Planning board approves carriage-house conversion at 24 Fifth Avenue after historic review

The Saratoga Springs Planning Board on Sept. 11 approved a special-use permit to convert a historic carriage house at 24 Fifth Avenue into a single dwelling unit, after the applicant demonstrated the structure’s historic character and agreed to Design Review Board oversight for exterior work.

Architects from Balzer Tuck presented the application on behalf of owners Tim and Lisa Higgins. The carriage house, built around 1899, will be converted within the existing envelope to a single residential unit above a three-bay garage; no expansion of the building footprint or increase in height was proposed. The conversion plan includes replacement of failing windows and use of an existing hayloft door as an interior entry; the architects said work will follow historic-review standards.

Neighbors asked whether the property could later be used for short-term rentals, and flagged the building’s proximity to adjacent lots. The applicant said an earlier zoning-board application related to a different proposal was withdrawn and that the current submission conforms to the Unified Development Ordinance provisions that allow conversion of historic carriage houses into dwelling units when the structure is listed or eligible for listing and when exterior changes return to the DRB for review.

The board required documentation from the Saratoga Springs Preservation Foundation and noted that any exterior alteration requires DRB review and building permits. The special-use permit was approved by voice vote. Several neighbors said they remain attentive to future changes on the lot because the conversion will create a second principal dwelling on one legal parcel; planning staff noted the lot consolidation completed in 2021 meant the carriage house and principal dwelling are on the same parcel, consistent with the UDO provision used for this application.