At the November 1, 2022, Saratoga Springs City Council meeting, Accounts Commissioner Dillon Moran made good on his promise to have temporary outdoor dining sites reviewed by the city’s Design Review Board (DRB).
Beginning January 1,2023, applicants for temporary outdoor dining permits must obtain the approval of the DRB if “the outdoor dining location is located within any area designated within an Architectural Review District, Historic Review District, or City Landmark District”.
For some of us, the bamboo fencing put up by some restaurants on Henry Street and the jersey barriers used to protect diners are quite unattractive. Hopefully, this resolution will address some of these issues.
Saratoga Springs Politics 
The jersey barriers that are used to protect the customers and residents on the street work. It’s a safety issue. Now if you find them ugly get some of the teenagers with their graffiti to paint horses on the barriers.
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I don’t see how anyone can say a Jersey barrier is pretty. They do the job, create safety between passing cars and diners. But UGLY and do nothing for the ambiance. Good luck to the DRB.
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Thanks again John for such a great and informative blog. I have been critical of Dillon, and others who voted down the aggressive panhandling ordinance. Rather than rehash the entire issue, I will simply state that NYC, LA, Albany, and countess other democratic cities have passed these ordinances, and all have passed constitutional muster. Not doing so in Saratoga Springs demonstrates the radical ideology of some of our elected officials in city hall.
On this matter, Dillon is correct and deserves kudos…especially for keeping his word.
Tim Coll
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My comment on this from September 11 – gently edited. There is an alternative to graffiti and ugly bare concrete:
“Getting down to cases, involving the DRC is a splendid idea, as long as they remain aware that there is a seasonal calendar and not gum up the works to have things approved in the middle of winter. But having said that, it is clear that something needs to be done with these Jersey Barriers: enlisting the talent of our community of artists to make things look less like downtown Beirut would be terrific. What good is having conforming buildings and architecture when you block out vistas with slabs of dull concrete? Employ some artists and let’s get some themed murals going! How I wish Hud Armstrong was still with us…
And there is a revenue opportunity here, at least to the extent that the artist’s time and materials could be covered, and maybe more. I could certainly see corporate entities being wiling to “Sponsor a Block,” in return for some tasteful recognition of being a good corporate citizen… Not to put them on the spot, but wouldn’t Saratoga Eagle and DeCrescente be prime candidates to have some sort of seasonal downtown presence? How about Hannaford and Golub Corp?
And to be clear: We are not talking about making the place look like dasher boards at a hockey rink – but something creative that would befit this City’s heritage. Let’s turn necessity into a creative point of pride.”
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