How many homes is too many for 30-acre Snake Hill overlooking Saratoga Lake?
The Dake family, whose patriarch William is the chairman of Stewart’s Shops, wants to build four. But that’s four more than some lake-area residents want, the Times Union reported.
The Saratoga Lake Association says that particular stretch of land should remain pristine.
“Our members have raised serious concerns regarding the proposed development of Snake Hill,” said its president, Eliot Cresswell, in a letter to local officials. “On behalf of those members and the broader Saratoga Lake community, we appeal to you and the Dake Family to reconsider the current proposed subdivision.”
Cresswell would like to see the land sold to the town for conservation purposes through the state Community Forest Conservation Grant program. It’s not clear if the town or the Dakes, who own the site, would be interested in such a deal.
Chuck Marshall, who heads the development arm of Stewart’s Shops, said the plan for four homes hardly merits the angst it is generating.
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“There are some positive attributes to bringing these houses to the lake, and it’s not a large subdivision,” Marshall told the Times Union. “I can understand the concern in the 20- or 50-house range, but this is a small development.”
Plans have already been submitted to local officials in Stillwater, the newspaper reported. The residences would have large windows and offer views of the lake from three sides. The Dakes would sell the land to Bonacio Construction, which would build and sell the houses.
The proposal asserted that sewer and water hookups for the four luxury homes wouldn’t be a problem. It included a letter from the Department of Environmental Conservation, stating the development is unlikely to threaten any endangered species.
Cresswell isn’t inclined to let it through without a fight, though. He’s imploring members of his association to speak out at upcoming board meetings. The group’s website says it aims to “promote and enhance the health, safety, sanitation, ecology, recreation and environmental quality of the Saratoga Lake area through education, charitable contributions and environmental action.”
[Times Union] — Holden Walter-Warner