Saratoga County moves to site permanent Code Blue shelter in Saratoga Springs

Saratoga County supervisors on Feb. 19 heard plans for a permanent Code Blue shelter in Saratoga Springs and approved a block of resolutions that includes declaring the board the lead agency for the project’s environmental review and scheduling a public hearing on the county lease.

The board heard a presentation from Charles Gottlieb, land-use counsel at Whiteman, Osterman & Hannah, who said the county-owned parcel at 96–116 Ballston Ave would host a 25,600-square-foot facility on about 1.3 acres. "The project is a 25,600 square foot code blue shelter on the property," Gottlieb said, adding the shelter is designed for 75 Code Blue beds with the ability to host up to 118 beds under emergency circumstances. He described separate bunk areas, kitchen and dining space, locker-room-style bathrooms and on-site office space, and said the shelter would operate when temperatures fall below 32 degrees.

Why it matters: Gottlieb told the board the county needs a permanent Code Blue location to meet New York State requirements and to avoid year-to-year uncertainty about shelter sites and fixed program costs. The project, he said, is part of a multi-step permitting and lease structure that will move county land to the Saratoga County Capital Resource Corporation (CRC) and then to Shelters of Saratoga for development and operation.

Lease and review details: Gottlieb and his partner Dan Hubbell described the proposed transaction as a 40-year ground lease to the CRC structured as a true net lease, with CRC responsible for operations and maintenance and a nominal rent returned to the county. "It would be what we would consider a true net lease and that all costs of operations, maintenance, etc., would be placed upon the CRC," Hubbell said. He said any future changes to the facility would require county approval.

Design and site plan: Brett Strawn of the LO Group reviewed site and design features, saying the parcel has frontage on Ballston and Finley and is near public transportation. Strawn described 32 parking spaces behind the building, accessible parking, proposed sidewalks, and underground stormwater infiltration chambers designed to meet New York State Department of Environmental Conservation requirements. He said the building’s facade is intended to feel residential rather than industrial.

Board action: The clerk presented a long list of resolutions across departments; Resolution 56 would declare the board the lead agency under the state environmental review process and set a public hearing on the county lease for the proposed Code Blue shelter. Supervisor Butler moved, Supervisor Berger seconded, and the board approved the package by roll call, with one supervisor recorded as absent. The approval advances the lease and SEQRA process and authorizes the next step: a public hearing on the county lease and an opportunity for public comment.

Questions and limits: During a brief exchange, an unidentified supervisor asked whether the project design allows straightforward expansion of bed capacity in the future. Gottlieb replied that the current review covers the 75-bed design (118-capacity in emergency use) and that any expansion would require an additional board-level review.

What’s next: The board’s approval authorizes scheduling the public hearing on the county lease to the CRC and begins the formal period for public comment; project materials and the expanded environmental assessment form have been circulated to involved agencies and will be supplemented with written responses to public comments after the hearing.