Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAbout20250566 33-35 Caroline St Site Plan Response to Comment Letter 09022025 One Commerce Plaza Charlie J. Gottlieb Albany, New York 12260 Partner 518.487.7600 phone 518.487.7612 phone 518.487.7777 fax cgottlieb@woh.com August 29, 2025 VIA EMAIL & HAND DELIVERY Chair Mark Pingel and Members of the Planning Board City of Saratoga Springs 474 Broadway Saratoga Springs, NY 12866 Re: 33-35 Caroline Street, Mixed Use Development – Site Plan Review Project Site: 33-35 Caroline Street (SBL 160-1-27/28/29) Dear Chair Mark Pingel and Members of the Planning Board: Our Firm represents Oldest Lighthouse, LLC (“Applicant”), the owner of property located at 33-35 Caroline Street in the City of Saratoga Springs, New York (SBL 160-1-27/28/29) (“Project Site”). The Applicant has proposed to construct a mixed-use building on the Project Site that will contain two retail uses on the ground floor (2,396 SF and 2,670 SF) with twenty-five (25) residential dwelling units on the top floors (the “Project”). We appeared before the Planning Board at its July 31, 2025 Planning Board meeting and submit this letter and related enclosures in response to Planning Board and City staff comments received. We respectfully request to be placed on the Planning Board September 4th Planning Board workshop meeting and September 11th regular meeting for continued review of the Project. The Applicant is looking to advance this Project as soon as possible so that it may seek a building permit and commence the below ground excavation and foundation work before the weather becomes prohibitive. Pleases see the below responses to each comment that has been received to date. Chair Mark Pingel and Members of the Planning Board August 29, 2025 Page 2 of 6 4910-4667-2720, v. 1 Planning Department Comments The Applicant received preliminary comments from the City’s Office of Planning & Economic Development Administrator on July 23, 2025. The below are in response to those comments: 1) The Applicant should provide complete site plan set with landscaping, lighting, cover sheet, and additional details. The Applicant has enclosed the following site plans for the Planning Board’s review, Site & Landscape Plan, Grading & Drainage Plan, Utility Plan, Soil Erosion and Sediment Control Plan, Construction Details, and Lighting Plan, all prepared by Bohler Engineering. See Enclosed. Related to landscaping, the Applicant has added a street tree on Pavilion Row. The ability to landscape the proposed sidewalks is limited given how narrow the existing sidewalks are and the Applicant is required to maintain ADA accessibility. As such, the Applicant has proposed a street tree with a grate base that is navigable for ADA access. In the future, to the extent that the City widens the sidewalk along Pavillion Row, the Applicant would assist with the City’s effort to add landscaping on this streetscape. In addition, the Applicant has provided a lighting plan, which includes the addition of a streetlight and also lights that are on the building. The Applicant had a meeting with the City Engineer Department and was provided certain details for street trees, lighting, and heated sidewalks, which have all been added to the site plans enclosed herein. 2) The Applicant shall address the recreational and civic space requirements. Given the limited area of the Project Site, the Applicant will provide a payment in lieu of the required recreational space and civic space, which payment would be a condition of any Planning Board approval. 3) Identify a floor plan the location of the proposed affordable residential unit and include in a narrative a plan for how the unit will be managed to ensure affordability. The affordable unit is identified on the enclosed plans (unit 202) and represents 20% of the Project’s floor area (calculated to number of units). The proposed affordable until is a one- bedroom unit, which addresses market demands for the current affordable housing needs within the community. The City’s Unified Development Ordinance (“UDO”) requires that the unit be available for occupancy to households whose income does not exceed 60% of area median income (AMI) for a period of 30 years. Chair Mark Pingel and Members of the Planning Board August 29, 2025 Page 3 of 6 4910-4667-2720, v. 1 The Applicant will ensure that the affordable unit will remain affordable for a period of 30-years by placing a deed restriction on the affordable unit, which limits occupancy of the unit to households whose income does not exceed 60% of AMI for the 30-year period. It is intended that the dwellings within the building will be sold individually, and a condominium association will be created. The affordable until will continue to be owned by the condominium sponsor or an affiliate of the sponsor, and the deed restriction will remain in place for 30 years. The sponsor or its affiliate will rent the unit to qualifying households during the 30-year term, in accordance with the deed restriction. The City’s review of such deed restriction can be a condition of approval. 4) The City will require a lot line adjustment for the consolidation of the three (3) lots on the Project Sie. The parcel includes three (3) tax parcels, which are proposed to be consolidated. The Applicant’s surveyor is working to prepare the lot consolidation plat for administrative approval by the City. The lot consolidation plat would be filed with the Saratoga County Clerk’s Office with a consolidation deed. We submit that the lot consolidation can be a condition of the Planning Board approval. 5) City’s Third Party Engineer Review We understand that the City has referred the submitted Geotechnical Report to AZAR Engineering for third-party review. To the extent that comments are obtained from AZAR Engineering, the Applicant will respond to any comments. Planning Board Comments The Planning Board had the following comments during its July 31, 2025 Planning Board meeting. 1) Please provide details of proposed construction staging. The Applicant is preparing a construction staging plan for the Planning Board’s review. Minimal off-site staging will be required during construction of the below grade improvements. The Applicant is speaking with neighboring property owners for renting space for construction staging. Once the first-floor slab is complete, construction staging is expected to be within the Project Site. Of course, this construction staging plan is likely to be revised after pre-construction meetings are held with the City’s Building Department and to coordinate with other construction projects in the area. 2) Update Related to National Grid Permitting and Design The Applicant continues to coordinate with National Grid on the details for the proposed transformer vault within the sidewalk along Pavillion Row. The Applicant has the location of the proposed transfer vault within the City’s sidewalk on the enclosed plan set. The Chair Mark Pingel and Members of the Planning Board August 29, 2025 Page 4 of 6 4910-4667-2720, v. 1 Applicant has also discussed this placement with the City’s Engineering Department, who noted that such installation will require a permit from the City’s Department of Public Works, which would be a condition of any approval. Once vault specifications are received from National Grid, it will be forwarded to the City. To the extent that the transformer does not receive approval from National Grid, it will be located elsewhere within the Project Site. We submit that satisfaction of the vault details by the City’s Engineering Department and Department of Public Works can be a condition of any Planning Board approval. 3) Is the generator required for the elevators? Per New York State Building and Fire Code, the generator is not required for the elevator given the height of the building. We have not received any comments related to a potential generator from the City’s Fire Department. To the extent that a generator is required, it will be located within the Project’s mechanical room. 4) Please provide landscaping plan related to the streetscape on the surrounding sidewalks. Per the enclosed landscaping plan, the Applicant has added a street tree on Pavilion Row. The ability to landscape the proposed sidewalks is limited given how narrow the existing sidewalks are and the Applicant is required to maintain ADA accessibility. As such, the Applicant has proposed a street tree with a grate base that is navigable for ADA access. In the future, to the extent that the City widens the sidewalk along Pavillion Row, the Applicant would assist with the City’s effort to add landscaping on this streetscape. 5) Please provide a lighting plan. The Applicant has provided a lighting plan, see enclosed Lighting Plan L-201, last revised August 26, 2025, which includes existing streetlights and the addition of a streetlight. This also shows the City’s specifications. 6) Provide additional detail on bike parking. A bike room has been identified on the Project’s architectural plans, in addition to the various bike racks. The increased bike parking is designed to allow retail customers and residents to easily access and utilize bicycles to decrease the dependency on vehicles. While there are 36 parking spaces provided on site, it is expected that residents and consumers will be traveling via walking/biking while they are utilizing the Project spaces. In addition, it is expected that many of the proposed condo units will be seasonal and therefore limit of the amount of year-round traffic. Chair Mark Pingel and Members of the Planning Board August 29, 2025 Page 5 of 6 4910-4667-2720, v. 1 7) Stormwater Pollution Prevention Plan We have confirmed with the City Engineering Department that the Project does not require a Stormwater Pollution Prevention Plan (“SWPPP”) given that the Project Site is under .25 of an acre. That said, the Project Site currently has no stormwater controls, and the Project will directly control and dispense of stormwater into the City’s stormwater infrastructure in compliance with all local and State regulations. City of Saratoga Engineering Department Comments The Applicant received comments from the City of Saratoga Engineering Department, dated August 19, 2025. Please see the below responses: 1) Include details about the proposed connection to the 8x10 box culvert for the storm water plan. Please see the enclosed Grading & Drainage Plan, prepared by Bohler and last revised August 26, 2025. 2) The utility plan, grading and lighting plan should be separated plan sheets. We would also like to see a construction phasing plan. Comment noted. Please see enclosed plan sheets. 3) Include ROW trees and street lights. Comment noted. Please see enclosed plan sheets. 4) Water and Sewer Repot Review – State the material and size of the service connections in the report and confirm they are called out in the plan set. Please see enclosed revised Water and Sewer Report, prepared by Bohler Engineering, last revised August 26, 2025. Conclusion The Project will revitalize vacant property in the City of Saratoga Springs with a vibrant new mixed-use development that will add needed housing to the City of Saratoga Springs, including one affordable unit. The Project will facilitate the existing walkable community in this downtown urban core area and enhance the street scape. In furtherance of the above, we have included five (5) sets of the following enclosures: 1) Revised Water and Sewer Engineering Report, prepared by Bohler Engineering, dated last revised August 26, 2025. Chair Mark Pingel and Members of the Planning Board August 29, 2025 Page 6 of 6 4910-4667-2720, v. 1 2) Full Size Project Site Development Plans and Architectural Plans. Please note that this plan set includes various pages demonstrating the engineering and architectural design of the Project. For ease of the Planning Board’s review, we have separately enclosed just the civil engineering site plan documents, prepared by Bohler Engineering. 3) For easy reference, we have enclosed 11”x17” sets of civil engineering site plan documents, prepared by Bohler Engineering and architectural floor plan sheets prepared by 686 Architects. Thank you for your attention to and consideration of this matter. We respectfully request to be placed on the Planning Board’s next available agenda. Please do not hesitate to contact our office with any questions. Very truly yours, /s/ Charles J. Gottlieb Charles J. Gottlieb Enclosures cc: James Christopher, 686 Architects (via email) William Christopher, 686 Architects (via email) Caryn Mlodzianowski, Bohler Engineering (via email) Cronan Dempsey, Oldest Lighthouse, LLC (via email) Eric Brodwin, Oldest Lighthouse, LLC (via email)