Zoning amendments could nix Beacon drive-thru

The Healey family, which for 40 years operated auto dealerships along Fishkill Avenue in Beacon, says the City Council is unfairly targeting its effort to redevelop one of its lots, according to a letter addressed to Mayor Lee Kyriacou and council members.

The letter, sent Monday (Feb. 10) on behalf of Dwight Healey and his sons, Jay and Dylan, accuses the mayor and council of expediting "incomplete recommendations" made by the Fishkill Avenue Concepts Committee, a citizen workgroup assembled by Kyriacou to study the corridor. (Jay Healey is a member of the committee.) The recommendations contradict Beacon's comprehensive plan and lack analysis by traffic consultants and other experts contracted by the city, wrote Taylor Palmer, the Healeys' attorney.

Kyriacou said Wednesday that he had been away because of a family matter and had not had time to read the letter in full.

After purchasing a Ford dealership on Route 9 in Poughkeepsie and constructing a Hyundai facility on Route 52 in Fishkill, the Healey family placed four substantial Fishkill Avenue parcels on the market in 2023. The Planning Board last year approved applications from Carvana, the used-car retailer, and Soka Gakkai International, a Buddhist organization, to occupy two of the parcels.

In November, the family brought a proposal to the board to convert a building at 420 Fishkill Ave., its former Ford dealership, to a Dunkin' coffeehouse with a drive-thru, three apartments and additional commercial space.

At the same time, the council in November asked the Fishkill Avenue committee to develop interim zoning recommendations for the corridor while continuing its work, which includes studying streetscapes and pedestrian accessibility. J.C. Calderon, the committee chair, delivered the recommendations during the council's Jan. 27 workshop:

Prohibit self-storage facilities.

Prohibit drive-thrus.

Reduce the minimum front-yard setback for new development and require parking behind, underneath or to the side of a building.

Prohibit gas stations, car washes, auto lots and repair shops, but allow existing auto-related uses to remain as non-conformities.

Calderon noted that committee members had not unanimously agreed but said the proposals align with input received during three public "pop-ups" last summer and an online survey. Another public information session is scheduled for March 9 at Industrial Arts Brewing Co.

Planning Board members also questioned the committee's recommendations, Calderon said. During a work session before its Dec. 10 meeting, John Gunn, the board chair, said that auto-related uses and drive-thrus "could be considered appropriate" in the Fishkill Avenue corridor while emphasizing traffic-calming and the pedestrian experience "in context of some of these types of uses."

The City Council on Monday agreed to send a draft law prohibiting self-storage facilities and drive-thrus to the city and county planning boards for review. Council members said they requested the "quick-fix" measures to preserve the city's vision for a walkable corridor that would complement recreational uses such as biking and hiking before incompatible development is approved.

The Planning Board held a public hearing the next night on the Dunkin' proposal. Three residents, one of them the husband of Council Member Pam Wetherbee, opposed the plans. One person favored the project. Thirteen more (eight for, five against) submitted written comments.

In the letter from Palmer, the Healeys asked the council members, if they decide to prohibit self-storage and drive-thrus, to exempt their project because it had been proposed beforehand.

Rose Hill Manor

The owner of Rose Hill Manor Day School, a preschool located for 40 years at 1064 Wolcott Ave., has proposed redeveloping the site as a three-story, 41-room hotel with a gym, spa and 56-seat restaurant.

The hotel would be open year-round with the spa open Tuesday through Sunday. The restaurant ...