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Planning board approves 55 Union special use permit with limits on events and parking waiver
Summary
The Saratoga Springs Planning Board approved a consolidated special‑use permit for 55 Union, capping rooms at 13, restricting organized food/drink events to Friday–Sunday (max 54 per year, end by 9:30 p.m.) and allowing a parking waiver provided on‑site valet or equivalent management is used.
The Saratoga Springs Planning Board voted unanimously to approve a consolidated special‑use permit for the property at 55 Union, adopting a package of conditions the board said would address prior nonconformities and neighborhood impacts.
Chair Mark Pringle led the discussion and read the key conditions the board planned to attach: removal of a rear fence required under a 2012 agreement, securing a building permit and certificate of occupancy for three currently noncompliant rooms, consolidating two existing special‑use permits into a single permit, and capping the total number of rooms at 13. The board set operational limits for events: food and drink service allowed only on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays; no more than 54 such events per year; events must end by 9:30 p.m.; and a maximum of 40 guests total, including overnight guests.
Board members also addressed safety and parking. The applicant must make the pool perimeter fence compliant with applicable code. Because the site does not provide the full on‑site stall count required by the UDO, the board incorporated a parking waiver into the adopted resolution that allows fewer than the required spaces provided the applicant manages event parking on‑site (for example, via valet) to avoid spillover into neighborhood streets.
Tony Stilato and other members pressed for precise weekend definitions; the board settled on Friday–Sunday. After discussing alternatives — such as limiting the 9:30 p.m. cutoff to outdoor events only — the chair and staff said the board’s chosen bundle of restrictions would address the principal neighbor concerns about noise, traffic and late‑night departures.
Mark Pringle moved to adopt the special‑use permit as amended; the motion was seconded and passed unanimously.
The permit consolidates prior approvals and places the new operational and safety conditions on 55 Union; the board recorded the vote as unanimous. The applicant may return with site plan details, and staff indicated they will verify pool fencing and the parking management approach during subsequent reviews.
