The group that would become the Saratoga Springs Open Space Project (OSP) came together loosely in 1987. Its purpose was to help the city develop an open space supplement to the 1987 Saratoga Springs Master Plan. The OSP organized as an offshoot of the Saratoga Institute, a not-for-profit educational organization directed by Barbara Glaser. The OSP officially formed a board of directors in 1990. It produced the Open Space Plan, its vision for a "City in the Country" in 1991.

The Open Space Plan included 24 recommendations for the preservation of historic, natural, and rural spaces as wells as landmarks in the city of Saratoga Springs. It was widely distributed through presentations and open meetings. In 1993, the plan was revised and formally published through a grant provided by Rural New York's Environmental Action Fund. The Saratoga Springs City Council adopted the plan in 1994. The OSP continued to develop the plan and the Council unanimously accepted its updated form in 2002.

The Open Space Project continued to work for the preservation of open space in Saratoga Springs. The OSP supported the creation of nature trails, scenic walkways, and biking paths through programs like the ISTEA Rails to Trails program. Working with funds obtained through donations and grants, the OSP helped create the Bog Meadow Brook Nature Trail, Spring and Railroad Run Trails, Ramsdill Park, Ten Springs Woods Park, and a forty-seven mile looping recreational trail system throughout the city of Saratoga Springs.

The OSP has also vigorously opposed sprawl and loss of open space by organizing opposition to unsustainable development. One such campaign was the OSP's opposition to the construction of a truck bypass through the southern section of Saratoga Spa State Park. This opposition included the "Undiscovered Park" exhibit, an exhibition of art inspired by the State Park. Other campaigns include an opposition to a quarry near the Petrified Sea Gardens and protecting the rural character of the Exit 14 city entranceway against the development of an office park.

In addition, the OSP has helped coordinate several programs aimed at aiding the development of Saratoga Springs. The OSP maintained a special interest in the development of the downtown area, with projects like The Next Steps & Beyond forum and the Broadway Square mini-mall forum. These forums brought together people from all areas of Saratoga Springs to help generate ideas for the creative revitalization of the downtown.

Throughout its existence, Barbara Glaser has held executive positions in the OSP, starting as the temporary chairperson and continuing as co-chair of the advisory board. There has been a succession of fellow co-chairs, including Jeff Olsen, Douglas Ward, and Sally Hart Brown. The OSP maintained a small paid professional staff, including a Project Director and Newsletter Editor, and in 1998 hired Alain Ball Chinian as Executive Director. In 2003, the Saratoga Springs Open Space Project merged with the Land Trust of the Saratoga Region to form Saratoga PLAN (Preserving Land And Nature.) Thus the OSP no longer exists as a separate organization. Saratoga PLAN maintains a website at http://www.saratogaplan.org/.

There has been some confusion about the relations of the OSP to other organizations due to similar names and goals. The Saratoga Springs Open Space Project is not connected to the Open Space Institute, a statewide organization that also seeks to preserve scenic and natural landscape. However, the OSP has received grant funding from the Open Space Institute for trail building. The Saratoga Institute is a non-profit educational institute founded in 1985, in Saratoga Springs. It works through projects, like the OSP, the Humor Project, and The Association for the Cooperative Advancement of Science and Education. It is not related to the Sagamore Institute or the Human Resource Analysis organization also called the Saratoga Institute.