HomeMy WebLinkAbout20240837 328 Caroline Addition and Garage Construction Public CommentI am a property owner and full‐time resident of the neighborhood in which this property is situated. This
comment arises out of a troubling pattern I have noticed at ZBA meetings for some time. This particular
situation is just one example of a broader concern.
At this applicant’s first appearance before the ZBA, the applicant’s representative stated that the
property owners mostly reside at this property during the summer. After the ZBA questioned the
benefit of this project for a house that is only occupied during the summer, the property owner then
appeared at the next meeting, representing to the ZBA that he and his young family live in this house
more than just during the summer, presumably to receive a more favorable response from the ZBA.
When this issue was again raised by a ZBA member at the last meeting, the applicant’s representative
went even further to say that the applicants live here for more than half the year and that they will be
moving here full‐time in the coming years. The degree of inconsistencies that are being presented to the
ZBA should make you question the validity of these statements.
My children attend Caroline Street Elementary School, located directly next to this property, and I drop
them off and pick them up from school every day. I walk past this property twice a day, every day, from
September thru June, and I can without a doubt say that the property owners do not reside at this
property during those 10 months of the year, aside from a very occasional visit. Misrepresentations are
being made to the ZBA to receive approval of their requested variances, and I have watched as other
applicant’s have successfully used this tactic to receive a favorable outcome for their projects as well.
Per the ZBA’s application, “To grant an area variance, the ZBA must balance the benefits to the applicant
and the health, safety, and welfare of the neighborhood and community…” The amount of time that a
property owner occupies a property should be a factor that the ZBA considers when determining the
benefit to an applicant versus the detriment to the neighborhood and community. Generally speaking,
the benefit of a family’s comfort in a house that they occupy for 6 weeks out of the year should be
weighed differently than that of a family that occupies a house full‐time, especially when granting that
variance creates an undesirable change for full‐time neighbors, neighborhoods, and the community. In
the case of a project that involves owners that occupy the property for a minimal period of time, there
should be a compelling reason to create a new zoning precedent in our neighborhoods.
As an example, one of the properties this applicant is relying on as a comparable received a variance
from the ZBA within the past few years. This property also sits vacant, but for track season and some
occasional visits during the remainder of the year. In that applicant’s ZBA application, they described
the property as their “family home.” Aside from the surface level aesthetic changes to the character of
our neighborhood, these new zoning precedents have also led to an increase in absentee homeowners
in our neighborhood, which guts a community and brings safety concerns. For example, these two
properties are both located near the elementary school, on the route many children use to walk to and
from school, and neither of these properties is maintained in the winter–with sidewalks that aren’t
shoveled and/or salted. The applicants here probably don’t realize the runoff from their driveway
freezes, creating a sheet of ice that children walking to and from school slide and fall on during the
winter months, because they aren’t present to recognize the problem.
While the ZBA is not an arbiter of the truth, it does make very important, long lasting and far reaching
decisions that greatly impact the future of our neighborhoods and community. The ZBA must act
prudently and with great integrity, but, sadly, that hasn’t been happening when members turn a blind
eye to the blatant misrepresentations of applicants that appear before them–both in this particular
instance and with past applications. The ZBA’s reluctance to acknowledge this trend and stand up to
this sort of behavior undermines its authority and diminishes the quality of our zoning regulations.
Applicants sign the following certification, and they should be held to it: “By the signature(s) attached
hereto, I/we certify that the information provided within this application and accompanying
documentation is, to the best of my/our knowledge, true and accurate. I/we further understand that
intentionally providing false or misleading information is grounds for immediate denial of this
application.”
Outlook
Online Form Submittal: Land Use Board Agenda Public Comment
From noreply@civicplus.com <noreply@civicplus.com>
Date Mon 2/10/2025 10:06 AM
To Mark Graham <Mark.Graham@saratoga-springs.org>; Aneisha Samuels <Aneisha.Samuels@saratoga-
springs.org>
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 Zoning Board of Appeals
Name Neighborhood Resident
Email Address Field not completed.
Business Name Field not completed.
Address Within neighborhood
City Saratoga Springs
State NY
Zip Code 12866
Phone Number Field not completed.
Project Name 328 Caroline Addition and Garage Construction
Project Number 20240837
Project Address 328 Caroline St
Comments Please see attached comment.
Attach Photo (optional)Public Comment.pdf
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2/10/25, 10:07 AM Mail - Mark Graham - Outlook
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