Developer wants to eliminate office building, add more apartments

The developer of a mixed-use project on a 9.18-acre property in the City of Beacon that formerly was home to a Tuck Industries manufacturing plant wants to make changes to the development. Two apartment buildings with 64 apartments are under construction at the site and the developer wants to eliminate a planned office building and instead build more apartments.

The current property owner, Beacon 248 Development, LLC, received approvals from Beacon’s City Council on August 4, 2014, for the redevelopment of the site for a 100-unit multifamily residential project. The approved site plan layout included four residential buildings, a 1,200-square-foot clubhouse, and a swimming pool for use by residents only. In 2017, the City Council adopted zoning amendments, which included amendments to the Fishkill Creek Development District zoning regulations that were needed for the project. The site plan was amended in 2020 to change Building 100 in the development from residential to office use.

The developer is now seeking approval for a revised concept plan, an area variance, and an amended site plan for updates to Building 100 and parking. Building 100, formerly approved as a 25,400-square-foot two-story office building, is now proposed to be a 34,686 square-foot three-story residential building with 36 apartments.

Of the 36 proposed apartments, four would be reserved for workforce housing. Buildings 200 and 300 will remain multifamily residential as previously approved. The minimum required number of parking spaces has been reduced from 207 to 141. The provided number of parking spaces has been reduced from 216 to 164. Parking would include at-grade spaces and spaces underneath the buildings.

The developer is taking the position that while zoning changes encouraging mixed-use projects were undertaken by Beacon in 2017, since that time significant changes to the office market have taken place on a nationwide scale. The developer says that the demand for office space has greatly diminished and this site, positioned further away from Main Street than other office offerings, is less attractive for potential tenants.

The developer takes the position that its proposed residential use would be more appropriate for the project site and surrounding neighborhood.