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Neighbors split as zoning board sends 65 Fila Street proposal to Design Review Board for advisory opinion
Summary
After extensive public comment about scale, lot coverage and stormwater, the Zoning Board voted to seek a DRB advisory opinion on a proposed carriage-house addition and garage at 65 Fila St.; supporters cited historic precedent and the property's preservation covenant.
The Saratoga Springs Zoning Board of Appeals voted June 23 to request an advisory opinion from the city's Design Review Board (DRB) on a proposal to add a garage/carriage-house and an addition at 65 Fila St., a property owned by the Saratoga Springs Preservation Foundation.
The request for advisory review follows a lengthy public hearing that included both objections and support from neighbors and preservation advocates over the proposal's size, massing, lot coverage and stormwater impacts.
Matt Herr, principal of Frost Herr Architects, presented the project on behalf of the Preservation Foundation and a potential buyer. He described the work as necessary to make the restored shell into a functional residence and said the addition's massing responds to neighborhood patterns. "This difficulty is absolutely self created," Herr said, explaining the owner’s decision to add living space and a garage. He also described the addition as the most compact solution to add a third bedroom while respecting the historic fabric.
Neighbors opposed the scale. Andy Williams, a longtime Lafayette Street homeowner, said he and five adjoining neighbors had signed a letter asking the board to deny the lot-coverage variance as proposed. "We don't wanna stand in the way, but we do have some objections," Williams said, adding concerns about lot coverage, stormwater runoff and the effect on neighborhood character.
Samantha Bosshardt, representing the Saratoga Springs Preservation Foundation (the property owner), said the foundation invested "hundreds of thousands of dollars" to stabilize the structure and will record a preservation covenant that requires foundation approval of future exterior changes. "We have reviewed their plans ... and as we view it, [the proposal] is an acceptable height, mass, and scale," Bosshardt said.
Board members pressed for specific comparables and stormwater measures. Board member Amanda Dema raised permeability and encouraged the applicant to consider permeable paving or stormwater best practices. The board voted to send the proposal to the DRB for an advisory opinion focused on footprint, massing and neighborhood fit; the motion passed by voice vote.
Why this matters: The property was purchased and stabilized by the Preservation Foundation after decades of neglect; the foundation has added a preservation covenant to limit incompatible alterations, but neighbors remain concerned about bulk, drainage and tree impacts. A DRB advisory opinion will guide the board and the applicant before potential return for formal variance action.
Next steps: The DRB advisory review is intended to clarify whether the addition's scale is consistent with design guidelines; the ZBA asked the applicant to return with DRB feedback and more precise comparative lot-coverage figures.
