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HomeMy WebLinkAbout20190604 Cluett House Bed and Breakfast Correspondance (15) 10/18/2019 Zimbra Zimbra Jennifer.merriman@saratoga-springs.org Online Form Submittal: Land Use Board Agenda Public Comment From : noreply@civicplus.com Thu, Oct 17, 2019 04:10 PM Subject : Online Form Submittal: Land Use Board Agenda Public Q Comment To : bbirge@saratoga-springs.org, jennifer merriman GC T 18 2019 <jennifer.merriman@saratoga-springs.org>, susan barden <susan.barden©saratoga-springs.org>, amanda By tucker <amanda.tucker@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 Planning Board Name Elizabeth Harker Email Address beth.harker©3hcs.com Business Name Field not completed. Address 6 Clement Avenue City Saratoga Springs State NY Zip Code 12866 Phone Number 646-209-4260 Project Name 2 Clement Permanent Special Use Permit Application Project Number Field not completed. Project Address 2 Clement Avenue, Saratoga Springs, NY 12866 Comments Letter attached as a photo/pd. Thank you. Attach Photo (optional) 2clementBBobjection2.pdf https.//m.saratoga-springs.org/h/printmessage?id=93850&tz=America/New_York 1/2 10/18/2019 Zimbra Email not displaying correctly? View it in your browser, httpsa/m.saratoga-springs.org/hlprintmessage?id=93850&tz=America/New_York 2/2 October 15,2019 BY EMAIL:jennifer.merriman@sarato a -s rin City of Saratoga Springs Planning Board City Hall—474 Broadway OCT 1 c 019 Saratoga Springs,NY 12866 Attn: Mark Torpey By Re: Objection to Robin Lauder,LLC Permanent Special Use Permit-2 Clement Avenue In further response to the Robin Lauder,LLC Permanent Special Use Permit we continue to object to the grant of the variance. We, and our neighbors, believe that the only acceptable decision is 'No' to the B&B. Yes, or Yes with limitations, forces us to accept something that we don't want for all the reasons stated in our first letter and all of the additional reasons our neighbors presented at the previous Planning Board meetings, orally and in writing, at which the variance was discussed. Additionally, while limitations are nice in theory it does not address that the business will still be transient in nature,will bring 4x the amount of traffic(people and supplies...like linens and food, etc.) and spoil our quiet enjoyment of our properties. For instance, during the summer and during daylight hours,5 seemingly intoxicated guests were sitting on the rear patio using profanity loud enough to hear clearly in our backyard causing our dog to bark.This is by no means an isolated incident and has been an ongoing issue since Robin Lauder, LLC ("LLC") purchased the property. Further, the Special Permit is special in nature, meaning an exception. One that has never been granted to a UR-1 zoned home in Saratoga Springs as noted by the Board at the last Planning Board meeting. On this note, the LLC could have made its offer contingent on Planning Board approval. It did not, and it is not our responsibility to feel that we need to make the LLC's business plan `work' by accepting a B&B into our neighborhood. The LLC `assumed' approval would be granted for a Special Permit without consulting any neighbors. In addition, the LLC's owners disclosed to us that it did in fact have a contingency in the purchase contract, however, during the negotiation process agreed to remove it. Thereby letting us all know that the LLC was very aware of the hurdle facing its business plan's objective of creating a B&B in our neighborhood. Despite the foregoing, we believe our neighborhood in good faith has offered up the following other options, which have always existed, to show we (the neighborhood) are trying to think of ways to move forward: 1. The LLC's owners and their children move into the home,enjoy our neighborhood and we would welcome them all with open arms; or 2. The LLC could sell the property (a private offer to buy the property has already been extended), since its desired use is objectionable to the neighborhood. Both of these options were presented at the neighborhood discussion held at the property of the LLC on September 29th, and rejected instantaneously. The first option was rejected because Mr.Strazik believes that the neighborhood is too busy and dangerous for his children (in spite of the LLC presenting a plan that will make the neighborhood even more busy and dangerous to the children who already live here by bringing more traffic to the area);and Mr Strazik and his wife rejected the second option because they are 'very MOTIVATED to make the house a B&B and the offer to sell (at the price the LLC paid) is not interesting' because Mr. Strazik articulated that he wants to make the property part of his income generating portfolio which he's putting in place to allow him the financial independence to leave GE. Lastly, I would like to respectful remind the LLC and Planning Board that the options above continue to exist and the "Yes with limitations" is not the only solution. We also want to reiterate that our opinions are not personal — the decision is about the property in perpetuity (not the person) and that granting a special use permit will negatively impact the neighborhood we live in. Thank you for your time and onsideration, ` / f`Gary and Beth Harker 6 Clement Avenue Beth's Cell: 646-209-4260