitant to support Historic District designation without

reassurance that the standards would not apply unless you pursued the tax credits

• The Traditional District design standards were asked for to protect downtown, but

ultimately became guidelines because of the pushback from the more conservative

property owners

• Don’t want to create a zoning code that could restrict us or contradict other Chapters

• Middle Street and area defined by the railroad track is a Federal Opportunity Zone

(aligned with census tract)


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REVIEW BOARD MEMBERS Planning Board (PB), Zoning Board of Appeals (ZBA) & Historic Districts and Structures Commission (HDSC)

DATE: May 15, 2019

TIME: 6:00 – 7:00PM

LOCATION: Geneva Housing Authority

ATTENDEES: J. Steinmetz, M. Gaudioso, N. Braman, A. Nenneau (21 non-consultant team

participants)

AGENDA

1. Project Process & Scope Overview

2. Geneva Planning History, Nexus Between Planning & Zoning

3. Hybrid Code Balance

4. Project Timeline

5. Discussion

*A copy of the presentation provided to the group has been provided at the end of this summary.

PARTICIPANTS’ EXPERIENCE WITH CODE

• ZBA perspective – There are regulations outside of districts that you may not know

exist or where to look for them; needs index for ease of reference

• Reads like the legislature wrote it; ambiguous language; too legal; difficult for the

general public to get through

• Lakefront has changed significantly since development of code; major debate as to the

future use of it; look at what other municipalities of similar size have done along their

lakefront

• Need to review districts to see if they are consistent with how the land is currently

occupied (e.g. single-family areas that may be zoned multi-family)


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• Need to know intent of regulations when they were written; how they were supposed to

be applied (e.g. appeal process issue, had to go to County Court Judge to determine

what the intent was)

• Include references to existing case law and NYS City Law, where applicable

• Historic Districts Commission – Concerned with zoning that is changing or zoning that

does not have a clear path; How does the zoning serve both the community and the

historic districts commission?

• Historic District – Character of the neighborhood is the driving factor; the regulations of

the zoning district may be in conflict

• Colleges have access to special provisions

• What is the lead agency on application review? How does the application move

between boards? What is the purview of each board? (Signage, lighting, etc.)

• This doesn’t just apply to historic districts (South Main Street, Genesee Park, &

individual structures)

• Beautiful sections/consistency in Castle Street, Garden, Hilcrest, etc. Whole area is

well maintained

TRENDS/OPPORTUNITIES IMPACTING THE CODE

• Property values have steadily increased, but not boomed like other places; this brings

in people outside the community that scoop up property; end up as absentee landlords

or abandon the property

• Difficult to enforce and deal with these properties

• Poverty in the community is high; all students participate in subsidized lunch program

• AirBnBs are increasing and they currently are not addressed in the zoning code

• Historic Residential has had stumbling blocks in that you can take a single-family

house and provide for group living/congregate living; serves as multi-family but is

guised as single-family

• Adjusted minimum living space requirements to increase interest/investment in living

downtown

• Most housing development has occurred since 2012, and most is luxury housing

downtown


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• Finite amount of land, surrounded by Town; debate about economic development and

taxes; what is better for the City long-term? (e.g. development of waterfront for tax

base now? Or preserve as open space for future)

• Club 86 – High potential for reuse of this area; formerly industrial; has good roads,

infrastructure, neighborhoods, etc.

• Adjust code to allow for more affordable housing development options (e.g. smaller lot

size, higher densities)

• People keep rabbits and chickens; currently not allowed in the zoning code; keep out

of the City, don’t want them

• Need to be careful on zoning for small lots; you could be permitting infill development

where it is not wanted

• Provision of parking with higher density housing; we need to be conscious of how this

is provided, especially in areas reliant upon on-street parking

• Need to rezone to make sure that vacant parcels in residential areas are not

redeveloped for commercial use; allow for reuse of commercial structures, but once

they’re gone residential should take priority

• Focus on protecting and sustaining residential areas; keep commercial investment to

commercial areas (downtown, etc.)

SIGNAGE

• Some people put up signage without submitting application; difficult to deal with this up

front

• Illuminated signs can be undesirable; internally illuminated signs have been a problem

for the PB in the past (e.g. twisted rail, ended up asking them to illuminate externally)

G E N E V AZ o n i n g C o d e U p d a t e

TODAY’S AGENDA

Introductions

Project Goals

Process Overview

Next Steps

Discovery Session

OUR TEAM• Regulatory specialists

• Urban designers

• Urban planners

• Community builders

Geneva is Transforming Itself

• 2008 Strategic Neighborhoods Study

• 2009 City of Geneva Lakefront/Downtown Development Plan

• 2010 Lakefront/Downtown Connectivity Study

• 2012 Waterfront Infrastructure Feasibility Study

• 2014 North End Brownfield Opportunity Area Nomination

• 2015 Walkability Audit

• 2016 Comprehensive Plan Update

• 2016 Downtown Revitalization Initiative (DRI) Award

• 2017 Active Transportation Plan

• 2018 DRI Implementation Efforts

NEXUS BETWEEN PLANNING & ZONING

“Zoning regulations should be carefully constructed to make

sure they will help carry out municipal planning goals. Some

communities don’t pay enough attention to the translation of

those goals into the drafting of their zoning regulations. The

result often brings frustration with zoning itself as a technique,

when in reality the problem is that the zoning regulations have

not been carefully enough constructed. This will in turn

frustrate the achievement of municipal planning goals.”

~ NYSDOS

The best codes BALANCE…

Geneva’sCode

YourVision

Administration

CommunityCharacter

Economic Advancement

Sustainability

Legality

WHAT’S THE RIGHT BALANCE FOR GENEVA

• No magic formula

• Contemporary land use issues are more complex (odor & light, to traffic & drainage, to community character)

• Requires more discretion, flexibility, & skills

PROJECT GOALS

• Streamline the code for ease of use;

• Allow for greater flexibility and density for residential and

mixed use infill development;

• Blend characteristics of traditional zoning with modern

approaches in key areas;

• Moving the code update process along in a timely manner;

and

• Provide an impactful community engagement process.

PROJECT SCOPE

• Focuses on Chapter 350: Zoning

• 1 of over 70 chapters

• Does NOT address speeding, curfews, barking dogs, etc

U P D A T E P R O C E S S

ZONING CODE UPDATE PROCESS

NEXT STEPS

• Zoning Workshop on May 29th

• 6:30 at the Hydrant Hose Fire Dept

DISCOVERY SESSION

• How much experience do you have using the current code?

• What issues have you encountered? Do you feel it was a

shortcoming in the regulations or the review process?

• What are some investment trends or opportunities within

the City? In your opinion, does the code facilitate these

trends or has it been counterproductive?

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