Mayor Kelly has announced the establishment of a committee she is calling the Flat Rock Working Group. With broad representation the committee is being asked to rethink not only the City Center proposed parking facility but the city owned parking lots and land adjacent to the City Center. She is quoted in the Saratogian as follows:
“For years the city has continued plans to develop the lots behind City Hall. In partnership with the City Center, we are refining the vision for the city-owned parking lots,” said Kelly. “Our vision includes the creation of an exciting community destination, a rooftop venue, parking for the City Center and city events, improved pedestrian connections from High Rock to Maple Avenue, inclusion of the Greenbelt Trail with new opportunities for green space, an extension of the High Rock Park market, conference meeting space and hopefully the revival of the Flat Rock spring.”
The Saratogian and the Gazette indicated that the membership of the working group is a work in progress but identifies the Saratoga County Chamber of Commerce, the Special Assessment District (downtown), the City Center Authority, Downtown Business Association, Saratoga Convention and Tourism Bureau. The Mayor also plans to appoint neighbors and other “stake holders” including the Pedinottis who own the Mouzon House.
The Pedinottis have an on-going suit against the city regarding the City Center’s plans for a parking facility in this area that has been in the courts for at least two years. They told the Gazette, “If we can come to an agreement that the garage won’t be the same footprint, and that they’ll take our needs and the city’s needs into consideration, we’d be delighted to settle,” she said. “There are a lot of really good things being considered in this new plan, and we’re hopeful it’s something everyone in the city will agree with.”
The city council authorized the Mayor to contract with the L.A. Group for up to $19,500.00 to provide technical support to the group.
Saratoga Springs Politics 
The City should give the Pedinottis the land near Lake Avenue to improve the visibility of their restaurant and then develop the parking garage in the originally proposed location with the former restaurant space.
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The thing is the Pedinottis knew when they bought their property and opened their restaurant that there were plans for the city center to build a parking structure on that city lot so I’m not clear why the city should now just give them the valuable city property on Lake Ave.
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I don’t think that is true. That restaurant has been there a long long time. But I agree that the values of the two properties do not match. The lady that originally owned the Mouzon house fought Urban Renewal and won. UR wanted to tear it down.
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Henry, it is true.
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How long have the Pedinotti’s owned the restaurant? I guess that is the critical question here.
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In a November 2017 Saratogian article titled “Center: Mouzon House Owners Aware Of Plans For Development” http://www.saratogian.com/article/ST/20171107/NEWS/171109832
The article includes the following:
The release said minutes from a Jan. 12, 2005 city Planning Board meeting stated: “The board noted that it is likely that the adjacent public parking lot will be redeveloped and that there could be a large building constructed which [would] block the sun to this property. The Pedinotti’s lawyer said that the applicant is aware of this possibility and will not oppose such efforts to redevelop the property.”
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How many others have fought the city and not been included on a decision making committee or commission, something here is wrong on many levels. The fox now makes the decisions? I may point out that Mouzon has not recused themselves. The garbage area the restaurant uses is not their property, this is evidence of their over expanding, one that the city code enforcers need to enforce, so where are they on this code enforcement? Placing solar in a potential iffy low valley area was their purposeful decision to stave off taller development and use a self created issue as their complaint? At best the city could allow the move to place panels on the parking garage…not just allow a private entity to restrict use of City Airspace or needed and expected parking. Parking that the other business owners in town need. Those others have rights too!… as well as the general public taxpayers too. This is blatant favoritism the way I see it. City officials, Stop doinking around and build it.
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