Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Outdoor Dining topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Design Review Board approves Coat Room outdoor dining with conditions on materials and seating
Summary
The Saratoga Springs Design Review Board approved the Coat Roomoutdoor dining platform for 385 Bridal with conditions that require natural decking and administrative sign-off on seating and the employee station; the board noted the applicant may need to reduce seating if Fire Department conditions require it.
The Saratoga Springs Design Review Board on March 19 approved an application to add a seasonal 20-seat outdoor dining platform for the Coat Room at 385 Bridal, subject to conditions on materials, seating and documentation.
Board members said they found the design attractive but asked the applicant to revise several details and to provide documentation for the file. The approval requires that decking be natural wood (rather than the initially proposed Trex composite), that the applicant submit revised drawings showing the location of the employee/hostess station for administrative review, and that the chairs shown are not approved as submitted; the applicant may submit alternate chair samples for administrative approval. The board also noted the Fire Department had recommended a maximum of 14 seats in recent comments and said the board was comfortable with the applicant reducing seating from 18 to 14 if required by the building or fire departments.
Mike Phinney, principal of Phinney Design Group, presented plans and renderings showing a seasonal raised platform, planters to provide a roughly 36-inch perimeter, aluminum tables and light-colored resintrim seating, and black umbrellas bearing the Coat Room name on the valance. Phinney said planters would be lower on the storefront side to maintain sight lines to neighboring retail windows and that the platform would be removable each season.
Board members praised the aesthetics but repeatedly urged natural materials for decking and expressed concern about dark or plastic seating in the downtown historic district. Chris Bennett and other board members said natural wood decking and powder-coated or light-colored metal seating would be more durable and visually compatible. The applicant agreed to provide alternate samples administratively.
The boardmotion to approve included: (1) a requirement that revised drawings indicating the employee/hostess station be provided for the file; (2) a notation that the design review board is comfortable if the applicant reduces seating from 18 to 14 to meet fire/building department requirements; (3) that chairs as presented were not approved and that the applicant may provide alternate chairs for administrative approval; and (4) that decking be a natural wood product. The motion was seconded and passed with no recorded opposition.
The board discussed several operational details that are outside their purview but relevant to the approval process, including coordination with the Building Department and the New York State Liquor Authority on defining the service boundary for on-site alcohol service. Phinney said the venue will staff the outdoor area with a hostess stand on casters and at least one server and busser assigned to monitor the area. The applicant said umbrellas would be used seasonally (typically Julythrough early September) and be retracted when not needed.
Next steps: the applicant will submit the revised drawings and material samples for administrative review as required by the board conditions. If the Fire or Building Department requires a reduced seat count, the applicant will implement that reduction as previously discussed.
