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HomeMy WebLinkAbout20230216 118, 121-125 Woodlawn Special Use Permit Public Comment (3)7/19/23, 2:03 PM Zimbra https://m.saratoga-springs.org/h/printmessage?id=17021&tz=America/New_York 1/4 From :Susan Barden <susan.barden@saratoga-springs.org> Subject :Fwd: 118 Woodlawn To :Julia Destino <julia.destino@saratoga-springs.org> Zimbra julia.destino@saratoga-springs.org Fwd: 118 Woodlawn Wed, Jul 19, 2023 10:43 AM Please add the following to public comment folder for 118 Woodlawn SUP. Thanks! Susan B. Barden, AICP Principal Planner City of Saratoga Springs 474 Broadway Saratoga Springs, NY 518-587-3550 ext. 2493 From: "John Brueggemann" <jbruegge@skidmore.edu> To: "Susan Barden" <susan.barden@saratoga-springs.org> Cc: "Christina Brueggemann" <cbruegge@nycap.rr.com> Sent: Tuesday, July 18, 2023 8:05:21 PM Subject: 118 Woodlawn CAUTION: This email originated outside of the City network. Please contact IT Support if you need assistance determining if it's a threat before opening attachments or clicking any links. 7/19/23, 2:03 PM Zimbra https://m.saratoga-springs.org/h/printmessage?id=17021&tz=America/New_York 2/4 Hello Ms. Barden. We are writing to comment on the proposed use of the property currently used by Saratoga City Church at 118 Woodlawn. We ask that you share our comments with all members of the Planning Board. The traffic on Van Dam near Woodlawn is already heavy. The presence of the people associated with the church there has not posed any real trouble because the main focus has mostly been Sunday morning. But if there is any addition of cars, it will be really bad. We trust the Planning Board is aware of how narrow Woodlawn is. That is already tricky to navigate right now. If a car is parked on Woodlawn and two cars want to pass one another, one of them has to pull over and wait. Since there are always cars parked on Woodlawn and it is a two-way street, that happens very frequently. Even just a few extra cars would likely cause gridlock in short order, at least during the busy times of the day. This includes rush hour (@ 9 AM and 5 PM), of course. Now think of Chowderfest, Dance Flurry, Victorian Streetwalk, Hats Off, a pretty spring Saturday, a lively Friday night. Woodlawn will become impossible on a regular basis. We are personally worried about what that will mean for State St., around the corner, where we live. But I cannot imagine what all our friends who live on Woodlawn would do. The pedestrian activity in that area is significant. And it’s already difficult. If there was any significant addition of traffic at this corner, it would become an even more dangerous crossing. Please keep in mind that large trucks travel down Van Dam all the time. Traffic gets backed up on Van Dam from Broadway all the way to Clinton on a regular basis. Trying to cross Van Dam on Woodlawn in a vehicle or on foot often takes a long time as it is. More traffic will multiply the problems. Any notion of rerouting traffic on to Woodlawn Ave., Bolster Lane or Alger St. would create serious problems in our neighborhood. At the very least, that would make it tricky for all the people walking and riding bikes in our neighborhood, which is to say it would damage the spirit of the neighborhood. The infrastructure can’t handle the traffic. In addition, though, we don’t want to live near such an enterprise. None of us bought a home in this neighborhood thinking we would be living that close to a bar, or “private club,” or whatever euphemism you want to use. Everyone who lives north of Van Dam on Woodlawn, State, Granite and other nearby streets travels by that intersection sooner or later. Our kids who go down to socialize, shop or work at their jobs have to walk by there. We don’t want to be around a private club and we don’t want our kids to be either. This is a residential neighborhood where families live. It is not licensed for a bar, a commercial kitchen or entertainment. Why is that? Because those activities are not consistent with the spirit of our neighborhood. We see no persuasive rationale for an exception in this case. As you surely know, there are two businesses in proximity to 118 Woodlawn, a clothes store and a barber. The traffic to those settings adds to the trouble on Van Dam, but just a little because they only have a small number of customers at a time. That traffic seems to add no problems to the streets north of Van Dam. Plus, they close at a decent hour. In effect, they have no real impact on the spirit of our neighborhood. 7/19/23, 2:03 PM Zimbra https://m.saratoga-springs.org/h/printmessage?id=17021&tz=America/New_York 3/4 We fully embrace commercial opportunities in the city. We hope the church building can be owned and managed by someone with the resources and commitment to protect its integrity and historical significance. But this is the wrong pathway towards commerce and preservation. Please don’t try to solve existing problems on our backs. We strongly oppose this project. Thank you all for hearing us out, and for your service to the community. Sincerely, John and Christina Brueggemann 52 State Street Saratoga Springs, NY 12866 7/19/23, 2:03 PM Zimbra https://m.saratoga-springs.org/h/printmessage?id=17021&tz=America/New_York 4/4 Confidentiality/Privilege Notice: This e-mail communication and any files transmitted with it contain privileged and confidential information from the City of Saratoga Springs and are intended solely for the use of the individual(s) or entity to which it has been addressed. If you are not the intended recipient, you are hereby notified that any disclosure, copying, distribution, or taking any other action with respect to the contents of this message is strictly prohibited. If you have received this e-mail in error, please delete it and notify the sender by return e-mail. Thank you for your cooperation.