Board advances plan for permanent Code Blue shelter at Ballston Avenue after public comment

The Saratoga County Board of Supervisors voted April 21 to move forward with a ground lease of county-owned property at 96–116 Ballston Avenue that will allow the Saratoga County Capital Resource Corporation to sublease the site to Shelters of Saratoga for a permanent Code Blue shelter.

Chair Barrett described the measure as “a significant investment by the Saratoga County Board of Supervisors” and said the county has committed to a multi‑million dollar effort to secure a permanent location for Code Blue. The board approved the lease-related resolution on a roll-call vote; Supervisors Murray and Ostrander announced recusals on the item before the vote and were recorded as recused.

Two registered public speakers urged the board to act. Sue Barton, president of RAISE (Recovery Advocates in Saratoga), urged a humane approach to homelessness and said local services do not yet meet residents’ needs: “We are your friends, your neighbors, your leaders, your coworkers,” Barton said, urging sustained services beyond temporary shelter. Peter Hopper, president of the board of Shelters of Saratoga, thanked county staff and called the project “a case study in partnership for public good,” saying it will “immediately enhance the programs and services we believe are vital to saving lives in a safe, secure facility that will benefit our entire community.”

Board members acknowledged neighborhood concerns about public safety, cited recent calls for service tied to existing emergency shelter operations, and discussed ways to share associated costs. A supervisor identifying themself as the Saratoga Springs supervisor cited increased homelessness statistics and said a winter-only, 75-bed Code Blue model is insufficient; they recommended creating a working group of county and city stakeholders to develop operating and safety plans. Supervisor Burger provided historical context for the Code Blue program, outlined annual shelter operations (approximately 75 beds Nov–Apr) and noted that in the board’s accounting the county purchased the Ballston Avenue parcel in 2024 to house a permanent facility.

Supervisor Burger also said the city has borne much of the public-safety response for the temporary Code Blue site and proposed a host-community fee to help offset local public-safety costs; during discussion the board referenced an estimated $100,000 as a potential annual host-community fee and cited roughly $1,000,000 the county spends annually placing people in hotel rooms when temporary shelter sites are not available.

The board discussed procedures for neighborhood engagement, staffing, and off‑season uses of the building. Charles Gottlieb, land-use counsel for Shelters of Saratoga, raised a procedural point of order about the separate-vote sequence and sought clarification that the separate vote under consideration was the lease alteration required by Resolution 1‑29.

The roll call on Resolution 1‑29 carried after the recusals. Board members also separately advanced Resolution 1‑26, a local law establishing a short-term rental registry and imposing a county occupancy tax, which had been separated out for a separate vote earlier in the meeting. The board scheduled public-facing outreach, and supervisors said they would pursue intermunicipal coordination with the City of Saratoga Springs on cost-sharing and operational details.

What happens next: the lease and related documents will be finalized subject to approvals and legal review; the board and county attorney’s office will continue negotiations and community outreach as the project moves toward implementation.