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Saratoga County board authorizes ground lease for permanent Code Blue shelter after public comment and votes with recusals
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Summary
After public comment and a discussion about public-safety impacts and cost-sharing, the board approved a ground lease to enable a permanent Code Blue shelter at 96'116 Ballston Ave; two supervisors recused themselves and the county adopted a negative declaration on environmental impacts.
The Saratoga County Board of Supervisors voted April 21 to authorize a ground lease for county-owned land at 96'116 Ballston Avenue in Saratoga Springs that would allow Saratoga County Capital Resource Corporation (SCCRC) to sublease the property to Shelters of Saratoga for a permanent Code Blue shelter.
Chair Barrett read a summary of the proposal: the county owns approximately 1.37 acres at the Ballston Avenue site and the project envisions a proposed, plus-or-minus 25,600-square-foot Code Blue shelter. The board also considered and adopted a negative declaration, finding the proposed leases and development would not result in significant environmental impacts.
Two members of the public addressed the board before the vote. Sue Barton, president of RAISE (Recovery Advocates in Saratoga), urged action and emphasized the human cost of homelessness, citing a recent death she said occurred while the person was camping with no shelter options. "John Clay Williamson died. He was camping because he had no place else to go," she said, calling for compassion and year-round solutions beyond temporary cold-weather sheltering.
Peter Hopper, president of the board of Shelters of Saratoga, said the organization and the county had invested "time, the effort, and the due diligence" necessary to develop a permanent Code Blue facility after more than two years of collaboration. "We believe this is a case study in partnership for public good," Hopper said, and described the facility as a way to centralize care, reduce emergency strain and provide a pathway to longer-term stability.
Supervisors discussed safety, neighborhood concerns and public-safety workload. Supervisor Sanghvi cited state and local homelessness statistics and urged that the Code Blue facility be the first of several steps that include affordable housing and staffed behavioral-health services. "Building 75 beds with access only in the wintertime is not enough," Sanghvi said, and cited a draft Point-in-Time count of 348 people countywide.
Supervisor Burger, noting that Saratoga Springs has absorbed most public-safety costs associated with Code Blue locations historically, said the county must plan for cost sharing. He said he would advocate during the budget process for a "host community fee of at least a $100,000 annual" to help offset local police, fire and EMS costs.
The board allowed two supervisors to recuse themselves from the Res. 129 vote; Supervisors Murray and Ostrander were recorded as recused. Following roll call, the motion to authorize the lease and related actions passed.
Why it matters: The authorization moves a long-discussed effort toward a permanent, purpose-built Code Blue shelter intended to satisfy New York State cold-weather sheltering mandates and reduce the county's reliance on temporary emergency locations. The vote also surfaced neighborhood safety concerns and questions about ongoing operational costs and intergovernmental cost-sharing.
Next steps: The SCCRC is authorized to proceed with lease documentation and Shelters of Saratoga plans to advance facility development; county staff and Shelters of Saratoga indicated there will be a public forum on May 20 at Shelters of Saratoga's offices for additional neighborhood outreach.
