SARATOGA SPRINGS — Plans are underway to site a permanent 24/7 year-round shelter at the soon-to-be-vacated Senior Center on Williams Street. 

City Mayor Ron Kim originally announced the comprehensive initiative to address the city’s homelessness last October, and the City Council unanimously approved a resolution in favor of the project. 

The location is the longtime home of the Saratoga Senior Center, a structure developed by the city on city-owned property in the 1970s. The timeline of the shelter’s opening is tentatively slated for late spring, and is dependent on the components of the existing Senior Center relocating to a new venue at the Saratoga Springs YMCA property at 290 West Ave. 

The search for a permanent shelter site has been ongoing for nearly a decade. The Williams Street plan is something city officials and Saratoga County officials began discussing early in 2022. The current lease for the temporary Code Blue shelter on Adelphi Street runs through April 30 at a cost of $8,000 per month. 

The city resolution approved in October calls for the development of “a state-mandated Code Blue Shelter, a navigation center, and a full-time low-threshold shelter on the property.” 

The specific definition of a “low barrier shelter” and of a “navigation center” vary from state-to-state. Recent legislation in California details “navigation centers” as providing temporary room and board while case managers work to connect homeless individuals and families to income, public benefits, health services and permanent housing or other shelter. 

Meanwhile, having a “low barrier” points to things such as eliminating curfews and not requiring background checks, sobriety or mandatory treatment. 

It is not clear at this time whether any of these points would be put in effect in Saratoga Springs. 

The Dilemma

Some members of the nearby Saratoga Central Catholic School have expressed concern regarding the siting of a “low barrier” shelter in close proximity to children. The topic “caused an uproar” when it came up for discussion during a general meeting last week staged by the Saratoga Central Catholic Security Committee. 

“As a committee, we have been talking about the homeless shelter on-and-off for a little while,” said committee member Kevin Zacharewicz. “We’re religious people, we’re Catholic people, so we’re not against the homeless shelter; we’re just against the location of the homeless shelter. We don’t feel that it should be basically touching the property, or be near our kids, our school,” he said. 

The group met with Shelters of Saratoga Executive Director Duane J. Vaughn on Dec. 20, Zacharewicz said. “We talked about that it would be between basically 40 people on the average a night in the summertime, and 60 people an average a night in the wintertime. … We talked about if he does any background checks on his clients, the homeless. He kind of said no.

“We have to help these people out. We get that,” Zacharewicz said. “We understand all this, but again, the location is just not the right mix, and it caused an uproar, obviously, at the school meeting.” A meeting regarding the matter is scheduled to take place at 5 p.m. Monday, Jan. 30 in the school gymnasium. 

City Mayor Ron Kim said this week that discussions with local school and church officials are ongoing and that the city is cognizant of mitigating any impact the center may have on them, and how that materializes is a matter to be decided with future conversations.    

“Code Blue” shelter and shelter services are provided to the homeless community whenever inclement winter weather temperatures are at or below 32 degrees Fahrenheit, inclusive of National Weather Service calculations for windchill. Motivated to action in the wake of the death of a city woman exposed to a winter’s elements on a December night in 2013, a temporary homeless emergency shelter was launched in Saratoga Springs that Christmas Eve at St. Peter’s Parish Center. A series of temporary winter shelters have followed. 

In addition to becoming a permanently sited 24/7 “Code Blue” shelter, the city had expressed some interest in also pursuing the possibility of adding about 40 affordable housing apartments in an adjacent space on the parcel that would assist residents in their transitioning process – a continuum of care with the ultimate goal of helping people move from homelessness to sustained housing on their own.        

(Reporter Dylan McGlynn contributed to this report.)

SARATOGA SPRINGS — The City Council unanimously approved a resolution to seek $1 million in grant funding – via the Restore NY Communities Initiative Municipal Grant Program – that anticipates taking a currently vacant parcel at 53 Putnam St. and redeveloping it into a multi-story building with affordable/mixed-income housing units that will house low-income individuals and families.   

At least 20 units in the anticipated 60-unit building are expected to be made available “for low-income individuals and families to own and occupy their own home,” according to the city. 

“It’s a win for environmentalists, a win for developers, investors and a win for the city of Saratoga Springs,” city Mayor Ron Kim said during the council’s discussion of the matter on Jan. 17.  

The project is located on a NYS Brownfield Environmental Remediation lot, sited opposite the Saratoga Springs Public Library. 

Dubbed as “Putnam Square,” the project anticipates development as a public/private partnership between Putnam Resources, and the city along with a variety of local non-profit organizations. The estimated overall project cost is just over $15 million. More than $3 million has already been invested by developers to acquire, manage and clean the site.  

“If this works the way it is currently positioned, it will be the first of its kind in the state,” said Commissioner Dillon Moran, drawing a contrasting comparative with the typical home-by-home basis actions, which takes a while to develop, by organizations such as Habitat for Humanity.  

Mayor Kim said that “one-third or more” of the 60-unit building will be offered at HUD affordable prices at a percentage of the region’s determined area median income, or AMI. The AMI for all cities across the country fluctuates, and is defined each year by U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD).  

I Hear America Singing

• The City Council approved the appointment of Joseph Bruchac as Poet Laureate of the city of Saratoga Springs. Bruchac was born and raised in Saratoga Springs and has authored more than 120 books, along with numerous poems and short stories. 

The appointment marks the first by the city of a Poet Laureate and carries the duties of serving as a representative of the Saratoga Springs in creating literary and artistic works in commemoration of the city, its history, and its people. The position, which carries through 2025, was unanimously approved by the Council and will be under the supervision and guidance of the Mayor’s Office, in consultation with the arts commission. 

Saratoga New Year’s Fest Will Be Back for 2023/24

• Bob Millis, primary producer of the inaugural Saratoga New Year’s Fest staged Dec. 31-Jan. 1 told the Council that the event was an overall success and will return for its second year. 

“We hit all of our markers. We attracted people from across the Northeast, we put them in hotels, we sent them to downtown venues and we generated sales tax,” Millis said. “It was such a great success we have committed to continuing the event into the future.”   

School Resource Officer(s)

• The council approved an addendum to the agreement between the Saratoga Springs City School District and the city of Saratoga Springs that will – beginning on Jan. 30 – have the city assign an additional School Resource Officer to the District’s Elementary Schools.

“The school district had a Safety Survey Report that recommended the addition of two School Resource Officers – one to be provided by the Sheriff’s Department for the two elementary schools outside the city limits, and a recommendation that the city provide an SRO from the Saratoga Springs Police Department for the four elementary schools that are in city limits,” city Public Safety Commissioner Jim Montagnino told the council Jan. 17. “That recommendation was adopted by the school board last week.” The measure was approved by the Saratoga Springs City School District Board of Education by a 5-4 margin.

The school district will pay $74,285 as reimbursement toward the cost of the Elementary SRO, prorated from the Elementary SRO’s start date through the end of the contract. The district currently employs two SROs, one at the high school and one at the middle school campuses.

The four district elementary schools within Saratoga Springs city limits are: Caroline Street Elementary School, Lake Avenue Elementary School, Division Street Elementary School, and Geyser Road Elementary School.

The elementary schools SRO will be on duty from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. each school day, at or between the elementary schools. In all, the city has seven officers currently trained as SRO’s on staff, Montagnino said.

ALBANY — Kevin Tully celebrated his 16th birthday on Jan. 15 by flying over the Capital Region and in the process of doing so, was for the day, America’s youngest pilot.  

Tully has been flying glider planes out of the Saratoga County Airport since he was 12 years old, thanks to the Adirondack Soaring Club – which has a low-cost pilot training program for kids under the age of 18 years old. 

At 14, Tully was issued his FAA student pilots license and has piloted a glider plane as high as 10,000 feet over Saratoga County by himself; a year later he was flying a powered plane alongside an instructor – accomplishing the tasks necessary to fly a plane without an instructor upon reaching the FAA minimum age of 16. 

On his 16th birthday, last Sunday, Tully took to the skies in a Piper Cherokee airplane – from the Capital District Pilots Association, to fly from Albany Airport over Niskayuna High School where he is a sophomore, and north to Saratoga County Airport, before returning to Albany International Airport.

SARATOGA SPRINGS — Following a lengthy discussion which pushed this week’s City Council meeting close to the midnight hour, officials approved a measure moving forward that directs the city attorney petition the N.Y. State Liquor Authority to prohibit the sale of alcohol after 2 a.m. for any new city establishment seeking to secure a liquor license, or for any currently existing business seeking a license renewal.

Citing public safety reasons as its inspiration to roll back bar closing times from 4 a.m. to 2 a.m., the resolution passed by a 3-2 vote. Mayor Ron Kim, and Commissioners Jim Montagnino and Minita Sanghvi voted to approve the measure; Commissioners Jason Golub and Dillon Moran voted against.   

The adopted resolution specifically directs the City Attorney to petition the SLA when “an establishment, individual or entity of any kind seeks a liquor license, seeks renewal of a liquor license, or seeks modification or amendment of a liquor license,” to prohibit the sale of alcohol by that entity beyond 2 a.m. as a condition of the granting of a license.  

“The State Liquor Authority not only has the discretion to issue conditions on the granting of licenses, but (the SLA) is responsive to community requests regarding those conditions,” said Public Safety Commissioner Jim Montagnino, who authored the city measure.  

The city process under the resolution seems clear regarding new businesses seeking licenses for the first time, however, appears a bit murkier when related to existing businesses seeking license renewal.   

“It’s my understanding that new applications are treated somewhat differently than renewals by the SLA – new applications are given more scrutiny,” Montagnino said. On-premises wine and liquor licenses are issued for two years, according to the SLA.

“With regard to the renewals, generally, unless there are problems with the application or the applicant, the renewals are granted. I would note that in the event of a renewal application for premises that have had problems in the past…I think the SLA would take a little harder look and maybe exercise their discretion,” Montagnino said. “In a situation where there were previous problems, the SLA may be more receptive…in the case of a renewal we would review the history of that establishment from the time of its last renewal and may add information in our letter to the SLA for them to use in exercising their discretion.” 

Several attempts made by the current, as well as previous councils to alter bar closing hours have been unsuccessful. One clear path to altering the time of a “last call” requires the approval of the county Board of Supervisors for the change be implemented countywide, and to subsequently forward that request to the State Liquor Authority to ultimately rule on the matter. The city resolution presented this week documents the county’s reluctance to do so, noting: “the County has, to this time, not acceded to the City’s request.” 

The term of license depends on the type of license you have. If you have a retail license to sell only beer for on-premises or off-premises consumption, your license lasts for three years. Off-premises liquor and wine licenses (liquor and wine stores) are also issued for three years. If you have a seasonal license, it must be renewed every year.

In response to an inquiry of general practices, the State Liquor Authority responded via email with the following statement:  

“About our licensing processes: Each and every on premises businesses – including those currently operating in Saratoga – is required at the time of application to provide notice of at least 30 days to the municipality in which it intends to operate.  This allows the municipality time to provide the SLA with any desired input into the business’ operation.  A municipality’s choice not to provide input generally signifies agreement with the business and business model proposed in the municipal notice.  If however the municipality provides input opposing the proposed business or their method of operation, the SLA will place the new business’ application on a Board agenda, so that the positions of the business and the municipality may be heard by the SLA Full Board.  

“The Full Board reviews each application on a case-by-case basis, weighing the merits of the individual application while placing due weight on the recommendations of local law enforcement, municipal officials, and members of the community.”  

WILTON — A proposal that would see the development of nearly 400 apartments and townhouses alongside the Wilton Mall continues to move through the town’s approval process. 

The project, proposed by the Macerich Corporation and Paramount Development, includes 382 new “luxury, market-rate rental residences,” including both apartments and townhomes, and will feature “premium resident amenities with a sophisticated design,” according to the companies. 

In November, the town Planning Board entertained an application to establish a Planned Unit Development District (PUDD) for a development with mixed-use, consisting of 680,000 square feet of commercial use and 382 residential units – comprised of 296 apartments and 86 townhomes. The town board is reportedly charged with making the ultimate decision regarding the PUDD, and there has been some public opposition expressed regarding the project. 

A phone message seeking comment left for Town Supervisor John Lant was not returned.       

Mike Shaffer, Property Manager at Wilton Mall, said this week that a project update will be provided to the Wilton Town Board during its meeting at 7 p.m. on Jan. 5.  The Saratoga County Planning Board is also anticipated to provide an advisory opinion to the Wilton Town Board next month.

Considering these forthcoming recommendations of the Wilton and Saratoga County Planning Boards – as well as the anticipated Negative Declaration on SEQRA – developers are currently anticipating a Feb. 2 Public Hearing with the Wilton Town Board – the municipal entity which will decide whether the Wilton Mall Mixed-Use PUDD is ultimately approved. 

Paramount Development, based in Florida, has developed 200 rental apartment communities in dozens of states. Santa Monica, California-based company Macerich has owned and operated the mall land since 2004. They own about 95 acres in all; JC Penney – owns just over two acres, and LBW Saratoga – occupied by BJ’s, owns just under four acres. 

“What we see in the Wilton Mall is something that’s got some momentum. We do really well around retail,” Tom Snell, a partner with Paramount Development, told Wilton town officials during a public meeting earlier this year, when Paramount announced its plans to purchase two lots totaling just over 13-1/2 acres on the northeasterly side of the mall for the $100 million-plus project. 

The potential project, which would be developed in two phases, would occur on the northeast side of the mall past Dick’s Sporting Goods, and see the removal of the former BonTon location, which closed in 2018. That was followed by the closure of Sears two years later.