A. 
The Planning Board of the City of Saratoga Springs has been established in accordance with Chapter 21 of the Consolidated Laws, Article 3, Laws of 1926, Chapter 690, amended by laws of 1929, Chapter 605; 1938, Chapter 205; 1944, Chapter 185.
B. 
The City Council, by ordinance passed May 17, 1946, did delegate to the Planning Board the authority to adopt rules and regulations with respect to procedure before it.
C. 
The City Council, in accord with Article 3, Section 32 of the New York State General City Law, authorizes and empowers the City of Saratoga Springs Planning Board to approve preliminary and final subdivision plats. Such authority includes administrative actions of the Planning Board and/or Planning Board Chairperson.
D. 
Enforcement of this chapter shall lie with the same officer charged with the duty of enforcing the City's Zoning Ordinance.
A. 
This chapter is adopted for the following purposes:
(1) 
To protect and provide for the public health, safety, and general welfare of the residents of the City of Saratoga Springs, hereinafter referred to as the "City".
(2) 
To guide the future growth and development of the City of Saratoga Springs in accordance with the City's Comprehensive Plan.
(3) 
To provide for adequate light, air, and privacy, to secure safety from fire, flood, and other danger, and to prevent overcrowding of the land and undue congestion of population.
(4) 
To protect the character and the social and economic stability of all parts of the City of Saratoga Springs and to encourage the orderly and beneficial development of the community through appropriate growth management techniques assuring the timing and sequencing of development, promotion of infill development in existing neighborhoods and nonresidential areas with adequate public facilities, to assure proper urban form and open space separation of urban areas, to protect environmentally critical areas and areas premature for urban development.
(5) 
To protect and conserve the value of land throughout the City of Saratoga Springs and the value of buildings and improvements upon the land, and to minimize the conflicts among the uses of land and buildings.
(6) 
To guide public and private policy and action in order to provide adequate and efficient transportation, water, sewerage, schools, parks, playgrounds, recreation, and other public requirements and facilities.
(7) 
To provide the most beneficial relationship between the uses of land and buildings and the circulation of traffic throughout the City of Saratoga Springs, having particular regard to the avoidance of congestion in the streets and highways and the pedestrian traffic movements appropriate to the various uses of land and buildings, and to provide for the proper location and width of streets and building lines.
(8) 
To establish reasonable standards of design and procedures for subdivisions and re-subdivisions in order to further the orderly layout and use of land, and to ensure proper legal descriptions and "monumenting" of subdivided land.
(9) 
To ensure that public services are available concurrent with development and will have a sufficient capacity to serve the proposed subdivision and that the City will be required to bear no more than its fair share of the cost of providing the facilities and services through requiring the developer to pay fees, furnish land, or establish mitigation measures to ensure that the development provides its fair share of capital facilities needs generated by the development.
(10) 
To prevent the pollution of air, streams, and ponds; to assure the adequacy of drainage facilities; to safeguard the water table, and to encourage the wise use and management of natural resources throughout the City of Saratoga Springs in order to preserve the integrity, stability, and beauty of the City and the value of the land.
(11) 
To preserve the natural beauty and topography of the City of Saratoga Springs and to ensure appropriate development with regard to these natural features.
(12) 
To provide for open spaces through the most efficient design and layout of the land, including the use of average density in providing for minimum width and area of lots, while preserving the density of development as established in the zoning ordinance of the City of Saratoga Springs.
(13) 
To ensure that land is subdivided only when subdivision is necessary to provide for uses of land for which market demand exists and which area in the public interest.
(14) 
To remedy the problems associated with inappropriately subdivided lands, including premature subdivision, excess subdivision, partial or incomplete subdivision, scattered and low-grade subdivision.
B. 
It is declared to be the policy of the City of Saratoga Springs to consider land subdivision plats as part of a plan for the orderly, efficient and economical development of the City. This shall be interpreted to include the following objectives, which will guide the Planning Board's decisions.
(1) 
Land to be subdivided shall be of such character that it can be used safely for building purposes without danger to health or peril from fire, flood or other menace.
(2) 
Proper provision shall be made for water supply, sewerage, drainage and other needed public improvements and utilities.
(3) 
Proposed streets shall compose a convenient system conforming to the City's Comprehensive Plan, and/or Official Map as they may be adopted.
(4) 
Streets shall be of such width, grade and location as to accommodate present and prospective traffic.
(5) 
All development shall be so situated on the lot to assure that there is provision for adequate light and air for occupants.
(6) 
All development shall facilitate adequate fire protection and provide access for firefighting equipment.
(7) 
Open space for parks and playgrounds shall be shown on the subdivision plat where appropriate.
(8) 
In case any of this chapter shall conflict or be inconsistent with any provision of the General City Law, the relevant provisions of the General City Law shall apply.
This chapter shall be known and cited as "the Subdivision Regulations of the City of Saratoga Springs, New York," or may be referred to as "Saratoga Springs Subdivision Regulations."
For the purpose of this chapter, the following words and terms shall have the meanings indicated:
ACCESS
A way or means to provide physical entrance to a property or physical element of the landscape.
ALLEY
A service road with one-way or two-way traffic providing a secondary means of public access to abutting property and not intended for general traffic circulation.
APPLICANT
The owner, or purchaser under contract, of land proposed for subdivision or his representative. Consent shall be required from the legal owner of the premises.
APPLICANT'S ENGINEER
A professional licensed by the State of New York to perform design of improvements and retained by the applicant.
BOARD
The Planning Board of the City of Saratoga Springs as established in accord with the codes of the City of Saratoga Springs or any person authorized by the Planning Board to act as its representative.
BUFFER
An area of dimensional separation between land uses, buildings, or structures, which is undeveloped, with installed screening and/or undisturbed and left in a natural condition.
CITY
Means the City of Saratoga Springs, or other entity or person authorized to act as the official representative by law for the function referred to.
CITY ENGINEER
A licensed professional engineer, either employee or consultant, who shall perform the duties of the City Engineer for purposes of this chapter.
CLUSTER
A development design technique that concentrates buildings and structures on a limited area of a parcel to allow the remaining parcel area to be permanently left as open space.
COMMISSIONER OF PUBLIC SAFETY
The presently elected Commissioner of Public Safety of the City or his designee. The Commissioner heads the Department of Public Safety.
COMMISSIONER OF PUBLIC WORKS
The presently elected Commissioner of Public Works of the City or his designee. The Commissioner heads the City's Department of Public Works.
COMPREHENSIVE PLAN
The document adopted by the City Council containing policies for the general development of the City, which indicates the general location for physical growth of the community, together with any and all amendments thereto.
CONSERVATION EASEMENT
A perpetual restriction on the use of land, created in accordance with the provisions of Article 49, Title 3 of the Environmental Conservation Law or § 247 of the General Municipal Law, for the purposes of conservation of open space, agricultural land, and natural, cultural, historic, and scenic resources.
CONSERVATION SUBDIVISION
A pattern of development that places housing units on those portions of a property most suitable for development, while leaving substantial portions as undeveloped open space. Such subdivisions may include a variety of lot sizes, ranging from large farms or estate lots to lots similar in size to those found in hamlet or village settings.
CONSTRAINED LAND
As used in the conservation subdivisions, land classified as wetlands, watercourses, one-hundred-year floodplains, and slopes over 25% (2,000 square feet or more) of contiguous sloped area.
CONSTRUCTION
Refers to clearing, grading, paving, utility and miscellaneous construction in public rights-of-way or easements as shown on the subdivision plat plan and the commencement of excavation for or the building of any structure, including accessory structures and subsurface utility systems, or the commencement of moving or alteration of any structure. This does not refer to privately owned construction covered by building permits.
CONSTRUCTION PLAN
The drawings showing location, profile and size of sewers, drains, water mains, roads and streets, and other details of construction.
CONVENTIONAL SUBDIVISION
Any subdivision in the Rural Residential (RR), Suburban Residential-1 and 2 (SR-1 and SR-2) Districts that is not a clustered or conservation subdivision and that satisfies the area requirements in Article II of the Zoning ordinance.[1]
DENSITY
The number of families, individuals, dwelling units, households, or housing structures per unit of land.
DEVELOPER AGREEMENT
An agreement between the City and the developer through which the City agrees to vest development use or intensity or refrain from interfering with subsequent phases or development through new legislation in exchange for provision of public facilities or amenities by the developer in excess of those required under current community regulations. Such agreements shall include "inclusionary housing agreements," etc.
DEVELOPMENT
The construction, reconstruction, conversion, structural, alteration, relocation, or enlargement of any structure; any land disturbance; and any use or extension of the use of the land; the division of a parcel of land into two or more lots.
DOUBLE FRONTAGE LOTS
Lots with more than one lot line abutting existing or proposed streets.
DRAFT ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT STATEMENT (DEIS)
A preliminary description for public review and comment and prepared in accord with the NYS State Environmental Quality Review Act (SEQRA) of the effect of a proposed action or development project on the environment consisting of an inventory of existing environmental conditions at the project site and what potential impacts may result.
EASEMENT
Authorization by an owner for the use, by others for a specific purpose, of a designated part of his property.
FINAL ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT STATEMENT (FEIS)
A collection of the responses made to comments received from the public and involved agencies regarding the content of the DEIS files in accord with the State Environmental Quality Review Act (SEQRA).
FINAL PLAT
The final map upon which the owner's plan of subdivision is presented to the Board for approval, and which, if approved shall be submitted to the County Clerk for recording. The final plat is submitted as part of the final submission.
FINAL PLAT APPROVAL
The signing of the plat in final form by a duly authorized officer of the Board pursuant to a Board decision granting final approval to the plat, or after conditions specified in a decision granting conditional approval of the plat are completed. Such final approval qualifies the plat for recording in the Office of the Saratoga County Clerk.
FINAL REVIEW
Refers to the complete process of reviewing a final submission and issuing a final plat approval or disapproval by the Board.
FINAL SUBMISSION
Refers to the final plat and all other documents the subdivider is required to submit for final review of a subdivision by the Board.
FINANCIAL SECURITY
Monetary backing provided by the owner, from a bank or financial institution, which guarantees the City that a specific amount of money will be kept available for the completion of subdivision construction. Said financial security is to be drawn on only by the City.
FLAG LOT
A lot with narrow frontage and narrow lot width at the front portion of the lot and widening or wider lot width to the rear portion of the lot.
GROWTH MANAGEMENT
Techniques utilized by the City to guide the rate, amount, location, timing, and type of development.
INCLUSIONARY ZONING
Regulations in the zoning ordinance focused on the provision of housing units affordable to individuals and families of specified income ranges.
LAND DEVELOPMENT ACTIVITY
Construction activity including clearing, grading, excavating, soil disturbance or placement of fill that results in land disturbance of equal or greater than one acre, or activities disturbing less than one acre of total land area that is part of a larger common plan of development or sale, even though multiple separate and distinct land development activities may take place at different times on different schedules.
LOT
As it relates to subdivisions, a parcel or portion of land separated from other parcel or portions by description on a subdivision map, survey map or by metes and bounds, for purpose, whether immediate or future, of sale, lease or separate use.
LOT LINE
A properly surveyed and recorded line bounding a lot that divides one lot from another lot or from a public or private street or any other public or private parcel.
LOT LINE ADJUSTMENT
The resetting of lot line of a lot and not resulting in any additional lots.
METES AND BOUNDS
A method of describing the boundaries of land by directions and distances from a known point of reference.
MINOR ADJUSTMENT
A nonsubstantive change to an approved plat that does not result in nonconformities with the prior approval or zoning ordinance.
MODEL HOME
A dwelling unit used initially for display purposes, which typifies the type of units that will be constructed in the subdivision. Such dwelling units may be erected, at the discretion of the Board as set forth in Appendix G, § 2S.
MONUMENT
A boundary or survey marker.
NEIGHBORHOOD
An area of the City with characteristics that distinguish it from other areas of the City. These include, but are not limited to, distinct architectural characteristics, historical destinations, unique features of physical design, schools or social clubs, or boundaries as defined by built physical barriers such as roadways or natural features such as waterways or unique concentrations of flora or fauna.
NONRESIDENTIAL SUBDIVISION
A subdivision whose intended use is other than residential, such as commercial or industrial. Such subdivision shall comply with the applicable provisions of this chapter.
OFFICIAL MAP (IF ANY)
A map established by the City Council of Saratoga Springs under § 26 of the General City Law, showing the streets, highways and parks theretofore laid out, adopted and established by law and all changes or additions thereto made under the provisions of the General City Law § 29.
ONE-HUNDRED-YEAR FLOODPLAIN
Land subject to a one-percent or greater chance of flooding in any given year as specified in the City Code Chapter 120, Flood Damage Prevention.
ONE-WAY STREET
A road that provides for the movement of vehicles in a single direction.
ON-STREET PARKING
A temporary storage area for a motor vehicle that is located on a street and outside of the travel lane.
OWNER
Any person, group of persons, firm or firms, corporation or corporations, or any other legal entity having legal title to, sufficient proprietary interest in, or under option to the land sought to be subdivided under this chapter.
PARK LAND
A tract of land, designated and used by the public for active and/or passive recreation.
PERFORMANCE BOND
An obligation in writing, under seal, issued by a surety company, satisfactory to the City, binding the obligator to pay a sum of money to the City if the obligor fails to satisfactorily install and/or maintain improvements as required under § 33 of the General City Law, including escrow agreement and other similar collateral or surety agreements.
PLAT
A. 
A map representing a tract of land illustrating the boundaries and location of individual properties and streets.
B. 
A map of a subdivision or planned unit development site plan.
PRE-CONSTRUCTION
Any construction begun prior to approval of a subdivision or issuance of a building permit. Excavation for site investigations, and customary agricultural activity are to be exempt.
PRELIMINARY PLAT APPROVAL
The approval of the layout of a proposed subdivision as set forth in a preliminary subdivision plat but subject to the approval of the plat in a final form in accordance with the provisions set forth in these subdivision regulations.
PRELIMINARY SUBDIVISION PLAT
A drawing showing the salient features of a proposed subdivision submitted to the Board for its consideration prior to submission of the final plat. The preliminary plat is submitted as part of the preliminary submission.
PUBLIC SERVICE
A function relating to the health, safety and welfare of the general population.
PUBLIC UTILITY
A closely regulated private enterprise with an exclusive franchise for providing a public service deemed necessary for the public health, safety and welfare.
PUBLIC UTILITY FACILITIES
Telephone, electric and cable television lines, poles, equipment and structures; water or gas pipes, mains, valves or structures; sewer pipes, valves or structures; pumping stations; telephone exchanges and repeater stations; and all other facilities, equipment and structures necessary for conducting a service by a government or a public utility.
RIGHT-OF-WAY
A strip of land acquired by reservation, dedication, forced dedication, prescription or condemnation and intended to be occupied by a road, crosswalk, railroad, electric transmission lines, oil or gas pipeline, water line, sanitary sewer, storm sewer and other similar uses.
ROAD
See "street."
ROADWAY
Refers to the portion of a street which is designated for vehicle use.
RURAL ROAD
A vehicular way that may be existing or shown on a plat that may incorporate the elements of a street except for curbs, gutters and sidewalks and exists within areas with a low intensity of development.
SCREENING
A method of visually shielding or obscuring one abutting or nearby structure or use from another by fencing, walls, berms, or densely planted vegetation.
SEQRA
The State Environmental Quality Review Act of New York State as defined in 6 NYCRR 617.
SKETCH PLAN
A concept, informal map of a proposed subdivision or planned unit development site plan of sufficient accuracy to be used for the purpose of discussion and classification.
SMALL RURAL ROAD
A vehicular way that may be existing or shown on a plat that may incorporate the elements of a street except for curbs, gutters and sidewalks and exists within areas with a low intensity of development where natural features of the environment are highly prevalent or designed in a manner to have minimal impact to the natural features of the landscape and width of pavement is minimal.
SPDES GENERAL PERMIT FOR CONSTRUCTION ACTIVITIES GP-02-01
A permit under the New York State Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (SPDES) issued to developers of construction activities to regulate disturbance of one or more acres of land.
STREAM
A watercourse having a source and a terminus, banks and channel through which water flows at least periodically.
STREET
A way for vehicular traffic, whether designated as a street, arterial, highway, thoroughfare, parkway, thruway, road, avenue, boulevard, land, cul-de-sac, place or however otherwise designated, including the entire area within the right-of-way, which is an existing maintained state, county or City roadway, or a street or way shown upon a plat heretofore approved by official action and includes the land between the street lines whether improved or unimproved and may comprise pavements, shoulders, gutters, curbs, sidewalks, parking areas and other areas within the street lines. For purposes of this chapter, streets shall be classified by the City's Engineering Standards and are described in Appendix H.
SUBDIVISION
The division of a lot, tract, or parcel of land into two or more lots.
SURVEY
The process of precisely ascertaining the area dimensions of a piece of land and conducted by an individual licensed by the New York State Department of Education. This process may also involve ascertaining the precise location of naturally occurring or built features, and topography.
UNCONSTRAINED LAND
All land that is not constrained land.
UNIT (or DWELLING UNIT)
A room or group of rooms providing complete housekeeping facilities for one household.
URBAN LOCAL STREET
A road that provides land access and traffic circulation within residential neighborhoods. Urban local streets are typically narrow in width when compared to an urban street with parking on one side. Urban local streets also carry traffic to urban streets and have lower traffic volumes.
URBAN STREET
A road that provides land access and traffic circulation within residential neighborhoods and commercial and industrial areas. Urban streets are wider in width with parking on two sides. Urban streets also carry traffic from local streets to the arterial system. Urban streets generally carry more than 1,000 vehicle trips per day.
USABLE LAND
Class A Type refers to developable land generally devoid of wetlands, drainage courses, steep slopes, etc. Class B Type refers to land not suitable generally for development except for passive open space.
WATERCOURSE
Any stream, pond, lake, drainage channel, or other area of land that is normally filled with water. Boundaries of a watercourse shall be measured at the high-water mark.
WETLAND
An area of land that is characterized by hydrophytic vegetation, saturated soils, or periodic inundation, which is classified as a wetland or by either the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.
ZONING BOARD OF APPEALS
The Board established in accord with the codes of the City of Saratoga Springs.
ZONING ORDINANCE
The adopted current law of the City, together with any and all amendments thereto that provides a delineation of districts and the establishment of regulations governing the use, placement, spacing; and size of lots, structures, and buildings.[2]
[1]
Editor's Note: See Ch. 240, Zoning.
[2]
Editor's Note: See Ch. 240, Zoning.