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/

No new construction for six months
By Jeff Simms for The Highlands Current
After months of discussion, the Beacon City Council on Monday (Sept. 18) adopted a moratorium that halts nearly all residential and commercial construction in the city for six months.
The council voted unanimously to enact the moratorium just after 11 p.m., drawing applause from the handful of spectators who remained at the meeting. The ban will be in place until March.
The cut-off for exemption from the freeze was July 25; any projects in progress or under Planning Board review before that date are not impacted. Applications submitted after July 25 may be heard and reviewed but not approved. read more...

Council vote expected in September
From The Highlands Current
By Jeff Simms
Public comment dominated the July 17 Beacon City Council meeting, the first since Mayor Randy Casale announced that the city is considering a six-month moratorium on residential building.
The ban is being considered, Casale said, because Beacon’s faster-than-projected growth could bring the city’s population uncomfortably close to the threshold its existing water supplies can sustain.
Beacon’s population is about 14,400, but with almost 1,000 housing units either under construction or review, that number could jump to nearly 17,000 quickly. The city’s water sources can accommodate 17,800, although its comprehensive plan projected Beacon would not grow that large until at least 2050. read more...

Sticking to the Plan
Beacon building inspector discusses the city’s growth
Via Highlands Current, By Jeff Simms
Tim Dexter, who has been Beacon’s building inspector since 1994, wears multiple hats, including fire inspector, plumbing inspector, code enforcement officer, flood plain administrator and zoning administrator. He spoke with The Current about planning, infrastructure and development. His responses have been edited for brevity... read more

'How Could This Happen?'
Beacon residents push back against development
via Highlands Current, By Jeff Simms
Dan Aymar-Blair says he didn’t set out to be an organizer. It’s just that he kept hearing the same question from his Beacon neighbors and friends: “How could this happen?”
They were talking about the rapid growth in the number of apartments and condos in the city, where more than 400 residential units are in construction at various sites within Beacon’s 5 square miles. Another 100-plus units have been approved, more than 400 are being considered by the Planning Board and 300 are “in discussion” but have not been submitted for review...read more

BeaconApproves Updates to Comprehensive Plan
Sets tone for growth over next decade
via Highlands Current, By Jeff Simms
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The Beacon City Council on April 3 approved updates to the city’s comprehensive plan, setting the tone for growth and development in Beacon over the next decade. read more...

300-Plus Unit Development Proposed for Beacon Train Station Area​
City planning board reviewing proposal
via Highlands Current, By Jeff Simms
A Beacon developer is moving forward with plans to construct more than 300 apartments at a site a half-mile from the Metro-North train station.
If approved, the project, dubbed Edgewater, would be the largest apartment or condominium development in Beacon.
Plans submitted to the Planning Board earlier this year by Scenic Beacon Developments, which is managed by Rodney Weber, call for 307 studio, one-, two- and three-bedroom apartments to be spread across seven buildings on the 12-acre site at 22 Edgewater Place. The materials state that Scenic Beacon expects current and new city residents to live at Edgewater, with the availability of smaller spaces there designed to keep and attract “millennials.” read more...

Beacon neighbors want “linkage” dropped
From the Highlands Current
By Jeff Simms
As expected, the Beacon City Council has referred a petition submitted by a group of residents who would like their neighborhood rezoned to the planning board for review. The council will hold a public hearing sometime before April 16 before ruling on the request.
The parcels named in 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. read more...

via HVNN, by Kathy Welsh 

The City of Beacon will hold the first public workshop on the Comprehensive Plan update on September 22, 2016, from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. at the Memorial Building located at 413 Main Street.
The City and members of the Comprehensive Plan Steering Committee encourage all interested residents, employees, property owners, business owners and other stakeholders to participate. read more...