RISE on Finley Clears Design Board: Construction Run-Down 

It’s been a busy week for the three boards responsible for the look and feel of Saratoga Springs. 

Over the last week, all three boards held meetings to discuss various projects up for consideration in the spa city. While some projects got green lights after repeated meetings, others are still stuck in limbo. Here is a rundown of some of the major updates from the three boards. 

Finley Project Clears Design Review Board

A proposed RISE shelter at 3/26 Finley Street received multiple approvals from the Design Review Board. In a previous meeting, the proposed affordable housing site received push back from those who lived in the vicinity of the site who claimed it would take down too many trees, not fit in with the neighborhood and be too unsightly. 

In response to these concerns, project managers said they met with local residents multiple times and made changes to the site that would address their concerns. During the July 16 meeting, the managers presented an updated view of the site which included a computer-generated model of the neighborhood and showed what residents would see from the two streets affected. 

While in the previous meeting, there had been multiple people who spoke out against the project, this meeting saw no one comment on the matter — something noted by board members. These measures lead to the board’s approval for the mass and scale of the building. 

In addition to the footprint of the building, the design review board was also able to give their okay for the project to demolish existing structures on the site. In previous meetings, there had been some concern over increased traffic at the site. While board members had initially thought that the site would increase traffic, the determination was made that the zoning of the site already had traffic considered. This determination allowed the board to allow the demolition. 

Outside of the Design Review Board, the project also got a boost from the Saratoga Springs City Council who wrote and approved a letter in support of the project and their efforts to secure funding from the New York State Office of Mental Health’s Empire State Supportive Housing Initiative.

Stewarts Fails to get Zoning Variance. 

An attempt to put a Stewarts shop on Marion Avenue near the intersection of Marion and NY-29 Truck has hit another roadblock as the Zoning Board of Appeals denied a variance requiring a certain distance between a fueling station and residential zone. There had been a previous zoning variance at the site since the current fueling station predates modern zoning laws, however a review of the site found this didn’t apply due to lack of continued operation at the site. 

Site Plan for 30 ½ Caroline Street Approved by Planning Board. 

The site plan for the proposed building at 30 ½ Caroline Street was approved by the Planning Review Board. The architect had gone before the board with new designs for the patio and green spaces on the site. While there had been discussions over whether the patio area would be open to the public to allow traffic between Caroline Street and the Library it was decided to keep it enclosed for residents.