Updates on construction plans in city
Here is an update on some of the developments we highlighted in October, as well as two projects introduced since that are under review by the Planning Board.
364 Main St.
Number of units: 20, plus 7,500 square feet of commercial space
Status: The developer has reduced this project from four stories to three, which means it no longer requires a special-use permit from the city. During its meeting this week, the Planning Board discussed whether parking for the project should be split or located in one lot. Board members also called the scale of the proposed building versus its green space “overwhelming,” and debated whether the developer should eliminate Main Street access for safety and aesthetic reasons.
1113 Wolcott Ave.
Number of units: N/A
Status: Investors agreed to purchase the 161-year-old Reformed Church of Beacon earlier this year and plan to convert the site into a 500-person event space and bar. The Planning Board raised concerns in July with parking, which the developers conceded is not adequate, as well as operating an event space between two residential developments. The board also discussed retaining the parsonage, which the developer plans to replace with a 30-room hotel.
River Ridge
Planning Board approval: 2018
Number of units: 18 townhouses
Status: The homes, on Route 9D south of the former Reformed Church, have been completed. A 2,917-square-foot unit with three bedrooms and 3.5 baths is listed for $750,000.
23-28 Creek Drive
Planning Board approval: 2020
Number of units: 8, plus 20,000 square feet of commercial space
Status: Construction is ongoing on the U.S. headquarters of Docuware, a German document management firm.
248 Tioronda Ave.
Planning Board approval: 2020
Number of units: 64, plus 25,400 square feet of commercial space
Status: The developer appeared before the Planning Board this week to discuss amendments to the approved site plan related to the route of the Fishkill Creek Greenway and Heritage Trail. If the Metropolitan Transportation Authority grants the development an easement, the trail will run underneath Wolcott Avenue and connect to 23-28 Creek Drive. If the MTA won’t grant the easement, a ramp will be built to Wolcott for a pedestrian crossing. This project is also on the Aug. 17 Zoning Board of Appeals agenda to discuss constructing residential buildings before the commercial space. The developer has submitted letters from potential funders saying that office space is considered a higher risk for financing due to the growing trend of remote working.
416-420 Main St.
Planning Board approval: 2021
Number of units: Retail on the ground floor, office space on the second and third floors, and a single apartment on a recessed fourth floor
Status: The Planning Board reviewed plans for a live/work building in the rear of the parcel this week, raising issues with the design, which features all-glass walls.
16 W. Main St.
Number of units: 62
Status: Because of a zoning change, the development must include a commercial component on the first of its four stories; the developer is proposing artists’ retail spaces.
The developments of 10 units or more are required to offer one unit for every 10 as workforce below-market-rate housing. Unfortunately, that is far from adequate to meet the need and not advertised very well.
The best way to get affordable housing is to allow the building of as many housing units as possible. Supply and demand applies to housing units, too.
When I read the word “developers,” I get goose bumps. There are so many buildings coming up. It completely changes the beauty and uniqueness of Beacon. Greed and power everywhere.
The “beauty and uniqueness” people like about Beacon were built by developers. The “greed” is not from people who want to build housing, it’s from NIMBYs who want to keep housing supply artificially low in order to keep housing costs sky high. An 1,100 square-foot house in Beacon should not cost $500,000. This didn’t happen because of development. It happened because a lack of development.
I agree, I thought the new mayor said he would put an end to this overdevelopment. Beacon is a little city and can not sustain this development. All these expensive buildings and developments, yet our taxes are going up. This is not right. If anything, our taxes should be decreasing. If this keeps up Beacon will truly lose its quaintness and will just be a tourist trap. We already have high traffic from Metro-North — every time a train comes in, it’s a traffic jam. Include the people from these developments with even more traffic, we are losing quality of life. I have been here 30 years and I don’t like what I’m seeing!