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Beacon council directs staff to draft local law banning drive‑thrus and restricting self‑storage along Fishkill Avenue
Summary
The Beacon City Council heard zoning recommendations from the Fishkill Avenue Committee and instructed staff to draft a local law to prohibit drive‑throughs and to separate self‑storage from wholesale/warehousing uses along the Fishkill Avenue corridor, while phasing in other auto‑oriented uses as nonconforming.
Council members spent the bulk of the workshop on zoning changes proposed for the Fishkill Avenue corridor, and asked staff to prepare draft local law language to implement two near‑term changes.
The Fishkill Avenue Committee and city planner Natalie Quinn presented four priority zoning changes developed during the committee’s public engagement and review of the city’s 2017 comprehensive plan. Committee chair JC Calderon and Quinn described recommendations to: (1) make self‑storage a distinct use and prohibit it in corridor districts, (2) expressly prohibit drive‑through facilities in the corridor, (3) reduce front yard setbacks and require on‑site parking be placed behind or to the side of buildings to preserve street wall continuity, and (4) prohibit new auto‑oriented uses (gas stations, car washes, vehicle sales, auto repair) so existing businesses become nonconforming and can be phased out over time.
The council generally supported moving quickly on recommendations 1 and 2. Mayor (name not specified) and multiple council members said those changes are straightforward and urged staff to return a draft local law for introduction so it could be referred to the planning board and Dutchess County for review. Council members asked staff to consider a six‑month rule for nonconforming uses (how long a use can be discontinued before it ceases to be permitted) and whether any language from the 2017 comprehensive plan should be amended alongside the zoning changes.
Committee members and councilors debated recommendation 4, which would broadly bar new auto‑oriented uses. Some committee members and planning board members had expressed concern that an outright ban could disadvantage existing property owners or shift those uses elsewhere in the city; other councilors said prohibiting those uses now would better protect the corridor’s pedestrian vision. Several council members urged a phased approach for auto‑oriented uses — allowing existing businesses to continue as nonconforming uses, limiting expansion, and preventing the establishment of new similar businesses in the corridor.
Council direction and next steps: the council asked Nick (city attorney) and planning staff to prepare draft local law language focused on recommendations 1 and 2, to consider the six‑month nonconforming discontinuance question, and to assess whether any comprehensive plan language should be updated. The council expressed a desire to move expeditiously on the drive‑through prohibition and the self‑storage separation but to deliberate further on broader prohibitions of auto‑oriented uses.
The Fishkill Avenue Committee will hold a public workshop on March 8 (1:30–4:30 p.m. at Industrial Arts) to present a broader set of recommendations and collect public feedback; the council indicated it expects additional public engagement as the drafting process proceeds.
Why it matters: The recommendations would change what uses are allowed along a major commercial corridor and aim to shift Fishkill Avenue toward a more pedestrian‑oriented corridor with improved sidewalks, bike lanes and streetscape amenities. The council emphasized both the need for speed (to act before developers break ground on projects) and the need to preserve notice and public input.
