Planning board conditionally approves 222 Spruce Street development with stormwater and housing conditions

The Albany City Planning Board on March 10 voted to issue a SEQR negative declaration and to conditionally approve DPR 2025‑44, a development plan that will add dwelling units to an existing building at 222 Spruce Street.

Daniel Hertzberg of Hertzberg and Hertzberg, representing 222 Spruce Street LLC, told the board the project would add units within the existing building envelope and include a rooftop stormwater management system. "We're putting a blue roof on a building to solve the stormwater," Hertzberg said, noting roof drains will direct water to the sewer and reduce flow to the combined sewer in the area.

Planning staff told the board the project has been through prior iterations in February and December 2024 and that the current submission shows minimal ground disturbance. Staff also reported outstanding technical comments from the Department of Water and Water Supply (including a requested plumbing plan) and several planning comments that must be addressed before final permits are issued.

Before final approval, the board read conditions requiring the applicant to: update the site plan to reflect the applicant response letter (including accurate garage mirror locations), show all ingress and egress, correct discrepancies between floor plans and elevations (including a recessed residential entrance and a monumental stair), identify locations and details for proposed exterior lighting and flow metrics, obtain final approval from the Department of Water and Water Supply prior to building permits, secure any required review from the New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation if ground disturbance occurs, and implement an affordable housing compliance plan in accordance with the cited USDO section prior to certificate of occupancy.

The board moved and seconded both the negative declaration and the conditional approval; members voted in favor. Planning staff noted the county planning board's recommendations were incorporated into the review and that remaining items are generally technical and expected to be resolved prior to permit issuance.

Next steps: the applicant must address the listed revisions and secure final sign‑offs before building permits are issued.