A Guide to New Buildings and Major Construction
in Development in Beacon
This is a Guide by picture and brief history to large building projects happening in Beacon, NY. It is updated in an ongoing basis. If you don't see information in a category yet, or a picture, it is because we are still out researching it.
Last Updated: 12/17/2018
Updates made to:
511 Fishkill Avenue (Old Mechtronics building)
Edits made to this list on A Little Beacon Blog are independent of those made on any other website. It takes a village to report on a city, and citizen reporting is always appreciated and necessary to local news coverage. Information is researched before it is published or edited, and whenever possible, verified with public documents. And the guide itself is in development! We are still out collecting pictures and development plan information. Plus, things change after votes at meetings, so this Guide will be a live Guide. Thank you for your patience as we build and maintain it.
Know of updates? Please send any update to editorial@alittlebeaconblog.com. If possible, please include a link to most recent public documents reflecting the change.
134 Main Street aka "Two Bank Square"
Photo taken from submitted plans on 5/8/2018.
Apartments: A mix of storefront, retail and office space.
Size: 5,000 sq ft "Minimum lot area".
Status: Preliminary
Owner(s): Joseph Donovan, Hudson Todd, LLC
Where is this? The building that contains the Beacon Creamery, and land behind that.
Note: Ron from the Beacon Creamery says that he would remain in business, and that the developers would move him up Main Street a few blocks for the year of construction, and then move the Beacon Creamery back. He would have more space in the Creamery, and has told A Little Beacon Blog that he is looking forward to the change. The software company Docuware was considering occupying for office space, but is currently looking elsewhere in Beacon.
21 South Avenue
Apartments: 3 residential units
Size: land is 20,327 square feet
Status: Requesting permission to rehabilitate. Will appear in a City Council Public Hearing on September 4, 2018.
Owner(s): Protestant Episcopal Diocese of New York
Where is this? This is the former Martin Luther King Center and is now owned by St. Andrew and St. Luke Episcopal Church.
226 Main Street
Apartments: 8 apartments approximately
Size: 4,000 sq ft commercial
Status: In Construction
Owner(s): Gary Joseph and Tim Owen of Beacon 226 Main Street, LLC
Previous Owners: Highview Development, LLC (Brendan McAlpine)
Where is this? Was known as is Ed's Service Center, an auto shop next to Homespun.
249 Main Street used to look like this, but has been demolished for new construction in December 2017.
249 Main Street
Condos: 28 condo units for sale (not rent)
Retail Space: First Floor will offer retail space. Number of units TBD.
Size: 11,000 sq ft commercial
Status: Construction has begun. The former brick one-story building has been demolished.
Owner(s):
Where is this? Formerly the Lexingon Center for Recovery building. As of December 2017, this building has been demolished and is under construction for the new development project. Located across from Homespun.
344 Main Street
Apartments: 24 approximately
Retail: Retail space on First Floor
Size: 8,000 sq ft commercial
Status: Many Parts Done, Now Leasing Apartments
Owner(s): Sean O'Donnell
Where is this? Next door to Beacon Natural Market. Used to be known as "The Eliza Street Building," but now is referred to simply as 344 Main. This new 4 story building sits on the corner of Eliza Street and Main Street. Its construction contributed to the public to encourage the City of Beacon to limit the number of floors of a building to 3, which was debated during Beacon’s 2017 Building Moratorium.
Related Articles:
In December 2017, the City Council voted to limit buildings to 3 stories in the Fishkill Creek Development Zone, as reported by Jeff Simms of the Highlands Current.
Progress Report August 18, 2017 (City is at odds with Owner about where parking will come from)
Beacon Wall Comes Down (referring to the first wall of the building that was built into the middle of the sidewalk when construction began)
Beacon Candidates Say Hello
"With Kyriacou and Mansfield in attendance, questions were also posed about unpopular council decisions, such as the scale of the building under construction at 344 Main St. Mansfield referred to the project as 'a mistake,' but noted that it was approved during a time when the city was desperately trying to attract developers to that part of Main Street."
53 Eliza Street
Picture coming soon…
Condos to Buy: 9
Size: “Over a half-acre, which is large in that single family neighborhood,” according to the architect Aryeh Siegel during a 10/16/2018 Zoning Board Meeting during a presentation of the proposed plan.
Status: Proposal Stage. Seeking “Relief of Use Variance.” The owner uses it for his electric company, and for his office and storage use, and contractor yard. The property is zoned Commercial for a limited use of storage. The owner is looking to rezone to Residential Multi-Family in order to sell the property and relocate his business to a smaller location, according to presenters during the 10/16/2018 Zoning Board Meeting. According to Robert McAlpine, a building and developer (most notable: The Roundhouse) and construction company owner (40 year history in construction) who was serving as a consultant to the building owner and presented at this Zoning Board meeting, the property with its current appraisal of $900,000 (done in an independent appraisal by the owner in July 2018) would be difficult to sell if it was divided into 3 single family homes ($300,000 for each lot, plus construction of the houses). According to Charlotte Guernsey of Gate House Realty, homes in that area sell for $250,000 - $350,000. Gate House represented the property years ago when the owner tried to sell it then, the property was listed as $1 million and Charlotte stated that it was difficult to find the right buyer, as it was limited in use per its zoning of commercial use for storage. She mentioned that a live/work situation was considered, but was hard with current zoning for zoning for that property.
Owner(s): P & D Electrical
Where is this? On the same street that runs into Main Street, where 344 Main Street is (see above).
152-158 Fishkill Avenue
Condos: 52 Condos approximately w/commercial
Status: In discussion
Owner(s):
Where is this?
445 Main Street
aka Converted Beacon Theater
Apartments: 32 approximately
Retail: Movie Theater and Bar + Foody Concession Slated to Open in First Floor
Status: Under Construction and "one third of the 30 apartments above the theater are leased, according to the developer," as published in the Highlands Current.
Owner(s): Highview Development Corporation, LLC (Brendan McAlpine)
Where is this? Across from Ella's Bellas and The Beacon Hotel, this building used to be a theater before falling into disrepair. It is being brought back as a movie theater with apartments on the upper level.
1 East Main Street
Condos: 19 approximately
First Floor Retail Spaces/Shops: 5 open now (see A Little Beacon Blog's Shopping Guide for these shops which include Lambs Hill, King + Curated, SallyeAnder Soaps, Trax Coffee Roasters)
Status: First Floor Commercial Spaces Complete (or near completion); Upper Level Units Under Construction
Owner(s):
Where is this? Near the Dummy Light, just down the hill from the old train tracks.
Related Articles:
East End Rising - Newest Retail Pioneers at 1 East Main
38 St. Lukes Place
Condos: 3 home lot residential
Status: Preliminary
Owner(s): Gary Joseph and Tim Owen, of Beacon 226 Main Street, LLC
Where is this? Across the Fishkill Creek, past the Roundhouse and behind 1 E. Main.
The Lofts at Beacon Falls
50, 52, 54 Leonard Street
Apartments: 78 apartments
Status: Open for Residents. See ALBB's article (sponsored) here.
Owner(s): Bellow and Associates (James M. Bellow)
Where is this? Up the road from The Roundhouse, down Liberty Street. Liberty is one-way there, so when driving, you must go around the block. Across the street from St. Joachim Church
Website: loftsatbeaconfalls.com
West End Lofts, Wolcott Avenue
Units: 98 approximately spanning 3 buildings that have 3 stories in front, and 4 stories in rear. Source: 4/10/2018 City of Beacon Planing Board documentation
Status: Construction has started
Owner(s):
According to 2/26/18 City Council Workshop Proposed Agreement:
WEST END LOFTS HOUSING DEVELOPMENT FUND COMPANY, INC., a New York not-for-profit corporation and entity organized pursuant to Article XI of the Private Housing Finance Law of the State of New York, having its principal place of business at c/o Hudson River Housing, Inc., 313 Mill Street, Poughkeepsie, New York 12601 (the “HDFC”), which HDFC will hold title to the Property (as hereinafter defined) for the benefit of WEST END LOFTS LIMITED PARTNERSHIP, a New York limited partnership, having its principal office located at c/o The Kearney Realty & Development Group Inc.
The Kearney Realty & Development Group, Inc.
West End Lofts, next to the Beacon Police Station.
Where is this? Next to the Police Station at 1 Municipal Plaza.
Affordable Housing:69% of the units are below 70% of Dutchess County's Area Median Income ("AMI"). They aim to provide affordable housing to a diverse workforce. Rents would be restricted for 50 years. - Source: 1/2/9/2018 City of Beacon Agenda Workshop, with the full agenda and video here..
Special Note: The clearing of the trees was shocking to citizens who drove or walked by those woods on a daily basis. According to a Cover Letter in a Site Plan Approval Meeting on 1/9/2018, one tree that had been dedicated by a family was proposed to be preserved.
Preliminary Subdivision Plan as of 3/13/2018
25 Townsend Avenue
Units: 13 single family homes on lots
Status: Before Planning Board
Owner(s): AK Property Holding, LLC, 25 Townsend Street
Where is this? The former Knights of Columbus site located off Rt. 52, behind the Barking Frog, Dunkin' Donuts and Enterprise Car Rental.
The wooded area up the hill, above the active MTA Train Tracks that is now 22 Edgewater Place.
22 Edgewater Place
aka above Riverfront Park
Rendering drawn of what 22 Edgewater Place is proposed to look like as of 12/19/17.
Apartments: 246 approximately "after City Council voted (on May 21, 2018) to remove steep slopes and other 'non-buildable' land from its calculation of how many units can be constructed on a parcel," as reported in The Highlands Current.
Previously: 307 approximately
Status:
Moves forward with Environmental Approval from Planning Board.
The City Council passed a Special Use Permit request on their August 6, 2018 meeting.
It passed a highly scrutinized vote (see article at Highlands Current) from the Planning Board for a SEQR Review, and was before Zoning Board 12/19/17, seeking 3 Variances, which were granted. These include:
add a number of apartments per building,
build buildings closer together,
build higher, and reduce the overall footprint of the property.
Owner(s): Scenic Beacon Developments, LLC (Rodney Weber, Stephane Bibeau, Richard Schoniger)
Where is this? Up in the woods above the active MTA train tracks, overlooking Pete and Toshi Seeger Riverfront Park. It is a wooded area near Tompkins Terrace Apartments.
7 Creek Drive
aka 3 Churchill Street
Apartments: 46 apartments (rental)
Status: Apartments are renting.
Owner(s): A Rodney Weber project.
Where is this? Across the street (Churchill Street) from Hudson Valley Brewing. Along the Fishkill Creek.
Website: www.7creek.com
Related Articles:
"Beacon Approves First 5 Story Building Since 1969" - Wigwam Economy
9-11 Creek Drive
aka 3 Churchill Street
Condo Lofts: 6 in the whole building
Status: All condos sold.
Owner(s): Weber Projects III, LLC (Rodney Weber)
Where is this? Across from Dr. K's auto shop, down the slope along the Fishkill Creek. As you drive down Tioranda towards 9D/Wolcott, you'll see it down the hill on your left.
23-28 Creek Drive
Status: In Discussion. Request for Qualifications and Proposals was released on June 12 2017
Owner(s):
Where is this? Next to 9-11 Creek Drive, along the Fishkill Creek. Below the Minute Man Construction area.
This walkway will not be impacted by private development, it is just part of the picture of the factory buildings at Madam Brett.
555 South Avenue
aka The factories at madam Brett Park
Apartments: 170 approximately
Space: 10,000 sq ft commercial
Status: In Discussion
Owner(s): Scenic Beacon Developments, LLC (Rodney Weber)
Where is this? The abandoned factories at Madam Brett Park. Originally, these buildings were a hat factory. It was destroyed by fire in January 2017. Separate property from the park land that is owned by Scenic Hudson, which is not related to this development company. The boardwalk is owned by Scenic Hudson and is part of their park. It will not be impacted by private development.
Related Articles:
Firefighters Save Popular Boardwalk at Madam Brett Park
Photo Credit: Screenshot of site plan presented at 8/13/2018 City Council Workshop Meeting
248 Tioronda Avenue
aka Down the way from Madam Brett Park
Apartments: Units downgraded to 64 from 100 after zoning law was passed by City Council in Spring of 2018 to account for seep slopes in the calculations of how much square footage of a property is buildable. The Edgewater property was also impacted by this ruling. Buildings would include one Commercial and one Residential. Currently, the Residential building is the long retangular one, and the Commercial is the square one.
Status: Before the City Council.
Owner(s): Bernard Kohn (his architects call him Berry)
Where is this? If you turn off Tioronda Avenue off Main Street, drive all the way down it towards 9D. This property is on your left if you're facing 9D. There is a 12' grade down towards the creek, so this property is set lower than the street. If you look on a map, this property is across the way from the Craig House. Bernard Kohn is also an owner of the Craig House, which sold after many years of being vacant.
Photo Credit: Screenshot of site plan presented at 8/13/2018 City Council Workshop Meeting
Craig House
This property has sold on September 18, 2017 after years of being listed.
Size: 64-acre, former Tioronda Estate
Status: Information forthcoming
Owner(s): Craig Reality Holding LLC, a group of investors, according to their real estate agent. The group is by Bernard Kohn, according to the Highlands Current.
Where is this? On 9D aka Wolcott Avenue, on the right-hand side as you drive toward Cold Spring. Across the street from Beacon's Settlement Camp, home of the Beacon Public Swimming Pool and Kids Camp @ the Camp.
Related Articles:
Craig House Sale Pending (it has since sold)
The property was formerly owned by an NYC philanthropist, Robert Wilson, who jumped to his death at age 87 at or around December 23, 2014.
As first spotted by WigamEconomy, in the New York Daily News, Richard Schneidman, a longtime friend of Robert’s, was the executor of his will. According to the New York Daily News article:
"Schneidman’s spokesman, Zach Kouwe, said the will does provide that after bills and specific bequests are paid and Wilson’s large co-op is sold, Schneidman gets the residual estate as the trustee of Wilson’s revocable trust. “But the agreement in that Trust says Richard must distribute the money to charities as the manager of the trust and cannot take any money for himself beyond a small fee,” Kouwe said. “We cannot disclose the charities because of confidentiality agreements that Richard signed,” he added.
"But the agreement in that Trust says Richard must distribute the money to charities as the manager of the trust and cannot take any money for himself beyond a small fee," Kouwe said.
"We cannot disclose the charities because of confidentiality agreements that Richard signed," he added.
"The will provides that Schneidman will not get the usual executor fee and that he will not be required to file with Surrogates Court an accounting of how Wilson's assets were distributed."
River Ridge aka Parcel L (on Wolcott near Rombout Avenue)
Freshly cleared trees on Parcel L, the River Ridge project. The gazebo in the picture is being preserved.
Condos: 18 townhouses approximately
Status: In Discussion. According to reporting by the Highlands Current on 3/11/2018, "River Ridge, along with Edgewater, could be significantly affected if the City Council moves forward with legislation that would modify how a parcel’s allowable density is calculated to 'buildable,' rather than total, acreage — excluding environmentally sensitive land."
Owner(s): River Ridge Views, LLC
Architect: Aryeh Siegel
Where is this? Next to the Old Dutch Reformed Church, A National Register Site, overlooking the Hudson River. Up the hill from Hammond Plaza, which is a development of condos from the 70s near the train station.
Special Note: Slated to be 3 story townhouses.
45 Beekman Street (Spire Studios)
Apartments: TBD
Size: TBD
Status: In discussion as of 8/13/2018. City Council is reviewing the zoning code in the Linkage District to allow for Mixed Use to accommodate a large enough business space. The language now is written to block Big Box stores from coming, but an office company coming like Docuware is having a hard time fitting in.
Owner(s):
Where is this? The Auto Parts shop and Spire Studios. This is near the same area as Two Way Brewing and Brett's Hardware.
Highlands Meadows 11 Hastings Drive
Apartments: 68 senior apartments approximately
Status: Under construction
Owner(s):
Where is this?
The View, Beekman Street
The View on Beekman sStreet.
Condos: 42
Status: Under Construction
Owner(s):
Where is this? Behind the police station, facing West Main Street, overlooking the Hudson River. The 3rd Building of the West End Lofts development on Wolcott currently under construction is adjacent to this.
Related Articles:
Controversial Beacon Residential Project Moves Forward
July 24, 2016: Design standards are questioned by Beacon residents and council members. According to the article, "The seven-member City of Beacon Planning Board took the extraordinary step of creating an Architectural Review subcommittee to consider the design of this project and others brought before the board." Changes were made to the design.
City Council member Peggy Ross was quoted: “This is a crossroads for Beacon,” she said. “I would like to ask that we all do better in working together. We no longer have to go begging for developers. I would use this occasion to ask that going forward we work closely with them to install some design standards.”
Ferry Landing at Beacon
Condos: 6 homes with proposed garages
Status: Preliminary
Owner(s): Ferry Landing at Beacon, LTD
Where is this? At the corner of Beekman and Ferry Streets, above the train.
511 Fishkill Avenue
Commercial: Old Mechtronics building on 9 acres of property. The property is a 147,500 sf, two-story flex/industrial warehouse and office building
Status: Currently vacant. Different businesses considering moving in as tenants.
Owner(s): Diamond Properties, a commercial real estate and property management business located in Mount Kisco
Where is this? The large property of 511 Fishkill Avenue (aka Rte. 52), which is between AutoZone and the Healy Dealership, which is in Beacon, but outside of downtown Beacon
News: “Brewery, Arcade and Event Space Proposed for 511 Fishkill Avenue As Industrial Arts Brewing Co. Looks To Expand To Beacon, Prompting Change to Arcade Zoning Law”
Hip Lofts, Mason Circle
Live/Work Spaces: 114
Status: First 70 Units Complete
Owner(s):
Where is this?
