HomeMy WebLinkAbout20190840 Abney Residence Correspondance ENGINEERING AMERICA CO .
76 WASHINGTON ST . SARATOGA SPRINGS , NY 1 2 8 6 6
5 1 8 / 5 8 7 - 1 3 4 0 5 1 8 / 5 8 0 - 9 7 8 3 ( FAX )
TRANSMITTAL SHEET
TO: FROM:
Zoning Board of Appeals Tonya Yasenchak
COMPANY: DATE:
City of Saratoga Springs SEPTEMBER 30,2019
FAX NUMBER: TOTAL NO.OF PAGES INCLUDING COVER:
3 page letter and 1 map
PHONE NUMBER: SENDER'S REFERENCE NUMBER:
RE: YOUR REFERENCE NUMBER:
Abney—Detached Accessory Structure
# 118 Middle Ave.,Saratoga Springs,NY
❑ URGENT E FOR REVIEW ❑ PLEASE COMMENT ❑PLEASE REPLY ❑AS REQUESTED
Dear Zoning Board of Appeals,
Engineering America Co. respectfully submits additional materials as requested by the City
Zoning Board of Appeals at the recent 9/23/19 meeting for review of an area variance
related to the proposed construction of a detached accessory structure with conditioned use
for the owners' aquarium hobby at 118 Middle Ave. in Saratoga Springs,NY.
1) Neighborhood Accessory Structures &Uses:
EACo. reviewed 31 properties in the direct neighborhood of the project site
(including the project site); properties included those across Middle Ave. from
project site, the same side of the street as the project site and Lake Ave. behind
the project site. Please note that the information reviewed is only that which has
been recorded by the Tax Assessor. There does appear to be additional buildings
and/or uses within this neighborhood which are not recorded.
a) Detached Accessory Structures: 15 of the 31 properties had "Detached
Accessory Structures or Garages" officially noted on the tax assessors'
records.
a. Building Sizes:
i. Two of the recorded sheds were under 200 sq.ft.
ii. Thirteen of the recorded structures ranged in size from 260—
576 sq.ft.
iii. Two of the recorded detached structures appear to be
habitable units
b. It is known that there are at least 2 additional smaller sheds on
properties which were not noted in the records and which are not
included in the 15.
b) Attached Garages / Carports: 6 of the 31 properties reviewed had"Attached
Garages and/or Carports:
a. 2 carports were recorded
b. 4 attached garages were recorded; one of which appears to be a
habitable unit.
c) Adjacent Property Uses:
Middle Ave. has a diverse mix of uses within it's neighborhood:
a. North side of Middle Ave. across from project site includes 2 two-
family residences.
b. South side of Middle Ave., same side of street as project site,includes
1 two-family residence and parking for a commercial / mixed use
property.
c. Lake Ave. along the South side of the project site includes:
i. 2 two-family residences
ii. 1 four-unit apartment building (neighbor directly to the South
of the project site).
iii. 1 business / mixed use property
iv. 1 commercial property
2) Conditioning Equipment:
The ZBA requested information about the heating and cooling equipment
proposed for this structure. Currently the owners are proposing equipment that
will be housed with the structure. There are no stand-alone outdoor condensers
proposed for this project.
EACo.would respectfully submit to the ZBA that the proposed conditioned accessory
structure may be compared with other allowable accessory structures such as:
1) A greenhouse requires heating/ conditioning,lighting and water. However, the
proposed structure only has 2 windows which face the North of the property
and do not face any adjacent neighbors.
2) A pool house requires conditioning,lighting and water. A pool house often has a
bar and a 1/2 bath. This proposed structure will not have a bath of any type.
3) Conditioned 2' floor areas of a garage for office,workshop,gym, etc. have been
approved by the ZBA in the past so that owners may make use of useable space
over a garage. The ZBA conditions the approvals with no cooking or bathing
facilities. This proposed project is very similar in that there is no cooking and
not even a 1/2 bath proposed.
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4) Uniqueness &Future Use: Comments were made during the ZBA meeting that
once this was finished,it would be difficult to use for a garage and that someone
may finish it as a tiny house or habitable room in the future. Please note that
since there is no bathroom proposed for this project, future modifications for
even a 1/2 bath would be difficult and require excavation. It will be easier to
convert this proposed aquarium space back to a garage or storage (simply
removing shelves) than projects which include full finished second floors and 1/2
baths.
We thank you for your time and consideration of this unique project.
Please contact my office with any questions or if additional information is required.
Thank you for your time and cooperation.
Tonya Yasenchak,PE
Enc.
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