City Council

CITY COUNCIL MEETING WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 14, 2002 SARATOGA SPRINGS PUBLIC LIBRARY COMMUNITY ROOM 7:00 P.M. PRESENT: Thomas Curley, Commissioner, DPS (arrived 7:25 p.m.) Kenneth Klotz, Mayor Michael Lenz, Commissioner, Finance (arrived 7:20 p.m.) Thomas McTygue, Commissioner, DPW Stephen E. Towne, Commissioner, Accounts CALL TO ORDER Mayor Kenneth Klotz called the meeting to order at 7:00 p.m. PUBLIC FORUM B PARKING LOT BETWEEN LILLIAN=S AND PROFESSOR MORIARTY=S Mayor Kenneth Klotz said this was simply a public forum to offer the opportunity for the public to participate and provide feedback to the Council on the use of the City owned parking lot on Broadway between Lillian=s and Professor Moriarity=s restaurants. He reminded everyone that Merlin Development had made an offer to the City for the purchase of the lot and at the same time has requested easements. He said there has now been a proposal from another developer who is interested in developing this lot. Mayor Kenneth Klotz said the Council asked the Real Estate Committee to review these proposals and the use of the lot and to make recommendations to the Council. He said the Real Estate Committee recommended three items: a) the Council preserve the current parking at a minimum and to ideally look at expanding/enhancing parking; b) the Mayor meet with the nearby property owners to discuss the development and/or parking and what their needs are; and c) hold a pubic forum. Mayor Kenneth Klotz said he understood this was a busy time for everyone and this matter will remain open until after Labor Day to afford all the opportunity to speak. Mayor Kenneth Klotz then opened the meeting for comments from the audience. Bill Walbridge, Manager and part owner of 432 Broadway, thanked the Council for holding the pubic form. He said he had concerns because his building, which houses Professor Moriarty=s, has some egress issues on the side and rear of his building. He said Lillian=s Restaurant also has some egress into the parking lot. He said the issue is bigger than just 43 spots. He said turnover in this lot is between 200 and 400 cars today. He said the loss of those spaces would be a detriment to the downtown businesses. He said any proposal concerning this lot must include parking. He said the parking proposal for the Hub parking lot is good but that lot is 2 2 blocks away from this part of downtown. He said the businesses in this area rely on this lot and suggested that any alternative for parking in this area be located within one bock. Bill Walbridge also said he was concerned about having an out of town landlord. He said finally, he hoped that any consideration for sale of this parcel would include the neighboring property owners. He said they could be interested in developing a proposal. Peter Tulin, attorney representing James Coleman of Hanley Advisors, read into the record a letter written by himself to The Saratogian newspaper concerning their July 21 editorial on this parking lot. He said James Coleman deserved Page 1 of 4 City of Saratoga Springs City Council Meeting Minutes Wednesday, August 14, 2002 some credit for bringing this issue to the forefront by proposing to build a building which would in turn increase the City=s tax base. He said Merlin Development=s proposal for an easement was not inconsistent with James Coleman=s proposal. He said The Saratogian=s innuendo that out of town developers should not be considered when there were local developers who were interested was wrong. He said The Saratogian should be working with the City on a parking solution considering the fact that they have a very large, privately owned lot. He suggested The Saratogian open their lot for use when they are not using it. He said The Saratogian needs to become a player in this issue. Peter Tulin said this lot was like a carnival character missing a tooth in that something needed to be constructed on this site. He agreed with Bill Walbridge that there needs to be alternatives for parking within one block. He also suggested that the Chamber, SAD, DBA get involved. Peter Tulin said by his calculations, these spaces cost the City $1,200/per space/per year through lost tax revenue. Peter Tulin said the City cannot maintain the attitude that simply because it is a parking lot it must remain a parking lot. He said he had no idea if James Coleman would be a successful bidder, but he was aware that parking is a big part of this project. He said James Coleman=s proposal should not be denigrated because he does not live in the City. He said all interested parties should be given a chance. He then urged the Council to proceed slowly. He reminded Council members that when the City had an RFP for the mini-mall there were problems. He said though that ultimately that Council proceeded slowly and a good project came to fruition. Jean Cody, Town of Clifton Park resident, said she plans to move here when her son graduates from high school. She said she could not believe that the City was considering selling this space and losing the parking spots. She suggested that if the City needed money, meters be installed. She said these spaces are far too important to the customers and the businesses and she urged the Council not to sell the lot. (Commissioner Mike Lenz arrived.) Bonnie VanCampion, Broadway Clothier, urged the Council to not take away any more parking spaces. She said if there is parking, people will shop and the businesses will remain, which generates tax revenue. She said the Council needs to look beyond an immediate gratification of funds. She said downtown parking is critical and the businesses will not continue to flourish without parking. She said there also needs to be some consideration for all day parking for employees. (Commissioner Thomas Curley arrived.) Commissioner Thomas McTygue said he suggested the upper level of the parking deck be changed to two hour parking, however, nearby property owners were not receptive to that idea. Bonnie VanCampion said parking for employees is needed but agreed the upper deck should be limited to two hours. Commissioner Thomas McTygue said there is a temporary parking lot on Washington and Federal Streets which is empty much of the time. He pointed out that the Woodlawn Avenue parking lot is both all day and two hour and perhaps it should be limited to two hour. Bonnie VanCampion said that would limit parking for employees. She said this is really a bigger issue. She also suggested it was an enforcement issue. Commissioner Thomas McTygue said the High Rock Avenue parking lot generally has spaces available and employees should be encouraged to park there. Bonnie VanCampion agreed noting that now that the Gap lot is charging it is empty most of the time. She encouraged the Council to look at the bigger picture and find adequate parking for both customers and employees. Mayor Kenneth Klotz said the Real Estate Committee recommended that nothing be done with this lot without enhancing and/or preserving the parking spaces. Commissioner Thomas McTygue said the Woodlawn Avenue parking lot is only a half a block away. He said perhaps when the Hub parking deck is constructed the Woodlawn Avenue lot could become two hours. Bonnie VanCampion said something needs to be done with the air space above these buildings and lots before the City sells this lot. Commissioner Michael Lenz reminded everyone that the Council has not yet made a decision on this lot. Jeff Pfeil, developer, said from a business perspective, the City was at a critical point. He said customers are Page 2 of 4 City of Saratoga Springs City Council Meeting Minutes Wednesday, August 14, 2002 complaining more and more about the lack of parking. He said the City needs to catch up on its parking before taking more spaces away. He pointed out that in many cities, when constructing a new building, five spaces per 1,000 square feet of space must be provided. He said both The Saratogian lot and the Hub lot need to be looked at more closely. He said the City should go ahead with the RFP process but should proceed slowly and thoroughly. Judith Bell Smith, President DBA and owner of Design Studio, read a letter into the record from the Downtown Business Association stating that they were against selling this parcel to a private developer at this time. She said they were very concerned with the loss of parking spaces, which could force customers to go elsewhere. She said they would support this proposal only if there was a large number of parking spaces already available. Judith Bell Smith then read a letter from Paul O=Donnell, Celtic Treasures, stating that he believed there was a serious parking problem. He said he was concerned that development of this parcel would only create more congestion. He suggested in a seven story building with the upper levels being used for parking be considered. Judith Bell Smith then read a letter from Ray Morris, owner of Lillian=s, noting that at the August 6 meeting of the Board of the Special Assessment District they voted unanimously for the retention of this parking lot. He said with the turnover of spaces in this lot there are more than 300 cars there throughout the day. He said the Board of the SAD was not in favor of the City selling this lot. Matt McCabe, Saratoga Guitar and Saratoga Music, agreed that the lot should not be sold until there is some firm commitment on what is going on with the City Center first. He said there should then be a round table discussion on the Golub/Price Chopper parking lot. He said it appears that space is becoming more valuable. He said parking in this area is more than just a safety issue. He said there is a lot of activity on the streets and losing the parking spaces would simply make it worse. He said he believed the cost to construct parking spaces at this time is now at about $15,000 per space and he estimated the cost of constructing parking on this site would be approximately $3 million. He said nothing should be started by the City on this lot until the parking issue is solved. He said the City needs to work with both Verizon and The Saratogian. Elliot Masie, Circular Street, said he agreed with most of the previous comments, but he believed these were two separate issues. He said ideally the parking issue would be solved first. He said that he believed there should be a building constructed at this location. He again said these are two separate issues and the parking issue should be solved first. Dale Easter, owner of Professor Moriarity=s said it was his preference to see a building constructed at this location. He said the parking issue was much greater than 43 spaces. He said he was concerned that there were no sidewalks around the parking lot. He said cars go the wrong way and often drive too fast and without sidewalks it was a safety issue for pedestrians. He said he believed there were possibilities to explore with easements for his building, which could be achieved through atriums. He said the real problem needs to be separated and parking needs to be thoroughly reviewed. Cliff Ammon said perhaps if the City was to sell the lot, there could be a covenant added that would allow for two decks for parking in the basement of the new building. He said there is also a handicapped parking issue. He said there is simply not enough of it in the downtown area. He said ultimately it would be nice to have another building in the downtown area. Jacinta Conway, Columbia Avenue, said she was concerned that there seemed to be a loss of spaces near Spa Catholic because when she arrived there the other day and there was a chain across the lot. She said parking is a serious issue in the downtown area. She suggested that a mini master plan be done for the Long Alley area. She also suggested that The Saratogian parking lot be looked at. She said grant funding might be more viable if the City had a plan. She suggested the City consider leasing the land rather than selling it. She also said perhaps employees of the downtown area should be given a sticker for their car and forced to park in lots that are not two hour lots. She said the City should consider installing parking meters. Page 3 of 4 City of Saratoga Springs City Council Meeting Minutes Wednesday, August 14, 2002 Commissioner Michael Lenz informed audience members that the recent tax auction sale brought in about $190,000 which the Council agreed to set aside for parking solution. Also, $70,000 was included in the capital budget. He said there is more than $200,000 set aside for this parking issue and when the City applies for grants or funding from the state or federal government they will recognize that the City is serious about this issue. Bruce Levinsky, Merlin Development, said parking is a City wide problem and he encouraged the Council to take a comprehensive look at this issue. He said based on the comments of this evening, there was no urgent need to sell the parcels. He said he had made an offer to the City to purchase this parcel but if the Council chooses not to accept that offer, he is still interested in pursuing the easement requests. He said it was reassuring to hear one of the adjacent property owners voice his concerns about the lack of sidewalks in the parking area. Pat Kane, 19 Marion Place, said parking is bigger than just this lot. He said his concern was the lack of public bathrooms in the downtown area. He said that he brought this up in 1996 when the City was doing the RFP for the mini mall and he wanted to bring it up again tonight. He said it is important that the City service the needs of the public and that needs to be done with public bathrooms, parking spaces, etc. Sherry Gray, 38 Fifth Avenue, said she is one of those people who shops downtown and she does not want to lose the parking spots on Broadway. She said when she first moved here in 1985 she only had to worry about parking during the four weeks of racing season. She said she now needs to think about this all the time when she comes downtown. She too agreed that bathrooms are needed in the downtown area but not only for the visitors but for the people who live here. Pat Kane asked if a value had been placed on the lot at this time. Mayor Kenneth Klotz said the Real Estate Committee did not recommend doing an appraisal because they believed the fair market value would be determined through the RFP process. ADJOURNMENT There being no further comments, Mayor Kenneth Klotz adjourned the meeting at 8:00 p.m. Respectfully submitted, Kathy Moran Clerk Approved: Page 4 of 4