The Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) has issued a Request for Proposals (RFP) seeking responses from developers who would like to lease part of its land at the Metro-North train station in Beacon and build a housing project with about 300 apartments, at least 10% of which would be affordable.
Responses to the RFP are due by Dec. 18 at 5 p.m. The MTA has targeted the North Parking Lot at the Beacon train station for possible development. It covers about 4 acres and the MTA says it would provide a 99-year ground lease for the site. Back in October of 2007 the MTA sought expressions of possible interest in designing and building a transit-oriented development on 18-acres at the train station. At that time the concept for a possible project was dubbed “Be in Beacon.”
MTA Chair and CEO Janno Lieber said, “The MTA has long been a leader in the movement for transit-oriented development that creates dynamic, walkable communities. This project will not only enliven Beacon, it responds to Governor Hochul’s commitment to address the housing crisis.”
The MTA said that the development site is relatively flat and currently is improved with a surface parking lot that offers 483 commuter spaces. A parking area and staging yard to the north of the development site that has 95 spaces for Metro-North Railroad employee parking would not be part of the development site. The MTA points out that the station is improved with a pedestrian overpass that connects to the station’s platform. To the immediate west of the development site, and on the other side of the railroad tracks, are the Pete and Toshi Seeger Riverfront Park, the Newburgh-Beacon Ferry Landing and Scenic Hudson’s Long Dock Park,
The MTA would require the developer to replace the 483 spaces in the North Lot either within the apartment development or in a separate parking garage built elsewhere on MTA property at the train station. The MTA said that it anticipates that state money from the Redevelopment of Underutilized Sites for Housing Initiative (“RUSH”) fund up to $24,150,000 would be available to help offset the cost of building a replacement parking garage.
Empire State Development President, CEO and Commissioner Hope Knight said, “This transit-oriented development project at Beacon Station exemplifies smart growth that connects housing with transportation infrastructure. By leveraging state resources through Governor Hochul’s RUSH initiative, we’re creating new housing opportunities while strengthening the economic ties between the Hudson Valley and New York City, demonstrating how strategic development can enhance both local communities and regional connectivity.”
The MTA said that 15 trains run from Beacon to Grand Central during the morning peak travel time with a comparable number outbound from Grand Central to Beacon during the afternoon rush hour and that the average travel time between Beacon and Grand Central is 78 minutes.
