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Onondaga County Industrial Development Agency Special Meeting Minutes April 29, 2021 A regular meeting of the Onondaga County Industrial Development Agency was held on Thursday, April 29, 2021 via Zoom Teleconference.
Patrick Hogan called the meeting to order at 8:34 am with the following:
PRESENT:
Patrick Hogan Janice Herzog Victor Ianno Steve Morgan Susan Stanezyk Kevin Ryan
ABSENT:
Fanny Villarreal
ALSO PRESENT:
Robert Petrovich, Executive Director Nancy Lowery, Secretary Nate Stevens, Treasurer Karen Doster, Recording Secretary, Agency Carolyn Evans-Dean, Economic Development Jeff Davis, Barclay Damon Law Firm Amanda Fitzgerald, Barclay Damon Law Firm Angela Sicker (Patrick Hogan shared information as to how the meeting will be conducted in light of COVID- 19 at the start of the Audit Committee Meeting.) Onondaga County Industrial Development Agency Special Meeting Minutes April 29, 2021 A regular meeting of the Onondaga County Industrial Development Agency was held on Thursday, April 29, 2021 via Zoom Teleconference.
Patrick Hogan called the meeting to order at 8:34 am with the following:
PRESENT:
Patrick Hogan Janice Herzog Victor Ianno Steve Morgan Susan Stanezyk Kevin Ryan
ABSENT:
Fanny Villarreal
ALSO PRESENT:
Robert Petrovich, Executive Director Nancy Lowery, Secretary Nate Stevens, Treasurer Karen Doster, Recording Secretary, Agency Carolyn Evans-Dean, Economic Development Jeff Davis, Barclay Damon Law Firm Amanda Fitzgerald, Barclay Damon Law Firm Angela Sicker (Patrick Hogan shared information as to how the meeting will be conducted in light of COVID- 19 at the start of the Audit Committee Meeting.)
Nate Stevens gave a brief review of the Payment of Bills Schedule #455.
Upon a motion by Victor Janno, seconded by Janice Herzog, the OCIDA Board approved the Payment of Bills Schedule #455 for $56,331.98. Motion was carried.
Nate Stevens gave a brief review of the Payment of Bills Schedule #455.
Upon a motion by Victor Janno, seconded by Janice Herzog, the OCIDA Board approved the Payment of Bills Schedule #455 for $56,331.98. Motion was carried.
Patrick Hogan stated the Board is not voting on anything today so there will be no conflict of interest. UPDATE ON THE DRAFT SUPPLEMENT GEIS FOR WHITE PINE COMMERCE PARK.
Robert Petrovich stated we are underway with the preparation of a supplement draft GEIS and that effort is ongoing. He stated we are working with Barclay Damon and have convened a 3 member working group of the Board consisting of Patrick Hogan, Janice Herzog and Susan Stanczyk. He asked Susan Stanczyk to give a brief overview of what has been going on in the working sessions, where we are and what the future looks like over the next week.
Patrick Hogan stated the Board is not voting on anything today so there will be no conflict of interest. UPDATE ON THE DRAFT SUPPLEMENT GEIS FOR WHITE PINE COMMERCE PARK.
Robert Petrovich stated we are underway with the preparation of a supplement draft GEIS and that effort is ongoing. He stated we are working with Barclay Damon and have convened a 3 member working group of the Board consisting of Patrick Hogan, Janice Herzog and Susan Stanczyk. He asked Susan Stanczyk to give a brief overview of what has been going on in the working sessions, where we are and what the future looks like over the next week. Susan Stanczyk stated the working group was afforded the opportunity to review the draft supplement GEIS. She stated they have had 2 meetings so far and she suspects they will have more as needed. She stated as they started the review they were tasked with looking at what was previously studied versus the expansion of the park. She stated as the Board is aware this is not a brand new site that has never been reviewed before but has been reviewed many times previous to this. She stated they looked at what was already submitted and the new submission to see if anything changed. She stated some things changed and some things did not change. She stated they reviewed transportation, which was the largest portion, as well as data, wetlands, noise, air, water, ground water and the aesthetics of the site. She stated there was a lot of conversation. She stated they were able to ask a lot of questions, look at site plans and get a better understanding of what the new proposal would entail and the vastness of the proposal. She stated she does not believe there was anything truly outstanding that was a major concern. She stated most things they saw were things they expected to review with transportation being one. Robert Petrovich stated it might be helpful having Jeff Davis take the Board through a macro overview of what has been going on with respect to the technical team, our consultants at JMT, what they have been working on and what are the next mile stones.
Susan Stanczyk stated the working group was afforded the opportunity to review the draft supplement GEIS. She stated they have had 2 meetings so far and she suspects they will have more as needed. She stated as they started the review they were tasked with looking at what was previously studied versus the expansion of the park. She stated as the Board is aware this is not a brand new site that has never been reviewed before but has been reviewed many times previous to this. She stated they looked at what was already submitted and the new submission to see if anything changed. She stated some things changed and some things did not change. She stated they reviewed transportation, which was the largest portion, as well as data, wetlands, noise, air, water, ground water and the aesthetics of the site. She stated there was a lot of conversation. She stated they were able to ask a lot of questions, look at site plans and get a better understanding of what the new proposal would entail and the vastness of the proposal. She stated she does not believe there was anything truly outstanding that was a major concern. She stated most things they saw were things they expected to review with transportation being one. Robert Petrovich stated it might be helpful having Jeff Davis take the Board through a macro overview of what has been going on with respect to the technical team, our consultants at JMT, what they have been working on and what are the next mile stones.
Jeff Davis stated he will reflect upon the two workshop sessions that were held. He stated as the Board remembers the process to start and comment the Supplement Generic Environmental Impact Statement started on December 9 and a positive declaration was issued under SEQR declared the Agency’s intent to be lead agency under SEQRA to undertake supplements. He stated a prior GEIS was done on the current White Pine Park footprint which is approximately 340 acres. He stated that GEIS has the parameters as to what the Board needs to do should there be changes, like an expansion of the park, and that requires a supplemental GEIS which is the task we are undertaking now. He stated December 9 started the process and agencies had 30 days to consent to OCIDA being lead agency. He stated DEC provided a letter consenting to OCIDA being lead agency. He stated others either consented or did not respond which means there consent is granted by their lack of response after 30 days. He stated OCIDA has taken the lead agency and has started the process of preparing a supplemental GEIS. He stated the first step in that is preparing a draft which undergoes a review as to what was previously studied in the generic and really what the delta is between what was studied previously and what is the proposed action now. He stated the proposed action now is the expansion of the footprint of the park from the 340 acres +/- to 1250 acres +/-. He stated they undertook a review of all the items of SEQR and what was studied in the generic and then identification for any new or unstudied impacts or changes from 2013 that required additional review. He stated also an understanding of what those potential impacts could be and a review of what the mitigation efforts could be. He stated that is the process of SEQR and if there is potential environmental impact on any of the items then you identify mitigation. He stated that process has been underway. He stated traffic is probably the biggest review item by the consulting team at JMT and there is a significant appendix for traffic and the largest portion of the document. He stated it addressed a traffic study area from the Route 481/Route 31 interchange East along Route 31 all the way to Lakeshore Road which is on the side of the Route 31/Route 81 interchange in Cicero as well as the area along Caughdenoy Road and especially Caughdenoy south to Route 481 including the interchange there. He stated there was a review of the intersections and what could be impacts on traffic as a result of an expanded park which obviously could support an expanded use of the park. He stated in a GEIS like this one, everything is done in a generic format. He stated we do not have a project and we do not have an applicant that has put forth what they want to do yet but SEQR allows you to study things in a generic format by making certain assumptions on what could be built there and doing your environmental review based upon that. He stated similar to what was done in 2013 we have made certain assumptions as to the type of industry that could be there. He stated we focused in on the nanotech industry, the number of jobs that could be at this site being approximately 4,000 jobs, the number of square feet that could be built on prime developable area on the site, studying roughly 4,000,000 square feet of building which is about double of what was studied previously in 2013 and other assumptions. He stated at the end of Jeff Davis stated he will reflect upon the two workshop sessions that were held. He stated as the Board remembers the process to start and comment the Supplement Generic Environmental Impact Statement started on December 9 and a positive declaration was issued under SEQR declared the Agency’s intent to be lead agency under SEQRA to undertake supplements. He stated a prior GEIS was done on the current White Pine Park footprint which is approximately 340 acres. He stated that GEIS has the parameters as to what the Board needs to do should there be changes, like an expansion of the park, and that requires a supplemental GEIS which is the task we are undertaking now. He stated December 9 started the process and agencies had 30 days to consent to OCIDA being lead agency. He stated DEC provided a letter consenting to OCIDA being lead agency. He stated others either consented or did not respond which means there consent is granted by their lack of response after 30 days. He stated OCIDA has taken the lead agency and has started the process of preparing a supplemental GEIS. He stated the first step in that is preparing a draft which undergoes a review as to what was previously studied in the generic and really what the delta is between what was studied previously and what is the proposed action now. He stated the proposed action now is the expansion of the footprint of the park from the 340 acres +/- to 1250 acres +/-. He stated they undertook a review of all the items of SEQR and what was studied in the generic and then identification for any new or unstudied impacts or changes from 2013 that required additional review. He stated also an understanding of what those potential impacts could be and a review of what the mitigation efforts could be. He stated that is the process of SEQR and if there is potential environmental impact on any of the items then you identify mitigation. He stated that process has been underway. He stated traffic is probably the biggest review item by the consulting team at JMT and there is a significant appendix for traffic and the largest portion of the document. He stated it addressed a traffic study area from the Route 481/Route 31 interchange East along Route 31 all the way to Lakeshore Road which is on the side of the Route 31/Route 81 interchange in Cicero as well as the area along Caughdenoy Road and especially Caughdenoy south to Route 481 including the interchange there. He stated there was a review of the intersections and what could be impacts on traffic as a result of an expanded park which obviously could support an expanded use of the park. He stated in a GEIS like this one, everything is done in a generic format. He stated we do not have a project and we do not have an applicant that has put forth what they want to do yet but SEQR allows you to study things in a generic format by making certain assumptions on what could be built there and doing your environmental review based upon that. He stated similar to what was done in 2013 we have made certain assumptions as to the type of industry that could be there. He stated we focused in on the nanotech industry, the number of jobs that could be at this site being approximately 4,000 jobs, the number of square feet that could be built on prime developable area on the site, studying roughly 4,000,000 square feet of building which is about double of what was studied previously in 2013 and other assumptions. He stated at the end of the day assuming that the draft GEIS is accepted, passed and after it goes out for public comment, we get to a final GEIS that means that the site has been studied in a generic format for a type of use based upon the assumptions OCIDA has created. He stated any user or tenant that would want to come and utilize the park for development, an investment in the economy and the future of Onondaga County, we would compare their proposal to what we have studied in the generic format to see if it meets with the environmental review that has been completed. He stated if it does then the project would be reviewed based on that and if it doesn’t then it means it would require additional environmental review. He stated one of the goals of the consulting team, JMT, and working with staff has been to identify the types of uses we think and we would like to have here and also identify all those types of impacts based upon the assumptions that have been made. He stated where we are in the process right now is the draft supplemental generic environmental impact statement has been created and it is undergoing a final QA review over the next 48 hours by the legal team and staff. He stated that document will then be pushed to the full Board and contains all the sections that the working group has already looked at. He stated another special meeting of the Board will be requested for a review and detail of those various sections of the draft. He stated the request of the Board will be a vote to accept the draft as adequate to commence the public comment period. He stated that is all the first step of SEQR when you are doing an environmental impact statement. He stated the threshold is the material that has been created sufficient to commence the public comment period which requires a notification to various entities, involved agencies, interested parties under SEQR, notification in the ENB (Environmental Notice Bulletin) as well as submission of the document to any parties that have requested a copy and we have some people who have requested copies. He stated that will commence a 30 day public comment period. He stated we are not required to do a public hearing but we have decided to hold a public hearing so that will commence and set a date for a public hearing within that 30 day comment period. He stated after all the comments are received from the public hearing and anything that is submitted in writing, the task then falls back on the consulting team because all of those comments must be organized, addressed and answered in a written format as an additional appendix that is added to the supplemental GEIS. He stated that process will commence after the public hearing process and public comment period ends. He stated at this point the update for the Board is you should expect to see the draft supplemental generic environmental impact statement after the final QA QC that is being done today and tomorrow by the OCIDA legal team and staff. He stated it will come in two different documents. He stated one will be the text which will have an executive summary which summarizes all the various impacts. He stated the second volume is the appendices that are the day assuming that the draft GEIS is accepted, passed and after it goes out for public comment, we get to a final GEIS that means that the site has been studied in a generic format for a type of use based upon the assumptions OCIDA has created. He stated any user or tenant that would want to come and utilize the park for development, an investment in the economy and the future of Onondaga County, we would compare their proposal to what we have studied in the generic format to see if it meets with the environmental review that has been completed. He stated if it does then the project would be reviewed based on that and if it doesn’t then it means it would require additional environmental review. He stated one of the goals of the consulting team, JMT, and working with staff has been to identify the types of uses we think and we would like to have here and also identify all those types of impacts based upon the assumptions that have been made. He stated where we are in the process right now is the draft supplemental generic environmental impact statement has been created and it is undergoing a final QA review over the next 48 hours by the legal team and staff. He stated that document will then be pushed to the full Board and contains all the sections that the working group has already looked at. He stated another special meeting of the Board will be requested for a review and detail of those various sections of the draft. He stated the request of the Board will be a vote to accept the draft as adequate to commence the public comment period. He stated that is all the first step of SEQR when you are doing an environmental impact statement. He stated the threshold is the material that has been created sufficient to commence the public comment period which requires a notification to various entities, involved agencies, interested parties under SEQR, notification in the ENB (Environmental Notice Bulletin) as well as submission of the document to any parties that have requested a copy and we have some people who have requested copies. He stated that will commence a 30 day public comment period. He stated we are not required to do a public hearing but we have decided to hold a public hearing so that will commence and set a date for a public hearing within that 30 day comment period. He stated after all the comments are received from the public hearing and anything that is submitted in writing, the task then falls back on the consulting team because all of those comments must be organized, addressed and answered in a written format as an additional appendix that is added to the supplemental GEIS. He stated that process will commence after the public hearing process and public comment period ends. He stated at this point the update for the Board is you should expect to see the draft supplemental generic environmental impact statement after the final QA QC that is being done today and tomorrow by the OCIDA legal team and staff. He stated it will come in two different documents. He stated one will be the text which will have an executive summary which summarizes all the various impacts. He stated the second volume is the appendices that are referenced in there. He stated one of the appendices is traffic, one is visual, one is some letters that were received from involved agencies etc. He stated those break up what the document looks like. He stated the Board review is to focus in for your review and education starting with the executive summary. He stated then everything after the executive summary is in greater detail of the things that are discussed in the executive summary. He stated in going through each one of the portions of the environmental impact statement, there is discussion and alternatives, there is discussion of the environmental setting which includes land use and zoning, community character, transportation, utilities, topography and geology, water resources, air resources, ecological resources, cultural and archeological resources, visual, environmental, and aesthetics, noise and human health. He stated each one of those items is an item under SEQR and each one of those items is discussed in this supplemental GEIS recognizing what the current situation is of the park and what the situation could be if the park is expanded to 1250 acres. He stated there is a discussion of the impacts and the mitigation. He stated some areas have no impacts by expanding the park so therefore there is no further mitigation that needs to be studied. He stated if somebody wanted to come in and propose the use of ground water that would be outside of the assumptions and we would have to look at it. He stated other areas, like traffic, there is an impact by a greater number of assumed employees at the site and obviously there has been a change in traffic pattern since 2013 so there are mitigation measures discussed in traffic. He stated there is a section on cumulative impacts and this a requirement in the GEIS with regard to what the project does to all the area with all the other projects that are currently approved but not yet built or proposed. He stated there is a discussion if the park is expanded to 1250 acres and what are the cumulative impacts in the area. He stated there is discussion of unavoidable adverse impacts recognizing that certain things are unavoidable when you expand the park. He stated there is discussion of irreversible or irretrievable commitment of resources which is again a requirement of the GEIS. He stated there is a discussion of energy, the use of energy and compliance with New York Energy Code etc. He stated there is discussion of solid waste management etc. He stated all of those items are the key items that are required in an EIS and they have all been addressed and you will see that in the review. He stated that is a good overview as to where we are in the process for the document the Board is going to see and referenced in there. He stated one of the appendices is traffic, one is visual, one is some letters that were received from involved agencies etc. He stated those break up what the document looks like. He stated the Board review is to focus in for your review and education starting with the executive summary. He stated then everything after the executive summary is in greater detail of the things that are discussed in the executive summary. He stated in going through each one of the portions of the environmental impact statement, there is discussion and alternatives, there is discussion of the environmental setting which includes land use and zoning, community character, transportation, utilities, topography and geology, water resources, air resources, ecological resources, cultural and archeological resources, visual, environmental, and aesthetics, noise and human health. He stated each one of those items is an item under SEQR and each one of those items is discussed in this supplemental GEIS recognizing what the current situation is of the park and what the situation could be if the park is expanded to 1250 acres. He stated there is a discussion of the impacts and the mitigation. He stated some areas have no impacts by expanding the park so therefore there is no further mitigation that needs to be studied. He stated if somebody wanted to come in and propose the use of ground water that would be outside of the assumptions and we would have to look at it. He stated other areas, like traffic, there is an impact by a greater number of assumed employees at the site and obviously there has been a change in traffic pattern since 2013 so there are mitigation measures discussed in traffic. He stated there is a section on cumulative impacts and this a requirement in the GEIS with regard to what the project does to all the area with all the other projects that are currently approved but not yet built or proposed. He stated there is a discussion if the park is expanded to 1250 acres and what are the cumulative impacts in the area. He stated there is discussion of unavoidable adverse impacts recognizing that certain things are unavoidable when you expand the park. He stated there is discussion of irreversible or irretrievable commitment of resources which is again a requirement of the GEIS. He stated there is a discussion of energy, the use of energy and compliance with New York Energy Code etc. He stated there is discussion of solid waste management etc. He stated all of those items are the key items that are required in an EIS and they have all been addressed and you will see that in the review. He stated that is a good overview as to where we are in the process for the document the Board is going to see and review. He stated the plan will be a request for a special meeting next week to set a time to walk through again in detail and answer questions after the Board has reviewed the document. He stated the working group have reviewed it in more detail and we recognize that there are other Board members who have not seen it yet but we have talked through it here and they will have a chance to review it. He stated then a request at the next special meeting for a vote of the Board to accept it as adequate to go out for public comment.
Victor Janno asked when the document will be made available. Jeff Davis stated they are going to go through a 48 hour QA QC review of the document and then it will be pushed out to the Board. He stated we are looking to hold a special meeting next Thursday so the Board would have ample time in advance of the meeting to determine whether it is adequate to send out for public comment. He stated at the next meeting the vote will be is the document sufficient to send out for public comment.
review. He stated the plan will be a request for a special meeting next week to set a time to walk through again in detail and answer questions after the Board has reviewed the document. He stated the working group have reviewed it in more detail and we recognize that there are other Board members who have not seen it yet but we have talked through it here and they will have a chance to review it. He stated then a request at the next special meeting for a vote of the Board to accept it as adequate to go out for public comment.
Victor Janno asked when the document will be made available. Jeff Davis stated they are going to go through a 48 hour QA QC review of the document and then it will be pushed out to the Board. He stated we are looking to hold a special meeting next Thursday so the Board would have ample time in advance of the meeting to determine whether it is adequate to send out for public comment. He stated at the next meeting the vote will be is the document sufficient to send out for public comment.
Victor Janno stated that last time he was involved in a project like this there had to be archeological studies and other studies. Jeff Davis stated that is written in the document and there is a section on cultural and archeological resources that was already studied previously in the 340 acre park. He stated they have already obtained information from DEC as well as the SHPO website that says that the expanded park area in not within an area that requires further testing based upon the information available now. He stated should the State Historic Preservation require us to do anything we would need to do that but based upon a review of everything so far and the comments received from DEC and the SHPO zoned database no further archeology study would be required.
Victor Janno stated that last time he was involved in a project like this there had to be archeological studies and other studies. Jeff Davis stated that is written in the document and there is a section on cultural and archeological resources that was already studied previously in the 340 acre park. He stated they have already obtained information from DEC as well as the SHPO website that says that the expanded park area in not within an area that requires further testing based upon the information available now. He stated should the State Historic Preservation require us to do anything we would need to do that but based upon a review of everything so far and the comments received from DEC and the SHPO zoned database no further archeology study would be required.
Patrick Hogan stated this is probably the most thorough evaluation of a piece of property he has ever seen. Jeff Davis stated he equally agrees that for a GEIS there is a significant amount of detail and analysis aided by the fact a significant portion of the site was previously studied in 2013 so there is that information. He stated an interesting thing is the location of this park was a process that started by the county and the city in the early 1990’s when a study was commissioned by the County and the City to develop an industrial park so a full study was done for the best location for something like this. He stated they identified two locations back in the 1990’s with one being in Lysander and one was this site in Clay. He stated ultimately the site in Clay was chosen and that process commenced. He stated this is a process that has been ongoing for quite some time in terms of development of the park. He stated this location was chosen because of its unique nature. He stated it sits directly across from one of the largest substations for electrical power, it is immediately adjacent to railroad tracks, and it is located almost equal distance between 481 and 81 with route 31 going directly south of the site. He stated there is water already at the site with a significant water line that comes right to the site. He stated Oak Orchard is a short distance away. He stated utilities are all there and available for industry. He stated the expansion as discussed in December of 2020, is a result of what is happening in the Patrick Hogan stated this is probably the most thorough evaluation of a piece of property he has ever seen. Jeff Davis stated he equally agrees that for a GEIS there is a significant amount of detail and analysis aided by the fact a significant portion of the site was previously studied in 2013 so there is that information. He stated an interesting thing is the location of this park was a process that started by the county and the city in the early 1990’s when a study was commissioned by the County and the City to develop an industrial park so a full study was done for the best location for something like this. He stated they identified two locations back in the 1990’s with one being in Lysander and one was this site in Clay. He stated ultimately the site in Clay was chosen and that process commenced. He stated this is a process that has been ongoing for quite some time in terms of development of the park. He stated this location was chosen because of its unique nature. He stated it sits directly across from one of the largest substations for electrical power, it is immediately adjacent to railroad tracks, and it is located almost equal distance between 481 and 81 with route 31 going directly south of the site. He stated there is water already at the site with a significant water line that comes right to the site. He stated Oak Orchard is a short distance away. He stated utilities are all there and available for industry. He stated the expansion as discussed in December of 2020, is a result of what is happening in the efforts to develop the park, the current 340 acre footprint is not large enough to attract the type of 6 development that would want to come and build here and that we want to have built here in terms of the paying jobs and type of industry. He stated when you look at someone who is going to make hundreds of millions if not billions of dollars of investment in a piece of property, they need a larger campus like setting and that is what is being built. He stated certainly in the nanotech industry which is the area of focus of this supplemental generic environmental impact statement. He stated as a result a larger footprint is needed to allow for that to happen and allow for parameters to happen in the development of a site. He stated very similar to other industrial parks that have been developed across New York State and in other counties so what we are doing here is consistent with that and consistent with the goals of OCIDA in their mission to bring advanced jobs and creation of jobs within the county.
Victor Janno asked if there will be a total of 1250 acres. Jeff Davis stated yes, roughly and that is the study that is being done.
efforts to develop the park, the current 340 acre footprint is not large enough to attract the type of 6 development that would want to come and build here and that we want to have built here in terms of the paying jobs and type of industry. He stated when you look at someone who is going to make hundreds of millions if not billions of dollars of investment in a piece of property, they need a larger campus like setting and that is what is being built. He stated certainly in the nanotech industry which is the area of focus of this supplemental generic environmental impact statement. He stated as a result a larger footprint is needed to allow for that to happen and allow for parameters to happen in the development of a site. He stated very similar to other industrial parks that have been developed across New York State and in other counties so what we are doing here is consistent with that and consistent with the goals of OCIDA in their mission to bring advanced jobs and creation of jobs within the county.
Victor Janno asked if there will be a total of 1250 acres. Jeff Davis stated yes, roughly and that is the study that is being done.
Victor Ianno asked if it is going to be one user for the entire property or is it going to be a large user taking a portion of it and the rest will be developable opportunity for other people to join in. Robert Petrovich stated that is not determined. Jeff Davis agreed with Mr. Petrovich and said what has been studied is a developable footprint and the type of uses that can go on the site and those are the assumptions. He stated it is assumed that the site will have an initial development of.a certain number of buildings and jobs etc. He stated those could be one tenant or multiple tenant that work in harmony with one another for a particular industry.
Victor Ianno stated he finds it hard to understand if there is one single user using the whole site versus several. He asked if it is one user where would people go if they want to be support services there. Jeff Davis stated it could be one user that uses the whole site, it could be one user that wants to build something to start at the site but have the ability to expand in the future. He stated any future expansion beyond what the assumptions are would require further environmental review. He stated we have only reviewed something that assumes what we would think is an appropriate initial investment by an entity or entities coming into utilize the site. Robert Petrovich stated even though it is a 1250 acre study area that doesn’t mean all 1250 are developable. Jeff Davis agreed.
Victor Ianno asked if it is going to be one user for the entire property or is it going to be a large user taking a portion of it and the rest will be developable opportunity for other people to join in. Robert Petrovich stated that is not determined. Jeff Davis agreed with Mr. Petrovich and said what has been studied is a developable footprint and the type of uses that can go on the site and those are the assumptions. He stated it is assumed that the site will have an initial development of.a certain number of buildings and jobs etc. He stated those could be one tenant or multiple tenant that work in harmony with one another for a particular industry.
Victor Ianno stated he finds it hard to understand if there is one single user using the whole site versus several. He asked if it is one user where would people go if they want to be support services there. Jeff Davis stated it could be one user that uses the whole site, it could be one user that wants to build something to start at the site but have the ability to expand in the future. He stated any future expansion beyond what the assumptions are would require further environmental review. He stated we have only reviewed something that assumes what we would think is an appropriate initial investment by an entity or entities coming into utilize the site. Robert Petrovich stated even though it is a 1250 acre study area that doesn’t mean all 1250 are developable. Jeff Davis agreed.
Jeff Davis stated one of the things in the report is the discussion of what has been identified as the prime developable area of the site. He stated of the 1250 acres, roughly 730 acres are identified as the prime developable area and the rest of that is an area that is either wetlands or the power lines. He stated the goal is to avoid any wetlands to the maximum extent possible so of the 1250 acres, 730 acres is the area we think would be the most likely area that somebody would want to develop on. He stated what that means is the 1250 acres allows us to preserve a lot of the wetlands surrounding the site and allows us to have significant buffering and set back areas. He stated it allows the development of a campus type business setting.
Jeff Davis stated one of the things in the report is the discussion of what has been identified as the prime developable area of the site. He stated of the 1250 acres, roughly 730 acres are identified as the prime developable area and the rest of that is an area that is either wetlands or the power lines. He stated the goal is to avoid any wetlands to the maximum extent possible so of the 1250 acres, 730 acres is the area we think would be the most likely area that somebody would want to develop on. He stated what that means is the 1250 acres allows us to preserve a lot of the wetlands surrounding the site and allows us to have significant buffering and set back areas. He stated it allows the development of a campus type business setting.
Robert Petrovich stated the legal and technical team have been doing the yeoman’s work over the last few months and the 3 member working group has been deeply involved in this process of taking a deeper dive on some of these issues. He stated he thinks one of the things that is going to be clear once the Board reviews the document is the absolute comprehensive nature of the evaluation of the site and the fact that it has been a holistic approach; one that doesn’t have every square inch of the site developed but creates the ability to buffer certain zones and areas while at the same time maximizing the footprint for an advanced manufacturing semiconductor facility He stated if you are set back from the power lines, set back from the railroads, the vibration or electromagnetic interference, those areas could potentially be used for parking or other uses that are not sensitive to the semiconductor industry requirements. He stated the Board will be able to get fuller flavor of this once the document is presented in the next day or two. Robert Petrovich stated the legal and technical team have been doing the yeoman’s work over the last few months and the 3 member working group has been deeply involved in this process of taking a deeper dive on some of these issues. He stated he thinks one of the things that is going to be clear once the Board reviews the document is the absolute comprehensive nature of the evaluation of the site and the fact that it has been a holistic approach; one that doesn’t have every square inch of the site developed but creates the ability to buffer certain zones and areas while at the same time maximizing the footprint for an advanced manufacturing semiconductor facility He stated if you are set back from the power lines, set back from the railroads, the vibration or electromagnetic interference, those areas could potentially be used for parking or other uses that are not sensitive to the semiconductor industry requirements. He stated the Board will be able to get fuller flavor of this once the document is presented in the next day or two. Patrick Hogan stated this is our first public meeting on this and there will be another public meeting where the Board will vote whether to send the document out or not. He stated then there will be a public hearing where people will be able to comment on this. He asked Jeff Davis to go over the timeline. Jeff Davis stated the plan for today is to set another special meeting date to discuss the draft that the Board will receive and at that meeting should the Board vote to accept the draft as appropriate or sufficient to send to public comment and start the public review process, that will commence the 30 day public comment period. He stated the 30 day comment period technically does not start until the notice is put in the ENB so there is a little bit of lag there. He stated in essence from the date the document is being voted on as being as being adequate it becomes a public document available for public review and comment and written comment. He stated the Agency would then have a public hearing and we will set that public hearing at the next special meeting because we don’t want to set the public hearing unless we determine that product is adequate to go out for public review. He stated the public hearing is Patrick Hogan stated this is our first public meeting on this and there will be another public meeting where the Board will vote whether to send the document out or not. He stated then there will be a public hearing where people will be able to comment on this. He asked Jeff Davis to go over the timeline. Jeff Davis stated the plan for today is to set another special meeting date to discuss the draft that the Board will receive and at that meeting should the Board vote to accept the draft as appropriate or sufficient to send to public comment and start the public review process, that will commence the 30 day public comment period. He stated the 30 day comment period technically does not start until the notice is put in the ENB so there is a little bit of lag there. He stated in essence from the date the document is being voted on as being as being adequate it becomes a public document available for public review and comment and written comment. He stated the Agency would then have a public hearing and we will set that public hearing at the next special meeting because we don’t want to set the public hearing unless we determine that product is adequate to go out for public review. He stated the public hearing is not required by SEQR but we have taken the step to do that. He stated there will be both a written public comment period as well as a public hearing on the document and once the public comment and hearing period closes then the timeline is back to the consulting group to address all public comments, review the document to see if there are changes that need to be made from the draft based upon public comments or comments received from other agencies and their review. He stated we have already had a meetings with NYS DOT and County DOT so they may look at the document and have some comments they would like to see and we have to address those comments in one way or another. He stated then ultimately a final supplemental GEIS will be presented to the Board at which time the Board would vote to accept as final and that is the generic environmental impact statement. He stated a few days after that the Board has to vote on a findings statement.
Jeff Davis stated the only thing the Board is being asked to do today is vote to set another special meeting next Thursday, May 6 at 10:45 am.
Upon a motion by Kevin Ryan, seconded by Victor Janno, the OCIDA Board approved a resolution to set a special meeting on Thursday, May 6, 2021 at 10:45 am. Motion was carried. Patrick Hogan stated he commends Jeff Davis Onondaga County and the IDA as far as the efforts for transparency on this issue and all the work and thoroughness that has gone through this whole project.
not required by SEQR but we have taken the step to do that. He stated there will be both a written public comment period as well as a public hearing on the document and once the public comment and hearing period closes then the timeline is back to the consulting group to address all public comments, review the document to see if there are changes that need to be made from the draft based upon public comments or comments received from other agencies and their review. He stated we have already had a meetings with NYS DOT and County DOT so they may look at the document and have some comments they would like to see and we have to address those comments in one way or another. He stated then ultimately a final supplemental GEIS will be presented to the Board at which time the Board would vote to accept as final and that is the generic environmental impact statement. He stated a few days after that the Board has to vote on a findings statement.
Jeff Davis stated the only thing the Board is being asked to do today is vote to set another special meeting next Thursday, May 6 at 10:45 am.
Upon a motion by Kevin Ryan, seconded by Victor Janno, the OCIDA Board approved a resolution to set a special meeting on Thursday, May 6, 2021 at 10:45 am. Motion was carried. Patrick Hogan stated he commends Jeff Davis Onondaga County and the IDA as far as the efforts for transparency on this issue and all the work and thoroughness that has gone through this whole project.
Upon a motion by Victor anno, seconded by Janice Herzog, the OCIDA Board adjourned the meeting at 9:12 am. Motion was carried.
Py DWN Nancy Lowery, secreted Upon a motion by Victor anno, seconded by Janice Herzog, the OCIDA Board adjourned the meeting at 9:12 am. Motion was carried.
Py DWN Nancy Lowery, secreted