HomeMy WebLinkAbout20250202 Park Place & Cottage St Final Subdivision Public Comment (17)RE: Cottage Street and Park Place Condominium Application
January 20, 2026
Dear Chairman Pingel and Members of the Saratoga Springs Planning Board;
Thank you again for keeping this public hearing open and listening to those most impacted by
your decision. We really do appreciate the work you are doing on behalf of our wonderful
small City and our own quiet neighborhood. The work you do representing the citizens and the
City of Saratoga Springs is most appreciated, thank you. We know the developers have their
own agendas and representation, but as fellow citizens, you are ours.
You have heard the argument that just because something can be built, doesn’t mean that it
should be. This is one of those instances where the zoning doesn’t match the neighborhood’s
scale or ambiance and it allows for far too much leeway on projects like this. We ask you to
please consider what the best infill should look like in this neighborhood of single family and
average sized multi-unit buildings. This huge building would substantially dwarf all of the
neighboring homes and make the area feel much less welcoming and much less like a
comfortable residential neighborhood. Please find something below to sink your teeth into to
limit this development.
Excessive Density Precedent
We went through a similar situation when applying to develop a condo project two lots over
about 10 years ago. We were exposed to over 2 years of revisions and comments on that
project which would have had significantly less impact on the neighborhood in all respects; we
requested no zoning variances, and had unanimous DRC support, and yet it was still rejected
by the Planning Board. This project should have the same vetting and standards applied since
it is in the same neighborhood and on the same street, just one lot away.
I’ll outline that project for comparison so you can see how the Planning Board finally ruled,
what impact the neighbors made, and what the City has finally ended up with almost 10 years
later. And mostly we are asking you to fully consider what the best and most desirable use is
for this final infill lot on Park Place and Cottage Street.
We had purchased the property at 21 Park Place nearly 20 years earlier with the intent of
eventually building a desirable retirement complex on the remaining vacant land for ourselves
and our parents to enjoy. The proposal was to build two new 2-family homes of 2 stories each
with approximately 2300 sqft footprints. The lot area in total was over 33,000 sqft with more
than 25,000 sqft of available greenspace along with an existing 3-unit building. There were no
variances needed, and we were only planning to cut down one dying oak tree. We were only
asking to build 4 of the possible 7 units allowed by the UR4 zoning code, which remains
unchanged at 3000 sqft per dwelling unit. We even had unanimous support from the DRB with
their advisory opinion on our building designs and scale, (better than this project has
managed.) In short, there were no legal restrictions with what we proposed, and since we
intended to live here, it was designed to maximize the livability and greenspace rather than the
dollars in our bank account. It would have been an excellent addition to the neighborhood and
to Saratoga Springs as well.
The final design along with the many requested modifications from this board, took over 2
years of our effort and well over $50,000 of our resources. It was rejected in the end because
the Board said that it would have been too much density for the lot, even though the code
clearly allowed 7 more units. If nothing else, this Planning Board should apply the same
principle here to adjust the scale of this project to fit in properly with the neighborhood.
Now nearly 10 years later we can see the results. There are currently 2 single family homes
being constructed on the site. Most of the greenspace and all of the trees are gone, and there
is no shared community space. This is a permanent part of the City for at least the next 100+
years. But at least these homes are being built with thoughtful design and to the neighbors’
satisfaction. It wasn’t a ‘win’ for us, and maybe not even for the City, but certainly the
neighbors were heard, and the results fit in with the existing streetscape.
I refer to this decision to show you that this board’s reviews and opinions mean so much more
than what transpires in this room, and the impacts will be felt for generations. What you hear
from those who own homes in the immediate vicinity is very important because they know what
it is to live in their own neighborhood, which others can never really fully appreciate. You may
not get it right all the time, but at least the neighbors had their say and are happy with the
results. These two new homes definitely fit in with the neighborhood. I think we can all agree
that compromise should always prevail. Isn’t that what this process is really all about? But
there has been very little of that asked of the developers here.
There are many parallels with the current application, yet it appears you are nearly ready to
greenlight a project that is just as uniformly objected to by the neighbors, with very little
adjustment asked or made of the developers. Downsizing the building by a few feet changes
very little. This enormous building is still 110’ long on Park Place and 3 1/2 stories high,
dwarfing everything else in this residential neighborhood. Its scale is still very massive and
overwhelming.
Non-Conforming and Excessive Scale
Some of the comments made by the board at the previous meeting were constructive, and one
in particular did hit the mark; eliminating the top story to reduce the scale would help this
building conform to the existing streetscape. Having a building of 2 ½ floors is very different
than one of 3 ½ floors, (actually 40% different), and would make a substantial impact to its
presence on this neighborhood. This would likely eliminate 2 units and make this project more
palatable on many fronts including; less on-street parking, less traffic, less garbage, and less
demand on City resources, all while fitting in better with the existing streetscape. There would
also be smaller shadows cast on the neighbor’s properties and walkways at this reduced
height. This project would look much less massive if the height was reduced. Replacing the
3rd floor mansard with a traditional gable roof would have a major impact to the presence of
this building on the street. There are no other 3 story buildings on Park Place until Circular
Street, which stands as its own separate area associated with Congress Park.
We are not against any development, we just want it in keeping with the area and not creating
a feeling like being downtown. This has always been a typical small-scale residential Saratoga
neighborhood and it should remain that way. The lot next door is currently being developed in
cohesion with the neighborhood, those homes will look like they have been here alongside the
others from the beginning. This proposed building however would dominate the views, provide
very little useful greenspace for the residents or the neighbors, and would not integrate with
the neighborhood at all. It would be the overwhelming and dominant feature on the block,
setting a whole different tone for the neighborhood.
As the final infill lot on Park Place, you should give full consideration to how this impacts the
neighborhood visually. The architect’s pictures clearly show that it will totally dominate the
block and provide nothing in return to benefit the neighborhood. The suggestion to reduce the
width of the driveway and add some blocking greenery does not solve anything. This still
appears to be a 4-story structure from Cottage Street and is 3 ½ stories tall on Park Place,
unlike any other building on the street. The Victorian often mentioned on the corner of Cottage
and White Streets is an anomaly and also doesn’t fit in with the scale of this neighborhood.
That building has been here for over 100 years, long before any zoning ordinances. Two
wrongs doesn’t make this right. The zoning code isn’t always the best use for a site, and it
often requires some adjustments and compromise.
We ask that you require the developer to make a substantive adjustment to this plan and scale
it to fit in better with the existing neighborhood as either a 4-unit condominium on 2 floors, or
even split it into 2 separate smaller buildings. Now that they have created a little space for the
closest neighbor, this would make it more palatable for the rest of the neighbors who will have
to live here with it every day. There has been very little pushback from this board so far, and it
is time to ask for a serious concession and a substantial modification. There has been much
asked of this City by many developers and not enough asked for in return. The proper
development of these final infill sites is critical to maintaining the desirable small town
character of Saratoga Springs that we all cherish.
Thank you very much for your consideration and your service, it is fully appreciated by all of us
who you represent.
David Guarino & Linda Haner
21 Park Place, Saratoga Springs Residents