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To Our City Council Members & Deputy Commissioners,

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To Our City Council Members & Deputy Commissioners,

The board and members of Bikeatoga Inc. have reviewed this UDO to ensure that the principles of the 2012 Complete Street Policy, the 2012 Greenbelt Trail Plan and the 2016 Complete Street Plan are thoroughly represented within this document.

We urge the City Council Members and City Commissioners to ensure this Ordinance pushes our developers and City to continue to improve the walkability and bikeability of Saratoga Springs. Connected sidewalks, bike lanes, and safe roadways improve quality of life for residents, promote wellness of residents, and benefit local businesses. Increased walking and cycling decreases vehicular traffic and in turn improves sound and air quality of the surrounding area. Safe sidewalks and bike lanes are essential for the health and safety of our community and are valuable for our businesses and tourism industry. The connectivity plans within the Greenbelt Trail and Complete Streets Plan outline a vision for Saratoga that benefits our residents, visitors, and the Saratoga County community at large. We want this UDO to do the same.

There are two key elements from the 2016 Complete Streets Plan1 which are glaringly absent from this UDO. First, the Complete Streets Checklist2 is not referenced anywhere in the UDO. The checklist is identified in the Complete Streets Plan on page 11 as follows: “the Complete Streets Checklist is now utilized to review proposed capital projects to ensure that Complete Streets accommodations are consistently integrated.” Second, the Complete Streets Plan notes the importance of integrating the Complete Streets Committee with City departmental activities, including the annual paving program with Public Works and striping/signage with Public Safety. These two structural elements- the Checklist and role of the Committee- are essential to

ensuring our city makes Complete Streets a principal part of development. We recommend adding another article that addresses Complete Streets and retains the work of the Complete Streets Plan and Policy, which may reference Articles 10 and 18 for fine-tuned detail on parking and roadways respectively.

The Saratoga website notes on the UDO webpage that this document should serve as an “easy-to-read reference document” and that it is a “coordinated, user-friendly document.” We found this UDO to be unreasonably dense and challenging for community members to navigate. We strongly suggest exploring additional user friendly options moving forward, such as improved article titles, a revised Executive Summary, and a Frequently Asked Questions document. We offer the following comments and suggestions below, as we want a UDO that makes a clear commitment to community connections via sidewalks, buffered bike lanes, painted bike lanes, parking and infrastructure.

Thank you for your time and consideration. Bikeatoga Inc.

William C Ryan, President & Complete Streets Committee Member Dan Lynch, Vice-President

Brad Beal, Treasurer

Jennifer Natyzak, Secretary Matthew Hoctor

Janette Kaddo Marino

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Re: 10.1.B.

We applaud the City for planning for car sharing programs in city parking facilities, as this will facilitate bike commuting and support those who do not own vehicles.

Re: 10.3

Bicycle parking should be incorporated into these garage requirements. We suggest replicating requirements from figure 10-B for required accessible parking with the exact ratio of 1 bike parking space for 1 to 25 total parking spots, 2 bike parking spaces for 26-50 total parking, etc. Re: 10.5.E

Table 10-C does not sufficiently meet the bike parking needs of cyclists. We recommend replicating the metrics from Figure 10-B regarding accessible parking spots for bike parking. Furthermore, we encourage consulting the Complete Streets Committee and Bikeatoga for a revised list to ensure the community’s needs are met.

Table 10-C does not include bike parking requirements to the following “use” categories. We highlight these items below, as they are areas that serve a significant cyclist population.

Ø

Day Care Center: Child Day Care

Ø

Day Care Center: Small Day Care

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Day Care Center: Social Adult Day Care

Ø

Dwelling- Two-Family

Ø

Food Bank

Ø

Food Pantry

Ø

Residential Care Facility

Ø

Shelter, Domestic Violence

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Shelter, Emergency

Ø

Shelter, Homeless

We want to draw your attention to the following “Use” items. The original “Required Total Bicycle Spaces” lists excessive GFA minimums and would likely result in 0 bicycle parking spaces.

Ø

Eating and Drinking Establishment- currently reads “Over 5,000 sf of GFA: 1 per 1,500sf GFA”

Ø

Financial Institution- currently reads “Over 5,000sf GFA; 1 per 1,500sf GFA”

Ø

Financial Institution, Alternative- currently reads “Over 5,000sf GFA; 1 per 1,500sf GFA”

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Live Performance Venue- currently reads “1 per 2,500sf GFA”

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Office- currently reads “Over 5,000sf GFA; 1 per 1,500sf GFA”

Ø

Personal Service Establishment- currently reads “Over 10,000sf GFA; 1 per 2,500sf GFA”

Ø

Research and Development- currently reads “Over 10,000sf GFA; 1 per 2,500sf GFA”

Ø

Social Service Center- currently reads “Over 5,000sf GFA; 1 per 1,500sf GFA”

Ø

Specialty Food Service- currently reads “Over 5,000sf GFA; 1 per 1,500sf GFA” Re: 10.7

This section needs additional detail regarding bike parking design to ensure clear

communication with developers. We recommend incorporating the graphics from Appendix 1 into this section to ensure bike parking is efficient, effective, and accessible. These graphics are from the Association of Pedestrian and Bicycle Professionals. Reference this document:

“Essentials of Bike Parking” from Association of Pedestrian and Bike Professionals. (September 2015). https://www.apbp.org/assets/docs/EssentialsofBikeParking_FINA.pdf

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Re: 18.5

It is essential that builders budget sufficiently to ensure complete and thorough installation of sidewalks and lanes. We suggest adding an additional item to this article which references the New York Department of Transportation (NYDOT) for surveying fees and appropriating funding. Re: 18.5.C

Provisions MUST be put in place that ensure a sidewalk and/or multi-use path is required; there should be NO fee-in-lieu payment, as Complete Streets are a requirement of all construction. The Complete Streets Checklist3 should be identified and provided here. The developer should complete the checklist and submit it with the project proposal for approval and comment to the Complete Streets Committee. The Complete Streets Committee should have reports on the project progress through construction and completion.

18.7

We commend the City on these standards, and offer two suggestions. First, that there must be a statement enforcing uniformity between bike lane construction and painting throughout the city. As the Greenbelt Trail continues to develop over the coming years, this pathway should

maintain a cohesive aesthetic with design, signage, and painting. Second, an article should be added here to require “buffered” or protected bike lanes to be considered for every bike lane design (note “buffered bike lanes” noted in item C). Buffered bike lanes are the safest for cyclists and vehicles, and protected lanes result in significantly more riders than painted lanes without protection.

We have added images of intersections and protected bike lanes in Appendix 2 below that should be incorporated.

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Appendix 1.

Graphics from “Essentials of Bike Parking” from Association of Pedestrian and Bike Professionals. (September 2015).

https://www.apbp.org/assets/docs/EssentialsofBikeParking_FINA.pdf

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Appendix 2.

Pictures below are from People for Bikes, January 2015 article “City Planning Software Jumps on the Protected Bike Lane Trend” http://peopleforbikes.org/blog/city-planning-software-jumps-on-the-protected-bike-lane-trend/

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