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Design Review Board approves carriage‑house at 145 Union Avenue with administrative cupola review
Summary
The Design Review Board approved a two‑story accessory carriage house at 145 Union Avenue, finding its mass, setbacks and materials appropriate but requiring an administrative review of the proposed cupola and a height comparison to the primary house.
The Saratoga Springs Design Review Board on June 3 approved plans for a two‑story carriage house with a living unit above at 145 Union Avenue, with an administrative condition to provide additional details on a proposed cupola.
Sue Davis of SD Atelier Architecture, representing the applicant, described the project as a replacement of an existing rear garage with a carriage‑house‑style structure to house two cars and living space above for the client’s parents. Davis said the design uses LP SmartSide or fiber‑cement siding, polyash composite trim, gelled wood windows to match the primary house, a wood balcony railing, and a carriage‑house style garage door. “I’d be happy to” provide cupola specifications, she told the board.
The board noted it had already given an advisory opinion to the Zoning Board of Appeals on mass, height and scale, and the chair said the group found the setbacks and relationship to the alley appropriate but asked for a height comparison showing the accessory structure relative to the main house. “I love the design,” the chair said, praising the project while adding that a visual comparison to the primary facade would make members more comfortable.
Member Jeff Gritsavage read the formal approval language and moved to approve the plans subject to administrative review of the cupola; the motion was seconded by Jeff Wood and the board voted in favor. The chair asked the applicant to provide the requested cupola details administratively and to supply a height study comparing the two buildings; the applicant estimated the proposed carriage house sits roughly 25 feet behind the main house.
Because the board’s advisory opinion and the approval focused on design compatibility, the project’s final construction remains subject to any separate zoning or building permits the applicant must obtain.
The board’s approval language: approval of the new two‑story, two‑car carriage house on the parcel within the city of Saratoga Springs, with the condition that cupola details be submitted for administrative review. The chair closed the item by thanking the applicant and noting she looked forward to the cupola details.
