HomeMy WebLinkAbout20210757 Myrtle Street Site Plan Public Comment (3) Amy C. DeLuca
30 Saratoga Circle
Saratoga Springs, New York
November 29, 2021
Planning Board
City of Saratoga Springs
474 Broadway
Saratoga Springs, New York 12866
Re: Saratoga Hospital Myrtle Street Office Building Project
Dear Saratoga Springs Planning Board Members,
I request that the following letter go on record.
I was present at the November 18, 2021 Planning Board Meeting. I am a home owner in the
Birch Run Neighborhood,and my home is in direct proximity to the proposed Hospital Office
building. I am disappointed at the way the Planning Board included this project on the
agenda two days before the scheduled meeting. Both the October and November PB
meetings placed the topic of the Hospital project at the end of the evening's agenda,too,when
everyone was tired and the meeting needed to end. Given the scope and size of this project, it
truly needs to be a separate meeting.
• I strongly urge the Planning Board to request a new Environmental Impact
Statement under the State Environmental Quality Review Act -SEQRA - before
any further approvals are granted.
• I request to have a more recent and accurate City Traffic study be presented at
the December 9, 2021 PB meeting.
Since 2018, I have written letters to the City Council and Planning Board, attended open
meetings, and have spoken at a City Council meeting. Before the Pandemic, I invited City
Council member,Skip Scirocco,Commissioner of Public Works,Hospital attorney,Matt Jones
and Hospital President/CEO,Angelo Calbone,to my home to express my concerns and listen
to their perspectives on the project. Originally, the hospital said 500 doctors were going to
be in this office building. More recently,they stated it would be for 300 doctors. Regardless,
the parking needs will be for 1000 cars.
The project will alter the peace and quality of life that Birch Run home owners have enjoyed
and now seek to protect for generations to come. It is my hope that you all will pause and
imagine the loss of this wildlife habitat that boarders my home and a number of others. It is
so rare to find such a refuge in a growing City. We need to protect,not destroy,these pockets
of nature. Homeowners in Birch Run and in surrounding neighborhoods want the Saratoga
Hospital to be the best it can be but the sprawl that is envisioned comes at an enormous cost
to Citizens who live here and seek a peaceful co-existence with the Hospital.
Respectfully,
Amy C. DeLuca