Beacon Residents Want Their Homes Rezoned

Hope change would forestall 70-unit development
From the Highlands Current
​By Jeff Simms
A group of Beacon residents have petitioned the city to rezone their properties, which sit in a zone that “links” Main Street to the riverfront, to deter a 70-unit residential development proposed for the neighborhood.
The parcels named on the petition — two on the west side of South Avenue and five on the west side of Wolcott Avenue (Route 9D) — are all within the “linkage zone” established by the city in 2013 to support businesses on the west end of Main. The seven parcels, however, as well as others directly outside of the linkage zone, also lie within the city’s Historic District and Landmark Overlay, which requires owners to receive approval from the planning board for exterior alterations.
The property owners presented their petition to the City Council last month, asking that it restore the single-family residential zoning that existed prior to the approval of the linkage rezoning in 2013. read more...