HomeMy WebLinkAbout20211116 1 Veteran's Way Special Use Permit Modification Public Comment (4) February 16, 2022
Susan B. Barden, AICP
Principal Planner
City of Saratoga Springs
474 Broadway
Saratoga Springs, NY 12866
Dear Ms. Barden,
I am writing to you in regards to the public hearing notification letter I received on the 1 Veterans Way
Special Use Permit Modification.
I understand that the Planning Board is required to conduct a public hearing with proper notice to all
neighbors residing within 250 feet of the project. I had received this letter on Saturday February 12,
2022 and this is the first time I have heard of this permit modification. I feel that this is not enough
notice to properly research the application and gather information on the impacts of the applicant's
desired change.Therefore I am requesting that the Planning Board postpone the vote on this Special
Use Permit Modification until the March Planning Board meeting and keep the public hearing open
until then.This will give the nearby residents and public proper time to draft emails, submit public
comments, and determine what to actually say to the Planning Board at the meeting.
According to Timothy A. Wade, Verdant Architecture, in the SUP Modification Narrative document, he
states "The increased occupancy request will not affect the building footprint, building height, building
site, or have an impact on the surrounding neighborhood in any way."I strongly disagree with the last
part of this statement.The way the school is currently being operated, with 180 students, is already
having significant negative impacts on the surrounding neighborhood. I would even call them hardships
on our homes.An increase in the student body to 250 will result in all the existing problems being
magnified by 39%. How did Mr. Wade determine that there would be no impacts on the surrounding
neighborhood?What sort of study was done? Did he just self proclaim that there would be no
neighborhood impacts? I would've thought that asking the people that live in the neighborhood
would've been a great place to start, but as far as I know there was zero effort to do that.
Furthermore according to the current SUP for 1 Veterans Way, Condition 9 states "During any future
review of the development for this site the City has the right to review any off-site impact issues and
require the applicant to contribute a fair share to the resolution of such issues" hence why I am
requesting more time before a vote on this SUP modification, to fully itemize the current impact details
with recommended solutions.The Planning Board and City Planning in general, need a clear picture of
the current neighborhood impacts from this 1 Veterans Way property before making any decisions on
requested changes.
Thank you and best regards,
Matthew Miczek
5 Loughberry Rd South
Saratoga Springs, NY 12866