Lansing hits pause on moratorium proposal

The local law proposing a halt on some construction projects for the next year in the town of Lansing will not be up for a public hearing or a vote at today’s (Nov. 19) Lansing town board meeting. 

The board has been considering the local law since September. Town officials, including the town supervisor, have said in previous meetings and interviews that the local law is being considered as a halt that would give the town a chance to overhaul its zoning laws.

Rethinking the town’s zoning code will be an endeavor tackled by a zoning advisory committee of town volunteers and elected officials, as well as a consultant. Town officials have said the process of redoing the town’s zoning started in 2018. 

The town has considered the halt to some construction projects since introducing the idea in September. 

Since then, massive turnouts at meetings by residents, either decrying the moratorium or speaking in support of it, have made the board delay the vote as they take in community feedback. The discussion around the moratorium itself also coincided with the arrival of a proposal by TeraWulf to build an artificial intelligence data center at the site of the former Cayuga Power Station near Cayuga Lake.

The most recent meeting, on Nov. 5, featured some revisions to the moratorium, as well as lengthy discussion and consideration of potentially withdrawing the local law. By the end, the board agreed to consider the moratorium following changes in wording to the law. It was unclear when the town board would bring the moratorium up for a vote.

Then, last week, the board announced that it would not be holding a public hearing on the measure, and by extension not holding a vote on the matter, at its Nov. 19 meeting.

“As the Board has worked through the process of considering the proposed draft law for the moratorium, we have realized that we need more time to solicit and consider input from our partners in the Planning Board, Zoning Board of Appeals, and the Zoning Advisory Committee,” town officials wrote in a press release. “The town board will be reconsidering the resolution withdrawing proposed moratorium (Local Law #7 of 2025) which was presented at the Nov. 5 meeting.  Because the Nov. 19 meeting will no longer have a public hearing component, we will be holding the meeting at the town hall at 29 Auburn Rd. The Town Board appreciates the public’s patience as we consider how best to accomplish the necessary rewrites to the current, outdated zoning law.”

The town is also looking for volunteers to serve on the Planning Board, Zoning Board of Appeals, Conservation Advisory Council and Ethics Board as regular and alternate members.

“A regular member is a full voting member with a full term,” according to a town press release. “An alternate member is a one-year term and is a great way to see how a board works, and the level of time commitment needed.”

The Planning Board is looking for one seven-year term, and two one-year terms.

The Planning Board consists of seven regular members and two alternate members. The Planning Board is charged with reviewing subdivision, site plans and special use permits, and advises the town board in matters pertaining to land use regulation, studies or reports. Members receive a small stipend. Meetings are generally held at 6:30 p.m. on the fourth Monday of the month.

The Zoning Board of Appeals has one vacancy with a five-year term and another with a one-year term.

The Zoning Board of Appeals consists of five regular members and one alternate member. The Zoning Board of Appeals is charged with considering requests for relief from the zoning regulations (i.e., variance requests) and making interpretations of the zoning code. Members receive a small stipend. Meetings are generally held at 6:30 p.m. on the second Wednesday of the month.

Interested parties can contact the town clerk’s office at 607-533-4142 or via email at townclerk@lansingtownny.gov with any questions. 

Applications are available here: https://lfweb.tompkins-co.org/Forms/TOLBCApplication.