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ZBA delays decision on side-yard variance for home addition at 85 Lincoln Ave.
Summary
The Saratoga Springs Zoning Board of Appeals heard a presentation seeking a side-yard variance to enlarge a single-family home at 85 Lincoln Ave. Applicant representatives showed neighborhood comparables; the public hearing stayed open and the item was continued to April 7.
The Saratoga Springs Zoning Board of Appeals on March 24 heard an application for an area variance to allow a side-yard setback of 2.4 feet for an addition to an existing single-family house at 85 Lincoln Ave., where the UR2 district requires an 8-foot side setback.
The applicant's representative, Bob Flansberg of Dreamscapes Unlimited, said the project would simplify the roof, enlarge the second floor to provide three usable bedrooms and move laundry out of the basement. He told the board the proposed addition “squares that corner off” and that the project would reduce roofing complexity and cost compared with other designs.
The application seeks 5.6 feet of relief from the zone requirement. Flansberg presented survey maps and neighborhood comparables showing multiple houses on Lincoln, Park Place and Regent Street with similar tight setbacks, saying several nearby properties sit “on the order of 2 to 3 feet” from property lines.
Board members questioned alternatives, emergency access and stormwater. Jonah Cohen, who said he lives nearby, asked whether the existing setback near the front measured about 4.1 feet; Flansberg confirmed that the current house already encroaches into the required setback in places and that any enlargement would require a variance. Otis Maxwell asked how emergency services would access the rear; Flansberg pointed to a wide driveway on the property and said access should be possible. Commissioner Chris (Christopher LaPointe) and others probed roof runoff and stormwater mitigation; Flansberg said gutters will collect roof runoff and the team will attempt to tie drainage to the city storm sewer.
No formal vote was taken. The board kept the public hearing open and continued the matter to the April 7 meeting for any additional submissions or public comment.
