Debates Continue on Beacon Development

Public weighs in on linkage zone, affordable housing
From The Highlands Current
By Jeff Simms
The debate over whether to rezone a handful of properties within Beacon’s west-side linkage zone, now six months old, appears primed to continue for at least another month — as does the ongoing discussion about how to calculate affordable housing citywide.
Both issues were the subjects of public hearings on Aug. 15, and both were adjourned pending input from Dutchess County planners.
The linkage debate began in February when a group of residents petitioned the city to rezone seven parcels within the zone, which was created three years ago to encourage increased residential development in the area between the west end of Main Street and the Hudson River. The petitioners argued that high-density linkage zoning would disrupt the neighborhoods surrounding the seven parcels, two of which sit on South Avenue, with five others on Wolcott Avenue/Route 9D.
The petition has drawn particular attention for including “Parcel L,” the name used for the three lots just south of the Reformed Church of Beacon on Route 9D. Parcel L is owned by Beacon Ridge Associates and a builder, Unicorn Contracting, has proposed a 70-unit development called River Highlands for the site. read more...