HomeMy WebLinkAbout20230378 Washington Land Disturbance Correspondance Submission Letter 2024 09 06
September 9, 2024
Saratoga Springs Planning Board
Attn: Chuck Martin, Chair
City Hall – 474 Broadway
Saratoga Springs, NY 12866
Re: WM Memorial Inc.
Washington Street Land Disturbance
Dear Chairman Martin:
We anticipate being before the board in September for the above-referenced land disturbance application.
Please accept this letter in further support of this application and to provide some additional information
relating to the submission which was initially made in 2023.
By way of background, when we originally sought to obtain approval to clear and grade the site to make it
ready for marketing, we reached out to the city to discuss what type of application was required. Susan
provided guidance that if there was a proposed development project associated with the site work (there is
not), we would be making either a site plan application or subdivision app lication. Her communication with
us in 2022 when the UDO was fairly new was that if there was not a proposed development, then the land
disturbance permit application pursuant to UDO 13.7 was appropriate. We were asked to prepare this letter
to provide the Board with context as to why no development is shown.
We originally submitted the application for the land disturbance permit on May 31, 2023. Around that time,
the City Council modified the requirements for submission to include an existing conditions plan including
information for the trees on the site, which we are now providing, together with a photolog of the trees
existing on the site. Following staff review of the initial application in 2023, Susan requested we provide
updated information from both DEC and ACOE. Despite diligent application by our team, responses from
both entities took quite some time to obtain.
We have recently provided correspondence from both DEC (August 8, 2024) and ACOE (August 21, 2024,
September 6, 2024) pertaining to the wetlands. Please accept the revised plans showing the existing
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conditions for tree removal purposes and a photolog of the trees. I believe this will complete our submission
and we are hoping to be on your next available agenda at the end of September.
Please note that there is no application for site plan or subdivision because we are simply preparing the site
to make it shovel ready, and thus more marketable. We have no plan to develop this site, but intend, once
the grading and preparation of the site has occurred, to place it on the market. At such time as a developer
is interested in the parcel, they will be proceeding through the necessary steps before the Planning Board
in order to provide you with the actual plan for the property.
As you know, the window for doing this work is upcoming and we have made arrangements to get in the
cue for the contractor to perform work in November. As such, our request is to promptly be placed on the
agenda so the site work can begin within his available window to do the work.
Please let me know if there are any impediments to placement on the upcoming end of September agenda.
We appreciate your consideration of this request and are happy to provide any additional information that
may be required. Thank you!
Very truly yours,
Stephanie W. Ferradino
Cc: Susan Barden
Enc.