Affordable housing wins environmental review, a few questions remain
The affordable housing project planned for property near the Saratoga Casino, Hotel and harness racecourse lept one hurdle at the city council meeting Tuesday Dec. 20, but could not quite clear a second on its way toward approval. The project is being fast-tracked through the city so that the developer can hit deadlines for financial help on the project that is aimed at "workforce housing."
Last week, the city council conducted an environmental review and gave the project a negative declaration meaning, in good news for the developer, the project had at most a minimal effect on the ecology and built environment nearby. The council made that declaration official at its meeting Tuesday.
[Read more about the project here.]
However the council could not agree to a revision in the city’s comprehensive plan that would then allow them to change zoning on the parcel to UR-4, a zone that allows multi-family buildings. The parcel is bisected between equine and single-family home zoning. Also, some on the council worried that nothing guarantees the two-building, 200-unit project would remain affordable beyond 30 years. Finally, there was some concern about establishing precedent or changing the zoning only to have the developer back out.
Representatives for the developer, Liberty Affordable Housing Inc., pointed to a paragraph in the zoning resolution that says “no other applications will be accepted for development under the UR-4 zoning for this parcel other than for workforce housing from the time these Map Amendments take place until December 31, 2027.”
Mayor Ron Kim said he wanted to hear from the city’s land use attorney that all off this was OK. He said other developers had been reaching out to him seeing if they could receive changes in comprehensive plan.
“I want to vote for this, but I don’t think we’re there yet,” said Mayor Ron Kim.
The proposal was tabled until a special meeting of the council Tuesday Dec. 27. Kim said he would work with the developer and the city’s land use attorney to hold meetings and sort out issues before then, and if work could not be completed, he would allow the vote on the project and vote for it.
Liberty Housing has deadlines to hit by the end of the year.
Weibel Avenue PUD goes back to Planning
The city council sent the proposed uses for an undeveloped tract of land, part of the Weibel Avenue Plaza where Hannaford and the Kohls department store are located, back to the city Planning Board for further review.
Two possible uses of the land have been put forward by the property owner: marijuana distribution and processing, or warehouse space.
Commissioner of Accounts Dillon Moran clarified that the owner did not mean “warehouse” as a distribution center but as a building that holds large inventory for a connected retail space. He mentioned tile and carpet wholesalers as examples.
“The front of the store is very small, but the back of the store could easily be called a warehouse,” Moran said, adding that some planning board members may have been confused as well. Earlier the planning board had issued an advisory opinion to the city council that the warehouse use on the property would not be a good use of the parcel.
[Read our coverage of the Weibel Ave. PUD here.]
Dart named chair of the Civilian Review Board
Activist Kristen Dart was named chair of the Saratoga Springs police oversight Civilian Review Board. See our coverage in the morning's Executive Summary on our Substack page. Read more here.