HomeMy WebLinkAbout20251056 10 Elizabeth Ln. Area Variance NODPage 1 of 2
CITY OF SARATOGA
SPRINGS
ZONING BOARD OF APPEALS
CITY HALL - 474 BROADWAY
SARATOGA SPRINGS, NEW YORK 12866
518-587-3550
WWW.SARATOGA-SPRINGS.ORG
Gage Simpson, Chair
Brendan Dailey, Vice Chair
Amanda Demma
Jonah Cohen
Otis Maxwell
Chris LaPointe
Steve Harrigan
Chris Maslak (Alternate)
#20251056
IN THE MATTER OF THE APPEAL OF
Tyler and Teresa Mason
10 Elizabeth Lane
Saratoga Springs, NY 12866
from the determination of the Building Inspector involving the premises at 10 Elizabeth Lane in the City of Saratoga Springs,
New York being tax parcel number 166.10-2-15, in the Urban Residential 1 (UR-1) District on the Assessment Map of said
City.
This being an application for an area variance under the UDO of said City to permit an addition to an existing single-family
residence, and public notice having been duly given of a hearing on said application held from January 12, 2026 to March
9, 2026.
In consideration of the balance between benefit to the applicants with detriment to the health, safety, and welfare of the
community, I move that the following area variances for the following amounts of relief:
TYPE OF REQUIREMENT DISTRICT DIMENSIONAL
REQUIREMENT
PROPOSED RELIEF REQUESTED
FRONT YARD SETBACK 20’ 18.5’ 1.5’ OR 7.5% RELIEF
TOTAL SIDE YARD SETBACK 30’ 28.6’ 1.4’ OR 4.7% RELIEF
As per the submitted plans or lesser dimensions, be approved for the following reasons:
1. Achievability by Other Means: The applicants have demonstrated this benefit cannot be achieved by other
means feasible to the applicant. The applicants would like to construct additions to their existing residence,
including a vertical addition, a new front porch, and a rear patio roof. The applicants considered other design
options, including constructing a much smaller front porch and eliminating the proposed patio and roof, but
those options were deemed insufficient to meet the needs of the applicants. No adjacent land is available for
purchase.
2. Undesirable Change: The applicants have demonstrated that granting these variances will not create an
undesirable change in neighborhood character or detriment to nearby properties. Relative to the existing
structure, the applicants’ proposed additions would encroach only about 6 feet farther into the front yard
setback — constituting only a small increase in the footprint of the residence — and would not encroach any
farther into the side yard setbacks than the existing structure does. The applicant provided numerous
examples of nearby properties that match or exceed the requested setback variances, none of which pose a
detriment to other nearby properties. The Board also notes that the applicants reduced the size of the
proposed front porch relative to their original design in order to reduce the requested front yard setback
variance.
3. Substantiality: The requested variances are not considered substantial.
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4. Adverse Effects: This variance will not have a significant adverse physical or environmental effect on the
neighborhood or district. Permeability will meet the district requirement.
5. Self-Created Difficulty: The alleged difficulty is self-created insofar as it is motivated by the applicants’ desire
to construct additions to their existing residence, but this is not necessarily fatal to the application.
Dated: March 9, 2026
Passes by the following vote:
AYES: 7 (G. Simpson, B. Dailey, J. Cohen, O. Maxwell, A. Demma, C. LaPointe, S. Harrigan)
NAYS: 0
This variance shall expire 18 months following the filing date of such decision unless the necessary building permit
has been issued and actual construction begun as per the Unified Development Ordinance.
I hereby certify the above to be a full, true and correct copy of a resolution duly adopted by the Zoning Board of
Appeals of the City of Saratoga Springs on the date above mentioned, seven members of the Board being present.
SIGNATURE:
CHAIR