Glens Falls City Planning Board approves restaurant at 21 Ridge Street, conditions set for fire and health permits

The Glens Falls City Planning Board granted site-plan approval on April 1, 2026, for SP26-0012 to convert a vacant commercial space at 21 Ridge Street into a restaurant and catering business owned by the operator of Scratch Kitchen.

The applicant, owner of Scratch Kitchen, told the board the business would serve breakfast and lunch Tuesday through Saturday (breakfast service beginning at 7:30 a.m., with Saturday brunch) and aims to add dinner service Thursday–Saturday by summer if staffing and a liquor license are secured. “I’m a scratch kitchen, so I make everything homemade,” the applicant said, describing the menu and staffing plans.

The nut graf: While the board approved the plan, members attached conditions tied to public-safety and health approvals. Planning staff relayed fire-department comments requiring a fire inspection, verification of sprinkler and fire-alarm systems (including whether monitoring is connected to upstairs apartments), and documentation for a commercial hood system; the approval was made “subject to the fire department comments and any other permits required by New York State Department of Health.”

Board members and a consultant from the Falls Housing Authority raised parking and access concerns. Stephanie, a Falls Housing Authority consultant, said the authority’s lot is heavily used by residents and downtown vendors and that deliveries sometimes block resident entry. “Our residents can’t get in if there’s people there blocking,” Stephanie said, asking that restaurants and vendors avoid blocking the lot. Board members suggested enforcement and neighborly coordination as mitigation and recommended the applicant consult off-site parking options; after the vote one board member suggested contacting the owner of a nearby parking lot with available spaces.

The applicant answered technical and code questions about hood placement and trash logistics: the hood will be rerun to align vents over appliances, fire extinguishers will be serviced, and the applicant plans to add a dumpster and coordinate placement with the landlord and the collection company. The applicant said a rear door will be used by staff and deliveries only and will not be an entrance for patrons.

The board recorded the approval with the stated conditions; the motion was moved and seconded and approval was taken by voice. The board did not record a roll-call tally in the transcript. Next steps for the applicant include satisfying the fire-department inspection items, providing documentation of sprinkler and alarm status, obtaining any required New York State Department of Health permits, and completing the city sign-permit process.