Code Blue issue eyed by board
Appeal filed over project being considered a neighborhood rooming house
SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. » The city’s Zoning Board of Appeals heard arguments Monday at a packed room in City Hall about whether the proposed Code Blue shelter should be considered a neighborhood rooming house.
In June, the zoning board said an appeal made by a group of neighbors near 14 Walworth Street, where Shelters of Saratoga proposed an expansion to give the Code Blue shelter a permanent home, was not filed soon enough. The group is appealing the building inspector’s determination the proposed shelter, going by what is listed in the city code, is a neighborhood rooming house.
The neighbors have said they are concerned the Code Blue shelter — which provides shelter for the homeless on nights when the temperature dips below 32 degrees — is a bad fit for the neighborhood, and could negatively impact those people already living in the vicinity.
A judge eventually ruled that appeal was filed in time, which led to the meeting Monday.
The zoning board didn’t vote on the matter Monday. The board is expected to decide the issue Jan. 8. The Code Blue shelter is tem-
rarily operating at Soul Saving Station Church this winter.
Claudia Braymer, representing 22 concerned neighbors who made the appeal, argued against the proposed shelter as a neighborhood rooming house within the city’s Urban Residential-4 zoning district.
Braymer referenced the city’s code, which requires a neighborhood rooming house to be a single-family or a two-family residential structure owned or occupied or under the supervision of a resident manger under which one to four rooms are made available to lodgers for compensation for a rental period of no less than 28 consecutive days. A common kitchen facility may be available to lodgers but shall have no kitchen facilities in the guest rooms.
Braymer said that in essence there were three main requirements which the proposed shelter does not meet: it must be offered in a single-family or two-family residential structure, must be made available to lodgers for compensation and the rental period must be a minimum of 28-consecutive days.
The zoning board and Braymer spoke back and forth about hypothetical situations.
For example, a resolution was established when the planning board initially approved the construction of the Code Blue shelter in July — namely, that Code Blue will only operate when the statemandated Code Blue alert is in effect and all nighttime activities outside the shelter should end at 10 p.m., among others.
Braymer said that even if the rules were stripped away, the shelter wouldn’t be defined as a neighborhood rooming house.
“Even if they got rid of the conditions saying they have to leave every morning and they can stay 28 days, it’s still 50 people inside an institutional facility,” said Braymer. “It doesn’t meet the definition of a neighborhood rooming house.”
Libby Coreno, of Carter Conboy LLC, representing the Shelters of Saratoga — which operates the Code Blue program — said the proposed Code Blue facility is considered a neighborhood rooming house because it’s a residential building, has two units, can be accessed from the outside and through a hall and has a complete kitchen for occupant use only.
Coreno argued that in regards to compensation, the building inspector, Steve Shaw, found that “outside funding including grants and donations” to be interpreted as “compensation.”
Lastly, Coreno said the Code Blue shelter would meet the minimum of 28-consecutive days being opened because the facility will remain available from late fall through the end of winter. The facility only opens when the weather is under 32 degrees, but Coreno said Shaw found that “lodgers maintain their residency throughout based on the fact that they are allowed to keep personal items on site and may receive mail or other messages during the residency period.”
Following the arguments, the board opened up the floor for the public meeting. The board chairman, Bill Moore, urged the public to only comment about the proposed shelter meeting the neighborhood rooming house definition, and not about having a homeless shelter in a residential neighborhood.
Some people explained why the proposed shelter should or should not be considered a neighborhood rooming house. But others shared stories about the benefits of the Code Blue shelter, while other people said the neighborhood shouldn’t include a homeless shelter.
The neighbors released a statement following Monday’s meeting.
“We remain steadfast in our position that the proposed Code Blue structure is using an erroneous interpretation as a neighborhood rooming house that is not compliant in the city’s zoning ordinance,” said the neighbors in a statement. “As we have said before and will say again, homelessness in Saratoga Springs and Saratoga County must be addressed with care and common sense. This proposed institutional facility does not take into account either the proper care or common sense measures needed to provide the right solution for homelessness in the community.”
The proposed Code Blue shelter would be a 50bed facility with a large kitchen, laundry room, men’s and women’s sleeping rooms, multiple showers and bathrooms, a large storage area for donated food and clothing, and would have a small Code Blue office.