Public hearings and greenway discussion on the agenda

A handful of public hearings will be on the agenda for the Beacon Planning Board on Tuesday (Nov. 9).

364 Main St.

A hearing on a proposal to construct a three-story residential and commercial building will focus on potential environmental impacts of the project, including on schools and roads. 

The developer announced in August that the proposal had been reduced from a four-story to three-story building, which means it no longer requires a special-use permit from the City Council. 

According to documents submitted to the board last month, the developer also plans to eliminate the former bank drive-thru lane on the west side of the property, replacing it with a one-story addition that expands the commercial space to about 9,500 square feet and incorporates new landscaping features. Access to the site will be via Main Street — on the east side of the building — with the exit at Eliza Street.

Private terraces would be constructed above the one-story addition for four apartments on the second floor. The first floor would be commercial space and 1,500 square feet of common area for residents. There will be 20 apartments on the second and third floors. Forty-two off-street parking spaces — three more than required — will be provided. 

Ferry Landing

The board will hold a second public hearing on minor amendments to the six-townhouse development being built at the former site of the “Welcome to Beacon” sign on Beekman Street, across from the Metro-North station. 

The project was approved in 2018, but the developer is proposing changes to the site plan as part of a request to subdivide the townhomes into individual townhouse lots. The remainder of the land, nearly 19,000 square feet, will be a common lot owned by a homeowners’ association. 

248 Tioronda Ave.

The Planning Board will continue another review of a request by the developer to amend the approved site plan. Much of that discussion has focused on the Fishkill Creek Greenway and Heritage Trail, which will run through the property and up to Route 9D/Wolcott Avenue, where it will connect on the other side of the street with the 23-28 Creek Drive development. 

The 248 project developer is proposing a foot path heading up to and leveling off at 9D, where trail users will use the crosswalk to get across the street. On the 23-28 side, the developer has withdrawn plans to connect to the trail underneath the 9D bridge, using a Metropolitan Transportation Authority right of way. Instead, the project will revert to the original greenway proposal — a metal staircase leading to 9D. 

Behind The Story

Type: News

News: Based on facts, either observed and verified directly by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources.

Simms has covered Beacon for The Current since 2015. He studied journalism at Appalachian State University and has reported for newspapers in North Carolina and Maryland. Location: Beacon. Languages: English. Area of expertise: Beacon politics

One reply on “Beacon Planning Board Preview”

  1. “No big deal,” says the developer. I believe this is a big deal.

    Everyone knows the City of Beacon is in the middle of rampant development facing today’s overheated economy and housing market. City officials must act with serious consideration and hold out for the best projects that work for our community. The one proposed at 364 Main St., even with its current redesign, is not the one.

    This week, the Planning Board and city planner discussed infilling Accessory Dwelling Units throughout the city on many half-acre parcels. Following that discussion, the board held a public hearing for this three-story, 31,616-square-foot “building program” wedged onto two merged lots that total less than 7/8ths of an acre. This proposal is too big, out of scale in context and foreshadowing our Main Street streetscape.

    Beacon must be conscious and considerate of neighboring historical buildings and surrounding neighborhoods abutting the back end of this project. The developers argue that adding an extra 40 cars onto the adjacent one-way street is “no big deal.” That’s laughable; this will affect the quality of life for every resident and visitor in Beacon.

    Our municipality needs to stop allowing applicants to get things approved by saying they’ll do what the city requires, only to change plans midway, looking for variances at the next meeting to increase their profits.

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