HomeMy WebLinkAbout20240987 131 Middle Ave Single Family Construction Letter to Board 10162025
PO Box 657 info@KodiakofSaratoga.com
Saratoga Springs, NY 12866 (518) 587-4847
City of Saratoga Springs
Zoning Board of Appeals
474 Broadway
Saratoga Springs, NY 12866
October 15, 2025
Re: 131 Middle Avenue (Single-family residence)
Supporting Information
Area Variance Request: To construct a residence that is both more affordable and setup for a family preparing for
reduced mobility as they age-in-place, the proposed design requires the following area variance permissions:
1) Total Side Setback of 10.8’ (exclude egress) [12’ is required by UDO, 9.2’ was previously approved]
2) Rear Setback of 20.8’ [30’ is required by UDO, 5.2’ was previously approved]
3) Total Building Coverage of 49.0% or 2,581sf [40% is required by UDO, 40% was previously approved]
4) Driveway width of 37.5% or 18’ [25% is required by UDO, 25% was previously approved]
Note: the Lot is a non-conforming parcel with a width of 48’ and an area of 5,279sf.
During the Zoning Board meeting on September 29, 2025, we were asked to provide the following supporting
information:
1) Can floor plan alterations be made to assist with the variance requests? Can the equipment be
relocated from the west side of the property?
2) Provide the approval letter from the Planning Board from July 2025
3) Locate neighboring properties that are similar in size / lot coverage to the proposed project
4) Locate neighboring properties that have similar driveway width to the proposed project
Responses:
1) During the Planning Board review process, alterations were made to the originally submitted floor plan,
adding 71sf to the footprint to meet the Planning Board’s modification requests. The 71sf was added to
make the front elevation of the house more pronounced, the garage less pronounced, and to increase the
size of the front porch as part of the outdoor living in an urban environment. These modifications met the
needs of the Planning Board as part of the site plan review process , receiving approval in July 2025. For
the homeowners, the ability to move around their first floor plan with a walker or wheel chair remains
critical due to the MS diagnosis and the desire to age -in-place. We have worked diligently to minimize the
possibility of waste within the floor plan throughout the design process, knowing that efficiency is
important in a downtown setting. Shrinking the living space on the first floor plan would negatively impact
the ability to move throughout the first floor, having set dimensions that allow for proper furniture
placement and movement, but not significantly extra or wasteful space.
One alteration considered to reduce the footprint is the removal of the rear covered porch. Removal of the
rear covered porch would result in a savings to the footprint of 193sf. We are asking for the opportunity to
keep the rear covered porch since the benefit to the homeowners exceeds detriment to the neighborhood.
The benefit of a rear covered porch includes lowering the maintenance of the outdoor living space,
keeping rain and snow off the outdoor space and away from the rear door of the house. As the
homeowners age-in-place, the covered outdoor space reduces the need to relocate outdoor furnishings at
the end of the season too. The roof also allows the owners to enjoy the outdoors during both inclement
weather, during rain storms, and during the hottest days, under the shade of the roof. Since outdoor living
as an uncovered patio would be permitted, the use affecting the neighborhood does not change. The
change affecting the neighborhood is the roof itself. With its low-impact hip-roof profile and one-story
height against a two-story house, we believe the visual impact of the roof to be minor for the community.
We have modified the house plan to relocate the AC condenser unit and the back -up generator to the
east elevation of the house, in the area of the neighboring garage, to cause minimal impact to neighbors.
The homeowners will also install a vinyl privacy fence along the property line to eliminate the visual
impact of the units on the side.
2) Mark Graham at the City of Saratoga Springs noted during an office visit on October 7 th, that the Planner
will provide the approval letter from the Planning Board directly to the Zoning Board. Kodiak has not
received the Planning approval letter as of October 15, 2025.
3) The enclosed map provides three examples of houses that are comparable in their structural lot coverage
within the same block, as determined by the Saratoga County Parcel Viewer public information. (Note that
these calculations exclude roof overhang, steps, window wells since the County’s website does not
include this information.)
10 Warren Street 12 Warren Street 114 Middle Avenue 131 Middle Avenue (subject)
2,311sf 1st floor 1,207sf 1st floor 2,004sf 1st floor 1,547sf first floor
40sf porch 184sf porch 0sf porch 331sf porch
525sf garage 672sf garage 560sf garage 506sf garage
82.5% lot coverage 47.4% lot coverage 65.4% lot coverage 45.6% lot coverage
4) The enclosed map provides thirteen examples of driveways that are comparable in width to the 18’ width
requested at 131 Middle Avenue. These dimensions were field -measured by Jesse Boucher in
preparation for the Planning Board meetings in summer 2025.
148 Middle Avenue 20.3’ 12 Warren Street 18.5’
146 Middle Avenue 21.0’ 94 York Avenue 25.0’
144 Middle Avenue 21.0’ 119 Middle Avenue 21.3’
191 Lake Avenue 26.0’ 121 Middle Avenue 23.0’
118 Middle Avenue 28.0’ 123 Middle Avenue 20.7’
114 Middle Avenue 20.0’ 131 Middle Avenue 18.0’ (subject)
177 Lake Avenue 19.7’ 157 East Avenue 20.5’
We look forward to the opportunity to continue the discussion regarding the construction of the Southern
residence and answer questions the Board may have. Immediate questions or requests for information can be
emailed to Jesse@KodiakofSaratoga.com.
Thank you,
Jesse Boucher
Kodiak Construction, Inc
Agent for Applicants