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Planning board approves 223 15th Street site plan with conditions after parking concerns
Summary
The planning board approved the applicant’s site plan to convert a former photography studio into four apartments (10 bedrooms) but added conditions: city sign‑off on curb cut and CSO/stormwater engineering before permits, and an expectation the applicant seek to maximize on‑site parking where feasible.
The Troy Planning Board approved a site plan to convert an existing photography studio at 223 15th Street into four apartments totaling 10 bedrooms, but approved the plan with conditions after extended discussion about parking, curb‑cut safety and neighborhood impacts.
Architect Kyle Links described revisions that reduced on‑site parking to two spaces to preserve green area, relocated a proposed bike rack off 15th Street and proposed shrinking the curb cut from 20 feet to a 12‑foot drive. "We are back with some revisions based on some feedback we got... the project is proposed to convert an existing... photography studio... to four apartments, 10 bedrooms total," Links told the board.
Board members and neighbors questioned whether two on‑site spaces are adequate for 10 bedrooms. Public commenter Jim Gully urged the board to rework the plan, saying the proposal risks "overdensity" and parking and backing‑out conflicts on 15th Street. The board discussed layout alternatives (side‑by‑side versus stacked parking), the potential need for a variance if spaces are stacked, and whether a focused parking or transportation demand study should be required to assess on‑street availability.
Staff said the board’s jurisdiction covers exterior/site issues; interior occupancy and life‑safety standards are enforced through building permits and code enforcement. Members agreed they could ask for a parking study; staff estimated a narrow parking study could take days to weeks and cost roughly $1,500–$5,000. The applicant warned a study could delay a pending sale.
Ultimately the board approved the site plan with two explicit conditions recorded in the motion: (1) engineering/city sign‑off on the curb‑cut application and CSO/stormwater documentation before issuance of building permits and (2) that the applicant attempt to fit the maximum on‑site parking spaces possible without creating drainage/stormwater problems (the board stated three side‑by‑side spaces would be preferable if feasible). The motion carried and the project will proceed subject to those conditions and any required zoning variances for alternative parking layouts.
