HomeMy WebLinkAbout20190497 South Broadway Hotel Correspondance (3) Maureen Bergan
9 Whitney Place
Saratoga Springs, NY 12866
518-321-2344
maureenkrya,®yahoo.com
June 22, 2019 / ii a7p$
City Hall Planning Board jUN 25
-
15 Vanderbilt Ave. ay 19
Saratoga Springs, NY 1286
Dear All on the Planning Board,
My husband and I received a letter inviting us to the public hearing on June 20th
regarding the application for a special use permit for a proposed hotel at 176 South
Broadway. We did go, listened, and I did take a turn to comment on my serious concern
about the very busy intersection where Whitney Place meets Lincoln Avenue and the
additional traffic that would compound that problem with the proposed changed use of
Gurtler Lane.
After further consideration of what I took in at that meeting, I'd like to add additional
grave concerns.
First, I heard the neighbors whose properties attach to that lane voice their concern about
additional lighting creating overly bright yards. I agree with them and would feel the same
way. The problem is that we ourselves have a public lane behind our homes on Whitney
Place that has a lot of foot traffic as it is a route to the Stewart's shop in Circular Street.
We and our neighbors have had problems because of this and have had to call the police
for various things like theft, drug deals, underaged partying, menacing behavior, public
voiding, etc. Last year I asked the city to add a street light to help with this problem and
they graciously did put one up. This year my husband and I also added a light on the
back of our property My concern, then, is about the neighbors' valid points vs the reality
of having a dark lane connecting the many homes behind the businesses on the east side
of South Broadway to the Stewart's shop, the park, and the downtown area.
Secondly, a woman commented on the possible effect on the springs, which our beautiful
city is noted for,with excavation for the proposed underground parking garage. Even if
that one big underground garage did not affect our priceless asset, it is obvious that other
developers and businesses will also want underground parking in the future. I think this
opens a big can of worms.
Thirdly, I do realize that South Broadway needs help, but can we not turn it into Railroad
Place or what is now part of Weibel Avenue with giant nondescript boxes lined up at the
curb?Where is the common sense? Although I completely understand that property
owners have rights to do what they want with their land whether I personally think it's
aesthetic or not, has character or not, I think we need to be very careful about how the
gateway into our city is developed. Developers who think maximizing space is the only
way to maximize financial return might be our downfall on that strip. At the very least, I
think the proposed hotel for 176 Broadway is one story too tall and generally too close to
the curb.
Sincerely yours,
CULL-Led(86)::
Maureen Bergan