Board approves demolition and mass-and-scale for 11 Federal Street; developer presents hotel-condo plan

The Design Review Board on July 22 found that the single‑story structure at 11 Federal Street is not historically or architecturally significant, issued a negative declaration under SEQR (the board classified the request as an unlisted action under 6 NYCRR Part 617), and approved both demolition and the mass-and-scale for a proposed mixed-use development.

A project representative explained the site's history (former lumber yard and later a utility headquarters) and said a SHPO communication and other materials were included in the project packet. The applicant’s design team described a two‑mass concept: a five‑story hotel with ground-floor restaurant and event space (approximately 120 keys) and a neighboring condominium building (roughly 21 units) with shared ground-floor activation, a large rooftop terrace and buried/stacked parking enabled by a 12‑ to 15‑foot grade change across the lot. The architect said the condominium is roughly 100,000 square feet (including parking), the hotel about 100,000 square feet including parking, and the overall approach uses brick ornamentation and a curved massing strategy to respond to the site’s railroad and hospitality history.

Board members discussed environmental-review questions (the board completed an unlisted SEQR review and voted for a negative declaration under 6 NYCRR Part 617), possible post-demolition conditions (one member raised concern that demolition without follow-up sometimes leaves vacant, overgrown lots), and the treatment of the corner and Congress Street facades. Public comment included Samantha Bosshardt, executive director of the Saratoga Springs Preservation Foundation, who said the foundation did not object to the demolition or to the mass and scale but asked the project team to be mindful of how the corner and Congress Street facades are treated; a nearby resident, Roger Borgin, asked about parking sufficiency. The applicant responded that the current design shows roughly 140 parking spaces—about 20 spaces above the hotel’s maximum capacity alone—and that parking will be shared between hotel and condos.

Following discussion the board approved the negative SEQR declaration, approved demolition, and then approved mass and scale as shown in the plans. Staff and the applicant will proceed with next-step submissions and typical permitting review.