Letters to the Editor

Historic Protection Shouldn’t Be a Surprise in Saratoga Springs

Imagine that your roof is leaking. You live in the Architectural District—not the Historic 

District—and apply to replace it. During design review, however, your home is determined to be historically significant, and you are told that preserving its historic character requires a costly slate roof rather than the modern replacement material that meets design standards which you have planned to use.

Or imagine that you own a property in the Architectural District and apply for a demolition permit so you can build a new house and garage on your property. During thereview, the Design Review Board determines that the existing house is historically significant. Suddenly, what began as a design and demolition application becomes a preservation process, requiring you to explore alternatives such as relocating the house, finding someone willing to purchase and preserve it, or otherwise demonstrating that preservation is not feasible.

These examples illustrate an important question: When should a property owner become subject to the City’s historic preservation requirements?

We believe the answer should be transparent, not arbitrary. If a property is important enough that the City intends to require its permanent preservation, then the City should formally designate it as historic.

That simple principle is at the heart of the changes we are proposing to Saratoga Springs’ historic preservation program. Designation is how a community makes a clear and lasting decision that a property is historically important and should be protected—not only from demolition, but from changes that could destroy the features that make it historic.

Our recommendations have been developed with guidance from the New York State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO) and are consistent with the requirements of the Certified Local Government (CLG) program. They are also based on recognized best practices for local historic preservation. The goal is not to weaken preservation, but to make Saratoga Springs’ preservation program stronger and more consistent.

Saratoga Springs is fortunate to have an extraordinary collection of historic buildings, neighborhoods and streetscapes. They tell the story of our community and contribute enormously to the character that residents value and visitors recognize.

As the City Council considers changes to the Unified Development Ordinance, much of the discussion has focused on the Design Review Board, demolition review, and how we protect buildings that may be historically significant. An important part of that discussion is understanding the difference between identifying a building as historically significant and formally designating it for preservation.

Saratoga Springs has both a Historic District and an Architectural District. Our locally designated Historic District and individual landmarks have been formally recognized by the City, through legislation, as historic resources deserving preservation. The Architectural District—our “gateway district”—serves a different purpose. Its primary role is to protect architectural quality and community character. Both are important, but they are not the same.

What should we do for buildings outside of the Historic District that may also be important historic resources?

We believe that the City should have a meaningful, public process, using objective criteria, to evaluate its significance and determine whether it should be designated for permanent historic protection.

The Design Review Board has an important role in that process. It can identify significant resources, evaluate their historic and architectural importance, and recommend designation. The City Council, as the elected legislative body, then determines whether the property should be formally designated. Once designated, the property receives the full protections of the City’s Historic District Review in the UDO.

This distinction matters because historic preservation is more than preventing demolition. It can affect the materials an owner may use, the alterations that may be made, and ultimately whether a building may be removed at all. Those protections are appropriate for properties the community has made a deliberate decision to preserve. 

But property owners should also have clarity about when those requirements apply.

Our objective is straightforward: strong design standards for the Architectural District, strong preservation standards for the Historic District and landmarks, and a meaningful process for identifying and designating additional historic resources that deserve permanent protection.

Saratoga Springs should continue identifying the buildings and places that tell our story. 

When a property is important enough to preserve permanently, we should take the next step: designate it and protect what makes it historic.

Preservation begins with designation

By John Safford

Mayor of Saratoga Springs