2001 In her annual state of the city address, Mayor Clara Lou Gould said that, after a decade of stagnation, the city was returning to life. She cited renovations at the Dia Center for the Arts, waterfront development and the hiring of a third building inspector.
2003 Dia:Beacon opens a contemporary art museum in what had been a Nabisco factory on the banks of the Hudson River.
2007 The City Council adopts a comprehensive land-use plan, Beacon’s first since 1973… The Metropolitan Transportation Authority announces plans to develop 18 acres at the Metro-North station, but a grassroots group, Beacon Deserves Better, forms to oppose the plan.
2009 After scrapping plans for a hotel and conference center, Scenic Hudson opens Long Dock Park, a 19-acre site designed for passive recreation and climate resilience.
2010 The MTA puts its plans to develop at the train station on hold.
2012 The Roundhouse opens in restored factory buildings adjacent to the waterfall at the east end of Main Street.
2013 After requesting proposals, the city sells its parcels at 344 Main St. to a developer for $5,000. Three years later, the construction of a four-story, mixed-use building (right) on the site sparks calls to rein in development.
2017 The City Council updates the 2007 comprehensive plan and enacts a six-month building moratorium because of concerns about the water supply. (The council
approved a second moratorium in 2019.)
2018 After more than a dozen public hearings over 18 months, the 246-unit Edgewater, the largest residential development in the city’s history, is approved. The project was downsized by the developer after the City Council adopted a law reducing the number of units that can be built on sites with steep slopes.
2019 The Beacon Theater opens, bringing first-run movies to Main Street for the first time since the 1980s.
2020 The City Council adopts a law requiring developers to provide a “public benefit” to build four-story buildings on Main Street.
PART I
Has Beacon Followed Its Own Blueprint?
Was Enough Done to Keep It Affordable?
Is There Room for Lower Incomes?
Recent History (A Timeline)
This series was made possible by contributions to our Special Projects Fund.
