Minutes
City of
REGULAR MEETING
The regular meeting of the Beacon City
Council held at the
Council
Members Present: Deanna
Leake, Eleanor Thompson,
Also
present were: City
Administrator, Joseph Braun
City
Attorney, Gerard Pisanelli
Media
represented by: Goldee
Green, Beacon Free Press
Residents
at beginning of meeting: 100
Public Hearings:
Mayor Clara Lou Gould announced that
Hearings No. 1, 2, 3, and 4 would be adjourned until November 21, 2005. She invited the residents to give their
comments at this time with this understanding.
1. Proposed Local Law A: Changing the Zoning of Property from R1-10
One Family Residence District to R1-40 One Family Residence District.
Adjourned
2. Proposed Local Law B: Changing the Zoning of Property from R-1-40
One Family Residence District to R1-80 One Family Residence District.
Adjourned
3. Proposed Local Law C: Changing the Zoning of Property from R-1-40
One Family Residence District to R1-120 One Family Residence District.
Adjourned
NOTICE OF
PUBLIC HEARINGS - PLEASE TAKE NOTICE that the City Council of the City of Beacon will
hold public hearings on Monday, March 21, 2005 at the City of Beacon Municipal
Center, One Municipal Plaza, Beacon, New York at 7:30 p.m., or as soon
thereafter as the matter is reached on the agenda, to consider three Proposed
Local Laws:
1. Proposed Local Law A:
Changing the Zoning of Property from Rl-10 One Family Residence District to
Rl-40 One Family Residence District.
2. Proposed Local Law B:
Changing the Zoning of Property from R-l-40 One Family Residence District to
Rl-80 One Family Residence District.
3. Proposed Local Law C:
Changing the Zoning of Property from R-l-40 One Family Residence District to R
1-120 One Family Residence District.
These local laws are intended to implement an updating of the City's
Development Plan. The local laws will affect changes to the zoning of parcel
No. 6054-02-596808 owned by Preshrock Corp., known as the Ursuline property.
The above local laws would take effect immediately upon filing with the
Secretary of State. Complete copies of the proposed local laws are available at
the
4. Amendment to the City’s Comprehensive Plan in connection with housing and the Hiddenbrooke
(Formerly
Ursuline) Property.
NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING - PLEASE TAKE NOTICE that the City of Beacon
will hold a public hearing on Monday, November 7, 2005, at the City of Beacon
Municipal Center, One Municipal Plaza, Beacon, New York at 7:30 P.M or as soon
thereafter as the matter is reached on the agenda, to consider a proposed
amendment to the City’s Comprehensive Plan and three proposed local laws
amending the City’s Zoning Map with respect to the Hiddenbrooke (formerly
Ursuline) property.
The City Council as lead agency has referred the
proposed amendments to the City of
These local laws would take effect immediately upon filing with the
Secretary of State. Complete copies of
the proposed local law are available at the
All interested persons and citizens shall have an opportunity to be heard on said proposals at the date, time and place aforesaid.
Public Comments
on Hearing No. 1, 2, 3, and 4:
The following letter
addressed to City Council, City of
The Dutchess County Department of Planning & Development has reviewed the subject referral
within the framework of General Municipal Law (Article 12B, Sections 239‑1
and 239‑m). After considering the proposed action in the context of
countywide and intermunicipal factors, the Department finds that the Board's
decision involves a matter of some concern.
Action
The City is proposing changes to its Comprehensive
Plan and Zoning to reduce residential density for a large parcel in the eastern
portion of Beacon along
Comments
The City of
Despite the stated intention to "maintain
higher densities in the central portion of the City with proportionally lower
densities as the distance from the center of the City increases," large
sections of the City immediately surrounding the Main Street corridor have also
been reduced in potential densities. One of the primary benefits of nearby density
and housing diversity is the direct economic support it gives to
We have no strong objection to rezoning the
Hiddenbrooke property, given the environmental constraints in the area, but our
department has consistently recommended that the, City address ‑its
overall housing and zoning needs in a more comprehensive city‑wide
approach. We are therefore pleased to see that Beacon has begun an update of
its Development Plan. We look forward to working with the City to produce a
balanced “smart growth" approach to housing and economic diversity iii its
plan for the future.
Recommendation
The Department recommends that the Board rely upon
its own study of the facts in the case with due consideration of the above comments.
Roger P. Akeley,
Commissioner
Dutchess County Department
of Planning & Development
By John Clarke
Development and Design
Coordinator
The following memorandum is from Etha Grogan,
Planning Board Secretary dated
At the October 11,
2005 Planning Board meeting, the Board reviewed the following proposed local
laws and resolution amending the City's comprehensive plan as presented by
David Stolman and under consideration since 2003:
Local Law A Changing
the Rl-10 One Family Residence District to Rl-40 One Family Residence District
(part of 6054-020596808)
Local Law B Changing
the Rl-40 One Family Residence District to Rl-80 One Family Residence District
(part of 6054-02-596808)
Local Law C Changing
the Rl-40 One Family Residence District to Rl-120 One Family Residence District
(part of 6054-02-596808)
After much review and
discussion with the City Planner, the majority of members agreed that all of
the proposals and zoning changes made good planning sense, and recommended the
City Council proceed with the amendments. If you have any questions, feel free
to contact me. Thank you.
Karen Wagner – Attorney for – Preshrock
– proceeded to give an unscheduled presentation regarding their project and its
positive benefits to the community.
After allowing approximately fifteen minutes of this presentation, Mayor
Clara Lou Gould informed the representative that this was a time for community
comments and that presentations such as this must be scheduled in advance. Our community has already heard much of her
information.
John P. Delano, PE – Engineer for Preshrock - Explained the charts on the
easels showing the layout of the project.
Jennifer Zipper – Friends of Hiddenbrooke: The Friends of Hiddenbrooke would like to
state that while the issue of rezoning is an important one, we remind the
Council that the over riding issue is the preservation of the Hiddenbrooke
property as open space.
Peter Gadbois read the following comments at the
Over the next few
years there will be plenty of townhouses and condominiums available in the City of
Single-family homes
keep their value longer than clustered communal houses built on a townhouse model. I have seen individual properties
appreciate and grow in value over a period of
thirty years or more while, connected clustered housing tends to depreciate and dilapidate over that same time frame. The communal
concept of aggregate payment inhibits the ability of these
communities to agree and pursue changes that are needed for the ongoing upkeep of such housing. This type of
housing lends itself to becoming rental properties,
owned by absentee landlords who in many cases care little for the overall good of the community.
I urge the City
government to look out over the next 50 to 75 years, when it makes a decision on the how the Hiddenbrooke property should
be developed. The Preshrock Corp in turn should support the
City Council's decision, especially since civil justice has been a benefactor of that corporation's existence.
Tom Baldino,
Writer of this letter, Erin
Burke VanBuren, read the following letter addressed to the Poughkeepsie
Journal’s Public Opinion Page Editor dated
On Monday evening, the Beacon City Council may
finally determine whether or not it wishes to selectively rezone the
Hiddenbrooke property in order to forestall its development. It's a laudable
idea. After all, in a perfect world, no one would develop any property; in a
perfect world, nothing would ever change; and in a perfect world,
municipalities would never need new revenue streams to support emergency
services, public works projects, and other requisite services for their
citizens.
But we all know the real
world operates a little bit differently. In this particular case, no one knows
that better than 1. My grandmother and my family own more than 12 acres
adjoining the rear of the Hiddenbrooke property, and we would prefer that no
one ever develop this very special comer of our community. We recognize,
however, that the land was sold to Preshrock Corporation in February and that property owners in these
We believe that Preshrock
Corporation has, in fact, put forth a more than responsible proposal that would
limit development of the 123 acres to a total area of just 20 acres ‑
that's just 16 percent of the land! They have proposed to cluster townhouses
along the
Like the Carmelite Sisters
who also still call Hiddenbrooke home, we have come to support Preshrock's
proposal.
We do so in large part
because they propose to leave the remaining 100 acres as open space, deeded to
the City of
Furthermore, tax‑paying
townhouses will likely attract smaller family units, as compared to the people
that need the expanse of larger, single‑family homes. This will lessen potential
impact on our school district, another area that should be of concern to every
Beacon property owner and taxpayer.
As proposed, the development
would be clustered west of the stream, protecting its flows and the natural
beauty of the vast majority of the parcel. They have proposed keeping the
mature treeline in order to protect the viewshed of homes in nearby
If the zoning is changed,
there are no guarantees as to how this property will be developed. If we don't
embrace this developer's restrained proposal ‑‑ that would place
properly scaled units along one of our community's existing streetscapes ‑‑
we could be someday surrounded by the super‑sized homes that have forever
changed the character of so much of the rest of southern Dutchess County.
In short, we've come to
believe that the Preshrock proposal is in the best interests of Hiddenbrooke,
the City of
The following comments
were read at the
We are a community of
25 sisters who live at the Carmelite Monastery, and we appreciate the concern
that has been expressed by city officials, neighbors and friends for the
Carmelite religious life and our presence in Beacon. Our monastery is located
on land, which was once part of the original Hiddenbrooke property.
The Carmelite Sisters
are just as concerned as our Beacon neighbors and city officials for the future
of the Hiddenbrooke property. We desire wise development of the Hiddenbrooke
property, preservation of the natural beauty of the land, care for sensitive
environmental issues, and allowing the wildlife to continue undisturbed.
RE-ZONING OF
HIDDENBROOKE
With information I
have received, I feel that the up-zoning of the Hiddenbrooke property is
unnecessary. The proposed plan of the Preshrock Corporation would develop
approximately 20 acres for cluster development along the
Resources
.
NEED
Although much of the
Carmelite property is wooded area, if portions of the Hiddenbrooke property
that are adjacent to the monastery are developed for housing or for low-impact
public recreation, it would infringe on the way of life as called for by our
vocation. Reducing the activity on open space is of paramount importance to us.
The uncertainty of the future of the Hiddenbrooke
property underscores our need to acquire buffer land to protect the atmosphere
of the Carmelite life, unless our vocation can otherwise be protected. Adequate
buffer land would protect the $3 million investment our community made at the
monastery (by renovations and an addition) and help to maintain the atmosphere conducive
to the Carmelite vocation. I desire that such buffer land be protected and
secured by a permanent barrier.
OTHER ISSUES
We are also deeply
concerned about the present and future upkeep of the Hiddenbrooke property. The
city, private citizens and developers alike are accountable as good stewards
for the lands they own. Sections of the Hiddenbrooke property have not been
attended to in recent years. Heavy rains have caused the streams, particularly
Dry Brook, to carve other courses for the flow of water. There are fallen trees
and debris that have blocked the free flow of the brooks and streams, resulting
in flooding of the already fragile access road. It is the only access road to
the monastery.
Unless responsibility
is taken to clear the debris from the stream paths and keep the culverts clear
to allow maximum free flow of the water, it will not be long before the road
washes out once again as it did during the severe flooding in 1996. I wish to
see demonstrated responsible care for the land.
PERSONAL OBSERVATIONS
I have lived at the
monastery in Beacon for over 23 years and have experienced yearly changes in
the land around me: from drought, floods, cold, heat, disease, changes in the
fields and woods, decimated and rejuvenated conditions, and changes in wildlife
and animal behavior. One becomes keenly aware and takes note of such changes,
subtle as well as drastic, when one cares about and loves the land. I expect
the city council, the planning board and Preshrock Corporation to make careful,
wise and responsible decisions regarding the future of the Hiddenbrooke
property. Thank you.
Larry Kalkstein – Preshrock – I am against the upzoning. By not upzoning, this protects the
environment. We want to leave the trees – The more homes you have in Cluster
housing the more affordable the houses will be.
The remaining land will allow for hiking and jogging trails, etc. There will be no motorcycles or cars to deal
with. We want to leave all those
beautiful trees so people will have the open space.
Michael McCullough III - I am in support of rezoning because every time
it rains,
The following comments were read at the
I am opposed to changing the zoning for the Hiddenbrooke Property since
I see no benefit from doing so. Preshrock's proposal to cluster townhouses in
the front portion of the land would involve developing only 20 acres, preserving
the remaining property, nearly 80 acres, as permanent open space, whereas if
the zoning is changed, the entire property would/could be developed with much
larger homes and families, and increased traffic on the property. I am
sympathetic to lessen Park's flooding problems and am confident that drainage
issues are being addressed by Preshrock. Their proposal would have the least
environmental impact to the land. (As I
understand it.)
Our Carmelite community at Hiddenbrooke was formed 5 years ago by the
union of 3 separate monasteries, that of Barre
There is the misconception that the Archdiocese of New York supports us
financially. I'd like to take this opportunity to let you know that they do
not. We raised the money for our building and renovation project. We have
invested a great deal in our building and property and so I am concerned when I
hear talk of the land being used as a public park. We would need sufficient
buffer land to protect our way of life and all we have invested since choosing
to make Beacon our home.
Sister Marie Gertrude – I am opposed to the rezoning of the Hiddenbrooke
property and I do not feel that there a necessity for doing so. The Preshrock’s proposal is in the best
interest of the surrounding community. I
feel that it will help the water problem rather than hinder it.
Christine Miller: I lived in
Beacon for most of my life. I agree with
Erin Burke VanBuren. If they have this
water problem, they have had it for a few years and not because of the sale of
the Hiddenbrooke property. This will
help the nuns and the
Lauren Kalkstein - I want everyone to know that we should keep the zoning
that we have. To put roads in, will
destroy the open space. To waste land
and to cut down trees just to put a road in does not make sense. If you put up these houses with so much land,
will destroy the trees.
Peter Gadbois I am against cluster housing. You have places that are
going to be developed with cluster houses because that’s all they can
build. There is no reason to allow a
developer to push us into a situation.
All I feel is threats from these people.
Beacon does not need cluster housing in such precious land. If this happens, we will have an influx of
people here that will more than fill our schools.
No further comments.
Motion to adjourn hearing to
5. Special Use Permit - Accessory Apartment –
NOTICE OF PUBLIC
HEARING - PLEASE TAKE NOTICE that the
City Council of the City of Beacon will hold a public hearing on Monday,
November 7, 2005 at the City of Beacon Municipal Center, One Municipal Plaza,
Beacon, New York at 7:30 p.m., or as soon thereafter as the matter is reached
on the agenda, relative to an application for a Special Use Permit, to create
an accessory apartment, submitted by John Gunn, property located at 47 South
Avenue, identified on City tax maps as Section 5954, Block 34, Lot 679833.
A copy of their
proposal is available for inspection at the Municipal Center, Lower Level, One
Municipal Plaza, Beacon, New York during regular business hours (Monday-Friday
~ 8:30am to 4:00pm)
All interested persons
and citizens shall have an opportunity to be heard on said proposals at the
date, time and place aforesaid.
Public
Comments: None
Motion
to close hearing:
6. Special Use Permit - Artist Live / Work Space –
NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING
- PLEASE TAKE NOTICE that the City
Council of the City of Beacon will hold a public hearing on Monday, November 7,
2005 at the City of Beacon Municipal Center, One Municipal Plaza, Beacon, New
York at 7:30 p.m., or as soon thereafter as the matter is reached on the
agenda, relative to an application for a Special Use Permit, for an Artist
Live/Work space, submitted by Peter 0'Kennedy, property located at 3 Water
Street, identified on City tax maps as Section 6054, Block 38, Lot 170722.
A copy of their
proposal is available for inspection at the Municipal Center, Lower Level, One
Municipal Plaza, Beacon, New York during regular business hours (Monday-Friday
~ 8:30am to 4:00pm)
All interested persons
and citizens shall have an opportunity to be heard on said proposals at the
date, time and place aforesaid.
Public
Comments: None
Motion
to close hearing: Council Member Antalek.
Seconded: Council Member
Fasano. All voted in favor. Motion carried.
Community Segment: None
Approval of Minutes: Mayor Clara Lou Gould asked for a motion to
approve the following minutes:
Council Meeting
-
Council
Reports: Text from the
following reports for
Mayor’s
Communications read by Mayor Clara Lou Gould
City
Administrator, Joseph Braun read his Report of Activities
City Attorney,
Gerard Pisanelli read his Report of Activities – 1st Meeting of the
Month
Mayor Clara Lou
Gould read her Report of Activities
Council Members gave their reports of
Activities
Public Comments: Pertaining to This Agenda Only
The following report signed by Chair and Co-Chair by John Gunn and Sara
Pasti was presented on behalf of the City of
|
John Gunn - Chair |
Tim Dexter |
Randall Martin |
John Stella |
|
Sara Pasti - Co
Chair |
Jack Dunne |
Chris Ruhe |
Joan Van Voorhis |
|
Catherine
Allgauer |
Patti Dunne |
Jay Sheers |
Gary Wood |
|
Tom Baldino |
Javier Guillen |
Tom Skipwith |
|
|
Brian Debronsky |
Roberta Marsh |
Todd Spire |
|
To:
Considering concerns raised by residents, members of the Comprehensive
Planning Committee
and members of
the City Council regarding the recent increase in population growth and development within the City
of Beacon, and given that the City is currently undertaking a full review and update of its
Comprehensive plan, the members of the Comprehensive Plan Committee have given
thoughtful deliberation to recommending a limited moratorium on development for the City of
Beacon. It is our recommendation
that the City Council adopt a moratorium for a period of 18 months, which will apply to:
• New residential developments of two units or more in all zoning districts
• New construction within U districts adjacent to or abutting the
Fishkill Creek
• New construction in all areas adjacent to wetlands
New construction in sensitive run-off areas adjacent to
Sharon Bronte - In May I purchased two
properties. There were no dishwashers
hooked up. I got a water bill from the
City of
Herman