HomeMy WebLinkAbout20190604 Cluett House Bed and Breakfast Correspondance (12) September 30, 2019
Mark Torpey
Chair, Saratoga Springs Planning Board
City Hall
473 Broadway
Saratoga Springs, NY 12866
Re: 20190604 Cluett House Bed and Breakfast
Dear Planning Board Members:
This is a second follow-up letter to the family letter presented prior to the September 19 and July
25, 2019 meetings.
First, whatever your decision is regarding The Cluett House Bed and Breakfast, thank you all for
your service. The 9/19 meeting was my first time attending a planning board meeting in-person,
and was for me an educational view of the range of projects and issues you all have to consider
and decide. I appreciate the difficult job you have in balancing multiple legitimate competing
interests.
Our main concern continues to be that if Cluett is approved more special use applications will
follow in this particular UR-1 neighborhood. As I stated during the public comment period 2
Clement is across State Street from us, 116 State (owned by Chicago hedge funders and, like 2
Clement, for sale for more than 2 years) is directly behind us, and the Masonic Temple at 687
North Broadway is about 1.5 blocks away.. Sothebys is handling the marketing of all three
properties. The Masonic Temple has had a SOLD sign outside of it for several weeks, but public
records indicated that as of 9/30/2019 the owner of record continues to be the Masonic Hall
Association. So we think that two more special use applications are a possibility, and certainly
the possibility of approval makes the properties more attractive for buyers who first and
foremost look at the properties as business opportunities.
I appreciated Mr. Toohey's arguments. I'm of the opinion that the parking lot on the State St.
side will not add significantly to the run-off problem. From my observations (I've been back in
this neighborhood since 2000 and our family home at 2 First has been continuously occupied
since 1974) the worsening of flooding along Clement (some of which continues down State)
coincides more or less with the construction of the Skidmore's elevated field (at the corner of
Clement and Clinton) and the increasingly substantial rain events we have experienced in the last
couple years due to climate change. Recently I noticed that vegetation has been planted along the
east side of the elevated field. I don't know if it's for boundary purposes, to reduce run-off,
maybe both, or some completely different reason. Also as others pointed out, dolomite bedrock
is close to the surface here (actually exposed at the top of North Broadway) and there is the large
array of campus parking lots and tennis courts to the north.
Sporting events and practices at the Skidmore field and the City playing fields at the North Side
do result in varying levels of traffic congestion, but as a couple commenters noted, it is not the
usual state. Usually that stretch of Clement is essentially open. There may be a car or two
parked at the City's fenced playground (there is a small gravel parking area) or farther west
along the north side of Clement by individuals using the City fields, but congested traffic and on-
street parking is not presently the norm.
The Board member's remark about regular truck deliveries to the house was a good one, and one
I don't think many of us had considered.
Our family thinks that the successful integration of The Cluett House Bed and Breakfast hinges
mostly on who they attract as clients and how well the house manager manages those clients—
both unknown, but we note that the proximity to Skidmore and its many sports, cultural, and
social/alumni events will make Cluett House a prime destination for the families and friends of
students.
With respect to antagonism to Ms. Schannault and Mr. Strazik, we have no personal animus. We
do have animus to an application for what appears to be solely a business project and the
precedent it sets. We fear that there will be a domino effect as Mr. Torpey aptly put it. Our own
feeling (and I think other neighbors feel the same way) is that if the actual persons owning the
property moved into the home themselves our response might well be different Years ago, the
Hennessey's operated a quiet antiquarian bookstore out of their home at the north end of
Woodlawn. Here the appearance is that the Ms. Schannault and Mr. Strazik don't want to be part
of the neighborhood, they want to run a business.
Thank you for your time and attention.
Sincerely,
Jill P. McMahon
2 First St.
Saratoga Springs, NY 12866
e-mail: jillpmcmahon@gmail.com