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HomeMy WebLinkAbout20221084 172 Caroline Public CommentDear Saratoga Springs Zoning Board, My name is Brad Pastore and I live at 215 Nelson Avenue with my wife. My property is the next door and surrounded by the property applying for the subdivision and subsequent home construction. After attending the first meeting in front of the planning board and after reviewing the application I have some concerns regarding this proposal. This property is located in a documented historical district and the proposal states that the project is consistent with the predominant character or natural landscape. I do not agree with this as currently this existing property is greenspace and construction of a home, in a plot that needs a variance (due to it not meeting the minimal requirements to build a home)will permanently change the landscape of our neighborhood. Building a home in such a confined space will have major consequences for my property and our quality of life (as listed, the finished home will be 20 feet from our living area). This will extend to our neighbors in the surrounding areas, as well. Construction of a house on this property will result in excavation of the area with heavy equipment, removing dirt via dump trucks, delivering materials with large construction vehicles and a large number of construction workers in and out of this confined area. My wife works from home and will need to rent office space, away from our home, at an expense, due to the noise this project will produce, as the current level of construction noise coming from this property has been disruptive. also have concerns regarding the accuracy of the plans and faithful follow through of the project if it is approved. In attending the first meeting in front of the planning board, the proposal attempted to mislead the board, citing the existing driveway was unable to accommodate vehicles in order to get approval for a driveway on Caroline Street, which is inaccurate. Also, these existing plans do not indicate removal of an existing tree on Nelson Avenue, which most likely would need to happen to install a driveway on this road. These two issues are relatively small, but they indicate willingness to mislead to get approval of a project. As a homeowner, who will be directly affected by liberties taken comparable to this, I ask the board to take this into consideration. There are also things that happen in our neighborhood that aren't listed on the project plans. Installation of a driveway on Nelson and construction with heightened traffic will change the special things that happen in our neighborhood. When the weather is nice, we see classes of school children walk past our house from Caroline. The ice cream truck makes frequent passes through our neighborhood in summer, but these things will have to change with major construction that leads to increased traffic and alteration of our neighborhood permanently. would ask that the board look at this project holistically and make a decision based on how this decision will affect a historical neighborhood and the precedent it will set. Just because the numbers on a plan meet the minimum requirements, doesn't mean it should be implemented. Carving up this plot of land to then wedge a house into an area like this does not align with the character of our neighborhood. Saratoga Springs is a wonderful place to live with wildlife weaved into our yards and the large number of trees located within our city. Preservation allows our city to have this unique feel that has kept me here for 14 years and will continue to do so. If we allow healthy, mature trees to be removed, more driveways and paved areas to take up our existing greenspace, our city starts to look and feel like other towns and cities and we lose what makes us unique. I would ask that the board reject this proposal to help us keep these things we hold special.