Supervisor’s Notes, April 2024
Town of Caroline Zoning Law
I am very happy to report that on March 20, 2024, the Caroline Town Board adopted the town’s first zoning law. Thanks to the many community volunteers who made this a reality by their diligent work on the Planning Board, the Task Force for Land Use and Economic Development, and especially, the Zoning Commission.
The zoning law promotes the goals of the town’s Comprehensive Plan. It is designed to promote livable residential centers while protecting open space. Highlights of the proposed zoning law include: Four types of districts are established: Agricultural/Rural, Hamlets (7), Focused Commercial, and a “Stream Corridor Overlay” District. These districts were defined by current patterns of development and environmental conditions, with the goal of protecting and promoting the quality of life in each of the parts of the town and the town overall.
Housing of all types is permitted in all districts and there are incentives for senior and affordable housing units. Design Standards are established for commercial businesses.
Home Business and Residential Secondary Businesses are permitted throughout Caroline, supporting local businesses and the local economy.
Agricultural Operations and Structures are permitted in all districts. Major Subdivisions and commercial developments are required to establish buffers with adjacent Agricultural Operations.
Two measures promote preservation of open space and are protective of agriculture in the town. In the Ag/Rural District the zoning law establishes a 3-acre average for future subdivisions. This is a modest subdivision limit that promotes the preservation of open space and gives landowners the right to establish how their land is subdivided. The second measure is the Conservation Subdivision provision for Major Subdivisions in the Ag/Rural District. It is designed to conserve open land (50%) and protect the environment.
The Stream Corridor Overlay District establishes riparian (stream) buffers to protect our waterways and fresh waters, as well as property owners and their assets. Riparian buffers for Six Mile Creek (horizontal distance from the top of the stream bank on each side of the stream) are 75-ft in the hamlets and 100-ft in the Ag/Rural and Focused Commercial Districts. For other perennial streams, the riparian buffer width is 50-ft. For intermittent streams the riparian buffer width is 25-ft.
Broadband
We submitted a joint application with the Town of Dryden to New York State’s ConnectAll Municipal Infrastructure Program (MIP) for buildout of municipal broadband in our communities. Hunt Engineers assisted with design and grant submission. We are hopeful given that the MIP program explicitly calls for publicly owned and/or controlled last mile fiber broadband infrastructure to deliver reliable highspeed internet service to homes, businesses, and community anchor institutions across the state.
Emergency Services Planning
I am delighted to report that the Tompkins County Emergency Medical Service Program began operation on April 2nd. This program will enhance emergency medical response throughout Tompkins County. Thanks to the Tompkins County Legislature and the great work of the folks at the Tompkins County Department of Emergency Response for embracing this initiative and making it happen.
Recreational Trail
The Towns of Ithaca, Dryden, Danby, and Caroline have been working collaboratively with NYSEG for some time to develop an easement agreement to extend the South Hill Recreational Way Trail on NYSEG’s property from its current terminus at Burns Road to the county border. This will be a 7.8-mile extension, of which 5.1 miles are in the Town of Caroline. The trail extension will provide a safe and direct corridor for pedestrians and bicyclists across the town. This recreational easement agreement is an acquisition of property from NYSEG ($16,416 from the Town of Caroline), which requires a public hearing. We will be holding the public hearing at 7 pm on April 17 at the Caroline Town Hall (and by Zoom; www.townofcaroline.org). This has been a work in progress for decades now. We look forward to providing our community this wonderful amenity.
Caroline Clean Heating & Cooling Campaign
Energy Independent Caroline (EIC), the Town’s sustainability committee, is running a Clean Heating & Cooling Campaign to help Caroline residents who are interested in reducing energy use and increasing the comfort of their home through weatherization, building upgrades, and installing efficient and clean heat pumps in their home or business for building heating/cooling or water heating. EIC is proud to partner with several local programs to facilitate home heating and cooling improvements.
Energy Benefits Available to Homeowners
Homeowners may qualify for a free building energy audit and free energy advising through our Regional Clean Energy Hub. More at: https://smartenergychoices.org/heating-options
If you own your own mobile home or manufactured housing, you may qualify for additional incentives through the Sustainable Finger Lakes Mobile Home Pilot. Renters and landlords of 1-4 units can now qualify for building upgrade assistance through Sustainable Finger Lakes' Clean Energy and Equity. More at: https://sustainablefingerlakes.org/fingerlakes-climate-fund/mhupgrades/
If you have already installed a heat pump (either a building heating/cooling system or water heater) within the past few years, or plan to, we would love to hear about it! Cornell Cooperative Extension has provided the following link for folks in Tompkins County to record their heat pump installations once they are complete: https://forms.gle/otKpy3gCXqi5XkdZ7.
For questions about the campaign, please contact Chris Skawski of Cornell Cooperative Extension at cjs359@cornell.edu or (607) 272-2292 x293.
