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Design Review Board gives favorable advisory opinion for West Ave project, flags Station Lane base treatment
Summary
The Saratoga Design Review Board provided an advisory opinion supporting West Station, LLC’s West Ave project (PB App 2026010017), endorsing its mass, scale and first-floor Station Lane units but asked the applicant to amend the Station Lane base treatment and return for full design review.
The Saratoga Design Review Board on March 11 provided a favorable advisory opinion to the planning board for West Station, LLC’s application (PB App 2026010017) to construct at 17 West Ave, while urging the applicant to redesign the building base along Station Lane.
Board members said the project’s height and overall mass fit West Avenue but flagged the exposed parking-garage base along Station Lane as a potential barrier to the sidewalk. "That looks like about 6 feet of solid material along that street," Board member Karen said, adding she wanted to see a different treatment to avoid creating a barrier between pedestrians and the building. The board also requested details showing rooftop penetrations and mechanical equipment visibility.
A board member asked whether adding separate entrances would create ADA-access issues given grade changes along West Ave; the applicant responded that accessibility would be concentrated at the north end and that breezeways were intended to move people from parking to the front of the building. Chris, another board member, urged designers to treat Station Lane as a true front elevation rather than a secondary façade and raised durability concerns about cement-board and darker finishes.
Chair (read motion): the board "provides a favorable opinion to the planning board with the following considerations. We are supportive of the mass, scale and height of the building, as well as the first-floor residential units on Station Lane, recognizing that this application will return to us for a full design review in the future." The motion was seconded by Leslie and carried without recorded opposition.
Why it matters: the board’s advisory opinion clears an important early procedural step for the West Ave application but signals the project team must return with refinements to the Station Lane frontage, material selections and details of roof and wall penetrations before final design approval.
Next steps: the project will return to the Design Review Board for full design review where the board expects more detailed façades, base treatments and mechanical screening plans.
