The developer of a mixed-use project on a 9.18-acre site in the town of Beacon that was formerly the site of a Tuck Industries factory wants to make zoning changes. Two 64-unit apartment buildings are currently under construction on the site, and the developer wants to eliminate a planned office building and build more apartments instead.

The current property owner, Beacon 248 Development, LLC, received approval from the Beacon City Council on August 4, 2014 to redevelop the site for a 100-unit multifamily housing project. The approved site plan included four residential buildings, a 12,000-square-foot clubhouse, and a swimming pool for resident use only. In 2017, the City Council passed zoning changes, including changes to the Fishkill Creek Development District’s zoning regulations, that were required for the project. The site plan was amended in 2020 to convert building 100 in the development from residential to office use.

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

Of the 36 planned apartments, four are to be reserved for workers’ housing. Buildings 200 and 300 will remain multi-family buildings, as previously approved. The minimum required number of parking spaces has been reduced from 207 to 141. The planned number of parking spaces has been reduced from 216 to 164. Parking spaces include ground-level parking and parking spaces under the buildings.

The developer argues that while Beacon made zoning changes in 2017 that encourage mixed-use projects, there have been significant changes in the office market nationwide since then. The developer says demand for office space has dropped sharply and this location, which is farther from Main Street than other office offerings, is less attractive to prospective tenants.

The developer believes that the residential use it proposes is more appropriate for the project site and the surrounding neighborhood.