HomeMy WebLinkAbout20240032 137 Maple Special Use Permit High Peaks Canna CorrespondanceHIGH PEAKS CANNA INC
OCM-CAURD-2002-000760
386 BURGOYNE RD
SARATOGA SPRINGS, NY 12866
CITY OF SARATOGA SPRINGS
PLANNING BOARD
474 BROADWAY
SARATOGA SPRINGS, NY 12866
Dear Planning Board Chairperson,
HIGH PEAKS CANNA INC (the “Applicant”) recently signed a long-term lease to rent the former
Towne Law Office at 137 Maple Ave, Saratoga Springs, NY 12866, including the entire 1,980 Sq Ft
building, associated parking and driveway access (the “Property”). The Applicant is a New York State
registered Conditional Adult-Use Retail Dispensary (“CAURD”) Licensee proposing sales of
recreational cannabis at the Property (the “Project”). The Saratoga Springs Unified Development
Ordinance (“UDO”) includes the Property as part of the Neighborhood Center District (“NC/T-5”),
which permits marijuana dispensaries subject to obtaining a special use permit (See Table 8-A). To that
end, we submit this letter to supplement our previously provided application materials. In so doing, we
are also requesting a Site Plan waiver.
The Project meets the Approval Standards for special uses in the NC/T-5 zoning district (UDO 13.4(E)
(1) through (6)) as follows:
1.The proposed use is in harmony with the 2015 Comprehensive Plan (the “Comp Plan”),
including:
a.It will facilitate the goal of maintaining the Downtown as the economic center of the
community, as the proposed use repurposes an existing structure within the walkable
downtown area (Comp Plan 3.1-1 and 3.1-2 on page 15).
b.repurposing the Property as a retail business will help maintain the downtown as the
economic center of the city, and better utilize the property as a retail business (Comp
Plan 3.1-6 page 16).
c.encouraging a diverse economic opportunity by supporting an emerging market (Comp
Plan 3.1-19 page 17).
d.meeting the existing land use regulations as the proposed use will not require variances
and meets the UDO, including these Special Use Permit criteria.
e.ensuring the long-term economic viability of the Property and the community, as retail
dispensaries are anticipated to continue to generate revenue to support the costs
associated with a physical storefront, in a way that continued use as an office building
may not.
2.The Project will not endanger the public health, safety or welfare. No changes are proposed to
the Property. As a result, the Project will not result in the addition of any noise and is situated
within an area that contains background urban decibel levels created by Route 50 traffic and
existing commercial uses along the corridor. All solid waste from product packaging will be
contained within the on-site dumpster for regular pick-up. The Project will not add significant
amounts of traffic but will primarily capture the existing pedestrian and vehicular traffic in the
corridor. No exterior changes are proposed to the Property, existing lighting will remain the
same and will not create additional glare or light trespass. The Project does not introduce any
hazardous materials to the neighborhood. As the Board is aware, this use is highly regulated by
the State of New York, further ensuring continued safe operation.
3.The density and intensity of the proposed use is compatible with the neighborhood. Adjacent to
the Property to the north is Route 50, a high-trafficked thoroughfare connecting downtown
Saratoga Springs to the Northway and adjacent communities. The Courtyard Marriot Hotel,
Olde Bryan Inn, multi-family housing and several commercial facilities are located to the west
of the Property. South of the Property is High Rock Park, several public parking lots and multi-
family housing along the adjacent Circular Street, High Rock Avenue and Nelson Avenue. East
of the Property are commercial developments, and additional housing. Sidewalks make the
Property accessible to pedestrians from the east, west and south.
4.The Property has safe and efficient pedestrian and vehicular access.
a.Pedestrian access to the Property is via sidewalks on both sides of Maple Avenue
stemming from the commercial downtown and multi-family housing on Circular Street
and Nelson Avenue. All streets leading to the Property feature sidewalks, making the
Property highly connective to both commercial and multi-family or single-family
residential in the downtown area.
b.The existing parking lot is two thousand (2,000) square feet with orderly parking and
pedestrian access to the building; therefore, the Property provides sufficient parking for
the Project and does not require a change to the parking and pedestrian facilities. Based
on the formula of 1 space per 300 sq. ft. the Project is required to have 6.6 spaces if the
sales floor area used the entire interior. The Property contains 8 parking spots, six
regular spaces, one ADA compliant space and a dedicated loading zone for a delivery
driver. Furthermore, the Applicant is entering into an agreement with the Courtyard
Marriot to allow for employee parking. This will guarantee the 7 spaces in the parking
lot on the property remain available to our customers. One of the spots will be dedicated
to 15 min pick up only parking. In addition to the Property’s parking lot, ample
additional parking is available along Maple Avenue from the Property to the City
Center's Parking Garage, 1000 feet away. At the bottom of the stairs to High Rock Park,
street parking is available on either side of High Rock Avenue.
5.The Project will not create any greater demand on current or future use of infrastructure, public
facilities and services. The Property offers sufficient existing exterior lighting at both the
customer and employee entrances. In addition, there is an existing city-maintained lamp post
along the sidewalk that is directly in front of the building. The prior offices’ bathroom
facilities, and associated water / sewer capacity are suitable for the proposed retail dispensary.
6.The proposed use will not negatively impact environmental and natural resources on the
Property since no exterior changes are proposed as part of the Project.
We respectfully request a waiver from Site Plan Review pursuant to UDO §13.4(D)(1)(d)(ii), as the
Project does not involve altering the exterior of the building. Notwithstanding the proposed Project’s
eligibility for exemption from Site Plan Review, the proposal meets the evaluation criteria in 13.5(I)
(1) through (11), and these review standards have been thoroughly vetted through the Special Use
Permit review process.
Kind Regards,
Roger and Christine Sharp