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Council continues decision on Saratoga View assisted-living expansion amid parking and emergency-service concerns
Summary
The council voted unanimously to continue a requested development-agreement amendment that would raise Saratoga View Assisted Living’s capacity from 74 to 96 beds, directing staff and the applicant to negotiate terms addressing parking, screening and emergency-service costs before a future vote.
Saratoga Springs City Council on Tuesday delayed approval of a development-agreement amendment that would increase Saratoga View Assisted Living Center’s capacity from 74 to 96 beds. Council members cited concerns about parking, open space and the project’s impact on emergency services and directed the applicant and staff to work with at least two council members on revised agreement language before the item returns.
The agreement before the council would add 22 assisted-living beds and modify the facility’s exterior to match existing architecture. City staff said the proposed site plan would add a small number of parking stalls. Applicant Adam Lambert of Rimrock Construction said the owners originally intended a larger facility, emphasized high local demand and noted Hales Engineering’s parking analysis, which found the existing 63 stalls meet projected demand for the expanded facility (staff reported an estimated demand of about 50 stalls for the existing 74 beds, and the consultant estimated the 22-bed addition would generate eight more stall-equivalents, for a projected need on the order of 58 stalls).
Rocky Mountain Care, the operator, responded to council questions about service calls and staffing. Jason Gatherum, president and chief development officer, and the facility’s VP of operations (introduced by name in the record) said staffing and training measures — including a recently added full-time nurse and enhanced training with first responders — aim to reduce unnecessary 911 calls. They described industry-average assisted-living staff ratios (reported in the discussion at roughly 1 staff per 12–14 residents) and said occupancy is currently about 90–95 percent.
Council members pressed the applicant on reported emergency responses to the facility. City figures presented during the discussion showed 93 total calls to the site in 2025 (16 categorized as fire or service calls and 77 medical-related calls), with 58 transports and several lift-assist calls reported year to date; council members said that call volume places a strain on already limited fire resources and asked whether the project would unfairly shift costs to the city. Counsel for the owners proposed contractual remedies: screening and residency provisions, staffing commitments and a metric-based cost-sharing or mitigation requirement so the facility would cover costs if call volumes exceed an agreed threshold.
After extended questioning and an offer from applicant counsel to draft development-agreement provisions that address the council’s concerns, Council member moved to continue the item. The motion to continue carried unanimously; the council directed the applicant and staff to prepare changes and to meet with at least two council members before the next hearing.
The continuation leaves operational and financial conditions unresolved. The council’s direction centers on three deliverables from the applicant and staff: clearer screening and residency standards, parking and site-plan clarifications, and a metric or financial mechanism to address excess emergency-service costs. The item will return for a future vote after those negotiations.
