One hundred sixty-eight apartments in three large buildings. That is what is still proposed for 125 Bath Street, after every existing building on the site is demolished.

The applicant has made changes — the maximum height has come down from five stories to four, and the project now seeks a special-use permit instead of variances. But the changes are procedural, not substantive. The scale that concerned this village has not changed:

• 168 units on a single downtown parcel
• Large, unbroken building massing
• Significant visual impact from Bath Street, nearby homes, and the Jim Tedisco Fitness Trail
• Retail removed, leaving a residential-only project, the village was promised mixed use

Fitting inside the numbers in a zoning table does not make a building right for its site. That is precisely why the Village requires a special-use permit: the Zoning Board of Appeals must find that the proposed use is compatible with the site, the surrounding neighborhood, village character, public infrastructure, and the orderly growth of Ballston Spa. Height, density, drainage, public streets, pedestrian walkways, and future growth are all matters the Village's own zoning materials place squarely within that review.

We are not asking the Boards to reject housing. Ballston Spa needs homes, and this brownfield site should be redeveloped. We are asking for development built to the scale of the village that surrounds it.

We ask the Village Boards to require a genuinely village-scale alternative for 125 Bath Street:

1.  Fewer than 100 units
2. No more than three stories
3. Meaningful retail or commercial frontage on Bath Street
4. Smaller, stepped, broken-up building massing rather than long continuous walls
5. Real protection for the Tedisco Trail viewshed, adjacent homes, mature trees, drainage, traffic, parking, and public views

Approve a project this village will still be proud of in fifty years. Please sign, and please tell the ZBA that "it meets the dimensions" is not the same as "it belongs here."

Act before Wednesday, September 23

The Planning Board is preparing its recommendation to the Zoning Board of Appeals. Written comments reach both boards at a single address: 

PBZBComments@ballstonspa.gov

A few sentences in your own words carries more weight than a form letter. Include your name and street, say how the project affects you.

Show up

The Planning Board generally meets on the 2nd Wednesday of each month at 7 pm — next expected October 14. The Zoning Board of Appeals generally meets last Wednesday at 7 pm — next expected October 28 (September 30 meeting cancelled). Locations vary; confirm dates, times, and places at ballstonspa.gov.

If you personally know any board member, reach out directly and urge them to require a smaller, lower, mixed-use project.
 
Zoning Board of Appeals

• Kevin McDonough (Acting Chair)
• James Jurcsak
• John Luciani
• Peter Champagne
• Kamran Parwana
• Paul Laskey (alternate)
• Donna Martin (alternate)
   

Planning Board

• Scott Burlingame (Chair)
• Pete Martin
• Bob Bush Jr.
• Mike Morrissey
• Sean Hinkley
• Alt seats open

Three things you can do today

• Email PBZBComments@ballstonspa.gov before September 23.
• Share this updated petition with neighbors, especially Trail users and Bath Street residents.
• Attend the next ZBA and Planning Board meetings — a full room changes the tone of a meeting.

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