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Home My WebLink About20220690 Crescent & Jefferson Zoning Amendment Correspondance ��A ��'r�"'"„- _ C� ��-� °�� SARATOGA COUNTY PLANNING BOARD � �1{� � �� -�� * � r .� ��(� .„� t� �..#��1*:f "} �'�%�'.�'�'�_��, �'-�i��, -�' � � _ _,,. ��' _- � TOM L.LEWIS JASON KEMPER '� �� '� ' CHAIRMAN DIRECTOR -��_� � � i 17�1 October 6, 2022 Dillon C. Moran, City Clerk Commissioner of Accounts City of Saratoga Springs City Hall 474 Broadway Saratoga Springs, NY 12866 Sent via email to: dillon.moran@saratoga-springs.org Re: SCPB Referral Review #22-126 - Zoning Amendment-Map-City Council on behalf of Liberty Affordable Housing, Inc. Proposed amendment of City zoning map to change the designation of an existing 30- acre parcel from RR-1 to UR-4 for the express future use of a workforce housing development to be sited on the entirety of the parcel. Location: NE Quad of intersection of Jefferson Street 8v Crescent Avenue (CR# 22) 179.-5-8 Currently in RR-1 Zoning District Received from the City of Saratoga Springs City Council on September 7, 2022. Reviewed by the Saratoga County Planning Board on September 15, 2022. Decision: Approve Comment: In June of 2018 the Saratoga County Planning Board reviewed an amendment proposed to the city's Comprehensive Plan. Along with that referred action, amendments to the city's Zoning Map and the Ordinance's text were submitted that involved consideration of use/uses for the same parcel of land which is the subject of the present zoning map amendment. Sought then was to add Residence-Multi Family as a future land use to be considered, to amend the Future Land Use Map, and the rezoning of the subject parcel from Rural Residential to Institutional Horsetrack-Related. The underlying desire for these changes was to effect the review and approval of a development plan on the 30- acre parcel of 192 affordable housing dwelling units within two buildings. Presented to the City Council by the applicant (Liberty Affordable Housing, Inc.) for Council consideration is a zoning map amendment, with no materials or proposed changes requested to the Comprehensive Plan (if necessary) or to the Comp Plan Map or to the text of the Zoning Ordinance (silent as to how the processing of this action will interplay with the City's newly adopted UDO, to the degree necessary). The Zoning Map amendment seeks a change in designation of the single 30-acre parcel from the present RR-1 (Rural Residential) to UR-4 (Urban Residential). The proposed change in zoning is desired to move forward to the City Planning Board a site plan for two residential structures comprised of affordable housing dwelling units. 50 WEST HIGH STREET (518)884-4705 PHONE BALLSTON SPA, NY 12020 (518)884-4780 FAX It is important to note that in its reviews of legislative actions referred by a City Council, a Town Board or a village's Board of Trustees, the Saratoga County Planning Board has adopted an unwritten practice of affording these bodies the due responsibility of their elected position in both review and adoption relevant to land use determinations and decisions. On behalf of the county planning board, our principal review comments are noted below and are provided to highlight discussion points that we are certain have already been dug into in some depth by all parties from the 2018 application through to the current application four years later: 1. The SCPB expressed that the City's elected body has an existing record of material, information, and documented presentations pertinent to the use of this property which SCPB and Staff have no true need to expand upon, 2. In the 2018 actions, and what would be the resulting use proposed for this property, the SCPB voiced concern that "all parcels now designated as zoned INST-HTR would be open to multi-family development, not just the subject parcel...". a. As noted, that action proposed a zoning text amendment to add multi- family housing as a permitted use in the INST-HTR District. Such inclusion of a single new use into the Use Schedule and Area and Bulk Schedule is not now being proposed. What is proposed is the rezoning of the entirety of the parcel to that of an already existing District designation, UR-4. b. This zoning amendment does not request - as previously - the addition of one particular use that could have ramifications to all similarly-zoned parcels throughout the city, but does propose that all of the permitted uses of UR-4 are available to this property as in other similarly designated lands with the City. c. The zoning designation that is being requested - UR-4 - is not one that would exist in a vacuum as parcels and general areas along Jefferson Street already are so designated (particularly directly across from the subj ect property). d. SCPB noted that a thorough review of the entire list of that District's uses for development of the subj ect property should be considered by the City Planning Board in an Advisory Opinion and be part of the Council's discussion (and it was noted that this is not historically unknown territory for both bodies). The SCPB further discussed that there may be more local favor afforded the particular end use and density of this specific property if the City and the applicant can legislatively come to some type of a contractual agreement (if feasible and permissible) similar to (but foundationally different from) a PDD sunset provision (similar to the recent discussions on the Aronson Rt. 50 property) that locks the rezoning of this property to a timed approval and development of the very use and components of Liberty's end use. Again, this is only presented as a discussion point for consideration of a legislative means that could provide for the desired use and tie development to that particular and permitted UR-4 use. Protections could be incorporated to prohibit - if such development is not acted on - the possibility of allowing for the later consideration by others -2- (piggybacking on) within the list of UR-4 uses and density permitted but were never part of the 2018 or 2022 presentations. Sincerely, � �' � .,,�� . - �, ��2 � ,.r ° - � -�' Michael Valentine, Sr. Planner Authorized Agent for Saratoga County xc. Lisa Ribis, Secretary to the City Council Stephanie Ferradino, Counsel to the applicant DISCLAIMER: Recommendations made by the Saratoga County Planning Board on referrals and subdivisions are based upon the receipt and review of a "full statement of such proposed action" provided directly to SCPB by the municipal referring agency as stated under General Municipal Law section 239. A determination of action is rendered by the SCPB based upon the completeness and accuracy of information presented by its staff. The SCPB cannot be accountable for a decision rendered through incomplete or inaccurate information received as part of the complete statement. -3-