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Home My WebLink About2026 - 01 UDO Amendments 2026 OFFICERS Patrick W. Ciccone – Chair Angel Ayón, AIA – Vice Chair Bret Garwood – Vice Chair Anne Holford-Smith – Vice Chair Liz McEnaney – Vice Chair Caroline C. Pasion – Vice Chair Ruth Pierpont – Secretary David Stutzman – Treasurer BOARD OF TRUSTEES E. Frits Abell Phillip G. Borrelli Andrew Capitman Benjamin Q. Davidson William A. Hurst Thomas Jayne Esperanza Leon Melissa McCormack Stephen Wilder Kate Wood Shelley Worrell Jay DiLorenzo President TRUSTEES COUNCIL Jan C. K. Anderson Karen Arrison Duncan Barrett Kent Barwick William L. Bernhard Ildiko Butler Constance L. Clapp Suzanne Clary Randall T. Crawford Margaret Doyle Steven C. Engelhart Stephen A. Facey R. Brandon Fradd Lionel Goldfrank III Roberta Brandes Gratz Dr. Georgette Grier-Key Christopher Holbrook Robert J. Kafin Marilynn G. Karp Alexia Lalli Gregory R. Long Robert B. MacKay Richard A. Maitino Henry A. McCartney Lee Miller Norman M. Mintz Anne G. Older Rev. Dr. Thomas F. Pike Paul R. Provost Daniel G. Romualdez Janet C. Ross Frank Emile Sanchis III John Sare Robert D. Snedeker Miriam Trementozzi Anne H. Van Ingen Cynthia C. Wainwright Diana S. Waite Arete Swartz Warren Mark Warren Charlotte Worthy Caroline Rob Zaleski 44 Central Avenue Albany, New York 12206 518.462.5658 518.462.5684 Fax www.preservenys.org June 2, 2026 John F. Safford, Mayor City of Saratoga Springs 474 Broadway Saratoga Springs, NY 12866 RE: Proposed Changes/Updates to the Unified Development Ordinance (UDO) Dear Mayor Safford: Thank you for requesting comments from the Preservation League of New York State regarding the proposed changes to the Saratoga Springs Unified Development Ordinance (UDO). The Preservation League is a nonprofit historic preservation organization serving all of New York state. Our mission is to empower all New Yorkers to use historic preservation to enrich their communities, protect their heritage, and build a sustainable future. This letter is in response to a May 22, 2026 e-mail request to our office from Julia Destino, Senior Planner with the City of Saratoga Springs. We offer the following comments in a spirit of collaboration, with the goal of encouraging best professional preservation practices and ensuring that preservation can continue to foster economic development and a high quality of life in Saratoga Springs. The League has long recognized the City of Saratoga Springs as an exemplary leader in preservation in NYS. Indeed, the city is such a vibrant and attractive community today due, in large part, to historic preservation, the commitment of City officials, and the advocacy of Saratoga Springs Preservation Foundation. In part because Saratoga Springs has been such a model for municipal preservation practice, the League has significant concerns about the proposed changes to the UDO. We respectfully offer the following comments: Certified Local Government status: We are concerned that many of the proposed changes – particularly to Articles 4 and 13—may jeopardize the City’s status with the New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation (OPRHP) as a Certified Local Government (CLG). As you know, CLG communities have special access to tools and resources through OPRHP, including support from highly experienced professional preservation staff and funding for training and planning through the CLG grant program. We understand that the City has requested feedback from OPRHP; we commend you for doing so and encourage you to work closely with their staff. Design Review Board role: Many of the proposed changes (including proposed changes to Article 4.4 and proposed changes throughout Article 13) render the Design Review Board (DRB) to an advisory role, placing decision-making power regarding the demolition, designation, and/or treatment of historic properties with the Planning Board or the Zoning Board of Appeals. The Preservation League does not support these changes nor is it best professional preservation practice. For decades, case law has codified the protection of historic resources as being in the best interest of the general public. Decisions regarding historic resources should therefore be in the hands of expert decision makers. The DRB exists for the purpose of evaluating the significance of historic resources and evaluating proposed changes to those resources (as well as evaluating new construction). Its members are charged with conducting professional analyses according to the UDO and nationally accepted professional preservation standards. Planning Boards, ZBAs, and other municipal boards do not possess the professional expertise and training to conduct such analyses nor is it reasonable to expect them to do so. Lack of clarity: While we understand there may be a need to clarify processes, roles, and definitions and to generally streamline review processes, many of the proposed changes appear to have the opposite effect. As professionals in the field, our staff found it challenging to understand many of the processes as well as the classifications in Article 21. Knowing that the general public in any community often finds municipal processes to be confusing, we are concerned that property owners and developers will find it even more challenging to understand and navigate land use boards and procedures. Given the above broad concerns with the proposed changes to the UDO, the Preservation League provides the following recommendations: • Pause the amendment process to provide sufficient time to seek professional feedback and engage the public and key stakeholders. Given the short turnaround for providing this letter, our staff did not have sufficient time to conduct an exhaustive review. We have specific concerns with many of the proposed amendments to Article 13. With additional time, we would be happy to provide detailed feedback on individual amendments. • Consult with preservation professionals (including OPRHP, the League, and Saratoga Springs Preservation Foundation) to determine how the City can best accomplish its goals of improving consistency, clarity, and administration of land use procedures while also retaining its CLG status and its reputation as a statewide leader in historic preservation. The League is also happy to direct the City to additional resources such as the National Alliance of Preservation Commissions and consultants who specialize in drafting zoning and preservation ordinances. • Longer term, we encourage the City to consider conducting a citywide historic resources survey, completed by a qualified preservation consultant. Surveys provide a comprehensive inventory of a community’s built environment and inform land use planning. They can also be useful in increasing public awareness of and engagement with a community’s historic resources and preservation processes. The League offers grants to support such studies through our Preserve NY Arts + Culture: Support for Arts-Based Community Preservation Projects program (pre-applications for 2026 funding are due August 28). OPRHP also funds surveys through their CLG grant program. • We strongly encourage the City to require that all members of the DRB receive regular historic preservation training. That training should be provided by OPRHP or other sources approved by OPRHP. The League is happy to work with the City to facilitate such training opportunities. We appreciate the opportunity to provide feedback and commend the City for carefully considering the impact of the current proposed changes to the UDO. Please do not hesitate to contact myself or our Director of Preservation, Caitlin Meives (cmeives@preservenys.org), if we can be of assistance. Sincerely, Jay DiLorenzo President