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Home My WebLink About20230378 Washington Land Disturbance Public Comment (6)Outlook Online Form Submittal: Land Use Board Agenda Public Comment From noreply@civicplus.com <noreply@civicplus.com> Date Mon 10/7/2024 1:09 PM To Julia Destino <Julia.Destino@saratoga-springs.org>; Susan Barden <Susan.Barden@saratoga-springs.org> 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. Land Use Board Agenda Public Comment SUBMIT COMMENTS REGARDING CITY PROJECTS Thank you for submitting your comments. Your feedback will be forwarded to the City's Planning Department and Land Use Board members. NOTE: Comments submitted later than 12:00 noon on the day before the Land Use Board meeting may not be reviewed prior to their meeting. All comments will be added to the project file in the Planning Department. Land Use Board Planning Board Name Eric Schenone Email Address emschenone@gmail.com Business Name Field not completed. Address 26 Bensonhurst Ave City Saratoga Springs State NY Zip Code 12866 Phone Number Field not completed. Project Name Washington Land Disturbance Project Project Number 20230378 Project Address Washington St and West Ave Comments Please see the attached file for comments Attach Photo (optional)Public Comment.pdf Email not displaying correctly? View it in your browser. 10/8/24, 10:21 AM Mail - Julia Destino - Outlook https://outlook.office365.com/mail/inbox/id/AAQkADI5NDIzZGRiLTQwNjEtNGM1MS05ZmQxLTUyZTNkMzFiZDJiZQAQABSHavO8lVdMlBmCTbz%2B…1/1 RE:Public commentary regarding Washington Land Disturbance Project From:Eric Schenone 10/5/24 My name is Eric Schenone,I am a longtime city resident and property owner.One of the properties that I currently own is located at 23 Outlook ave.My house is one of the oldest in this part of town and was built in the 1950’s before all the development in the Central,Outlook, Newton avenue area which began in the 2000’s.I am writing to express a number of concerns I have regarding this proposed project. The original land near my property was always wet,but has become significantly more saturated after all the fill was brought into the area with the construction of new houses.Part of the increase in development in this part of town was spurred on by the city extending the water, sewer,and groundwater resources out to Outlook Ave.It allowed my property,which originally had a septic system,to connect to the city sewer system.The city’s current water runoff plan for the area has a receptacle at the end of Division street,at approximately 29 Outlook ave,that carries water runoff from Outlook ave into the city’s system.The new houses in the neighborhood have all brought in fill so that they sit at a higher elevation than the original houses in the area and those along the north side of Outlook ave have also built earthen barriers at the rear of their properties to help with water issues.What this has done is cause the natural flow of water to the lowest elevations in the neighborhood,specifically my property. While some of the water flows into the city’s catch basin at 29 Outlook ave,not all of it makes it there. We continue to have significant water issues at our property,our back yard floods with water every year.We had our basement jackhammered out to a depth of 2 feet to add a full drainage system a few years ago and the sump pump associated with our system needs to run on an hourly basis to keep the water out of our basement.Before we added the battery back up,our basement would begin to flood if we lost power for more than 2 hours.We rerouted the discharge of the sump pump from the rear of the property to the front in order to minimize any water at the rear of the property.The rear of the property is my biggest concern.It is bordered by the property associated with this land disturbance project.That land currently has two wetland/ponds on it,one which directly borders my property and overflows onto my property on a regular basis.During the spring the rear portion of my property is under water for weeks at a time as the wetlands overflow and the water flows to the lowest natural elevation,my property. The water in that parcel of land is stored in the wetlands,absorbed into the land,and helps nourish the wooded forest currently present on land.To allow that property to be clear cut and leveled would eliminate all the natural areas for the water to dissipate and most likely force even more water onto my property.While the land owner has recommended ways to remediate the water situation in their proposal,building what appears to be a culvert at the border of my property and theirs,I do not believe it sufficiently takes into account all the water issues that are present in the area.Looking at the outfall location map from the city (attached below),it shows how the water on that parcel of land is supposed to connect to a natural stream/tributary and flow across West ave.Clearing and grading the property would eliminate the natural flow of water in our neighborhood. We also have no indication of what the property owner plans to do with the property once they have cleared it.I can only imagine they are looking to develop it,possibly commercially,which would add buildings,parking,and significantly increase the water run off onto neighboring properties.The city made a deliberate decision in the early 2000’s when they extended the wastewater system to Outlook ave and did not choose to extend it beyond to West Ave.I believe they did this because they clearly saw that the property between Outlook and West already had wetlands on it and a natural water flow in the opposite direction.The groundwater in the neighborhood is also very high and any additional development and displacement would potentially push that water table even higher. The final major concern I have regarding this project is the elimination of greenspace in the city. One of the reasons that we deal with the existing water issues in our neighborhood is that it is one of the few places left in the city where you can actually see a forest.The property is a natural habitat for birds,deer,and a multitude of other animals.The forest also works as a natural noise buffer between the commercial businesses on West ave,the train and bus station, and all of the apartments recently constructed on the west side of the city.Looking at the property owners proposal,I see no plan to leave any vegetation to help maintain greenspace in our city.The plan looks to simply eliminate any trees and wetlands for the purpose of having a giant cleared space of land with no defined purpose.It would be an environmental tragedy to lose one of the few wooded wetlands,and the closest to downtown,left in our wonderful city. I am very concerned that disturbing the land in the way designated in this project will have a substantially negative impact on our neighborhood.It will make an already challenging water situation worse,eliminate one of the last natural areas in the city,and do so for no added value to the city or its residents. Thank you for taking the time to consider my comments.I truly appreciate all the hard work and time you put into making our city a vibrant place to live.I understand that there are a number of options you must look at when determining if projects are appropriate in making our city a better place to live.Please don’t disregard the voices of those of us that live in this neighborhood. Respectfully, Eric Schenone