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On August 16th, 2020, the city council will discuss nine housing policy proposals by Mayor Kyriacou to increase affordable housing in Beacon.
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Via Highlands Current By Leonard Sparks, Senior Editor, July 16, 2021 Parsonage would be demolished for new hotel Parking, traffic and the demolition of a structure dating to the mid-1800s. Those are some of the concerns facing a team of investors who want to renovate the historic Reformed Church of Beacon into an event space with a capacity of 500 and demolish the church’s parsonage and replace it with a 30-room hotel. Prophecy Theater LLC faced pushback on Tuesday (July 13), when they introduced their project to Beacon’s Planning Board. Gavin Hecker, one of Prophecy Theater’s owners, said the group considers the parsonage beyond repair and said a previous study determined it had no historical significance. Read More on the Highland Current's website
On July 20th, 2021, the Zoning Board of Appeals will hold a public hearing to review a significant variance request from the developers of the 248 Tioronda project on Fishkill creek (Tioronda Ave, south of Route 9d/Wolcott Ave.) The application was submitted to the building department first and was rejected by the building inspector, David Buckley. Mr. Buckley directed the developers to apply to the Zoning Board of Appeals. In 2017, the Beacon City Council updated the zoning requirements for the Fishkill Creek, and required that each new development include at least 25% dedicated to commercial uses. The project at 248 Tioronda was approved by the Planning Board in April 2020 after a multi year process. It includes 64 residential units and 25,400 SF of office space. The residential units will be two buildings with 32 apartments each, and the office space will be in a third building. Developers Bernard (Berry) Kohn and Michael Silberberg of 248 Beacon Holdings LLC are asking for a variance from the regulation that requires non residential space be built before or concurrently with the residential development of the property. The variance application includes a letter from The Community Preservation Corporation (CPC), tapped by the developers to finance the project. Michael Kroog, Vice President Mortgage Officer at CPC indicates that they are only able to finance the residential portion of the project. The Community Preservation Corporation is described on its website as providing "construction and permanent financing for multi-family properties" If the developers genuinely wanted to finance the commercial portion of the project they should have pursued financing with an appropriate lender. Furthermore, one rejection letter from a lender that does not deal with commercial projects is not sufficient to demonstrate inability to finance the commercial portion of the project. Also of concern - if the variance is approved, and the residential portion is built first, it is unclear how the city will be able to enforce the building of the commercial portion as required. The public is encouraged to attend the Zoning Board of Appeals July 20th meeting and express their opposition to this dubious variance request. Related Links
248 Tioronda Back on Track The Highlands Current, November 1, 2019 New Zoning Laws Lead to Quick Redesign, The Highlands Current, January 12, 2018 New zoning law knocks 61 units off project
By Jeff Simms The developer of the proposed Edgewater project on Beacon’s waterfront returned to the City Council on June 25 to share revised plans following the adoption of a law that reduced the number of apartments allowed on the 12-acre site. The new plan, shown at right, includes 246 units, compared to 307 before the zoning change, although there are still seven buildings. full story: http://highlandscurrent.com/2018/06/29/downsizing-at-edgewater/ Beacon has sold the site of its former highway garage, a 2.6-acre lot on Creek Drive, to developer Rodney Weber, who plans to build nine residential units along with a 12,000-square-foot “co-working” space.
Weber already owns the adjacent parcel, which has been approved for 46 residential units and is nearly complete. He could have built 10 more units on the parcel, but those will be shifted to the former Department of Public Works site and reduced by one. The two properties will share access, making the land sale, as Council Member George Mansfield called it, a “win-win.” read more: The Beacon City Council plans to revise zoning codes throughout much of the city but appears split on whether to take a chunk out of the proposed Edgewater development.
A straw poll at its meeting on Monday (March 12) showed the council leaning 4 to 3 in favor of adopting a zoning proposal to use buildable, rather than gross, acreage to determine the density allowed on parcels of 3 or more acres in residential districts. The proposal would remove steep slopes, floodways and other environmentally sensitive land from the density equation. Because it does not exclude projects under review, some developments being considered by the city could be sent back to the drawing board. The council will hold a public hearing on April 16 before voting. read more:
The Beacon City Council on Dec. 18 adopted changes to the Fishkill Creek development zone that could limit residential building while encouraging commercial use in the corridor.
The major changes in the zone — which includes eight parcels, five of which have significant capacity — are:
How many Edgewaters can our school district handle? Have you heard of Rolling Hills? It's a proposed development of 440 apartments on 9D (Beacon School district) in Fishkill. Please attend Fishkill Town Board meeting; Wednesday, Dec. 20th 7:00pm at Fishkill Town Hall. Here is a link to the agendas
Follow Friends of Beacon Hills and Glenham's Facebook page to learn more about the ongoing developments that will effect Beacon. A Little Beacon Blog has a guide to the new buildings and major construction in Beacon. Read More Here
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