HomeMy WebLinkAbout20251005 832 N Broadway Demolition and Construction Public Comment (3)To: DRB, Zoning Board of Saratoga Springs
From: Dr. Christine Rowe-Button, 768 N. Broadway, Saratoga Springs, N.Y.
Re: 832 N. Broadway, project 20251005
April 17,2026
To whom it may concern:
In opposition to the proposal creating additional paved area access for 832 N. Broadway, I
respectfully submit my objection for the following reasons.
Fourth Street is actually a lane; a quiet, tree-lined street within a bucolic setting. It is used more
by pedestrians than cars. With Bryan Street technically a dead end, and Fourth street allowing
only one car to pass in either direction, traffic is minimal.
When Bryan Street was a horse and buggy lane, Fourth Street was the residential boundary
lane for seasonal travelers who visited the northern edge of the village, serving as the official
limit for the prestigious North Broadway residential area. It was the peaceful northern edge of
the village. It served as a place where people would drive to admire the incredible architecture
and enjoy the quiet, park like setting away from downtown noise.
A large circular driveway with two curb cuts onto Fourth Street, with its resultant increase in
traffic and the ability to park a large number of cars adjacent to Fourth Street, would destroy
this bucolic and historic setting. The proposed driveway is out of context with the history of
Fourth Street. Allowing the creation of additional paved areas on Fourth Street is against
precedent set by the DRB; the precedent that keeping the original, continuous street scape is
more important than adding new vehicle paths.
It is also the requirement of all land use boards to ensure safe, efficient pedestrian and
vehicular circulation. Two curb cuts onto a one lane street, a street primarily used by
pedestrians, creates unsafe conflict points, with turning cars crossing paths with one way
traffic and pedestrians.
Fourth Street is within a highly protected residential zone. A circular driveway on Fourth Street
with two curb cuts is against the rules of the DRB and the UDO.
There is currently no property hardship for 832 N. Broadway. There is adequate street access
currently available to the owners.