Rally For Reuben Simmons Write-In Candidacy For Mayor Of Beacon At Max's On Main

Reuben Simmons, a lifelong Beaconite, has just decided to run for Mayor in Beacon, as a write-in candidate, at the request of those around him, to give people a choice in an un-opposed mayoral race. Reuben told ALBB that people voiced their frustration at not having a choice in this year’s race, as Mayor Lee Kyriacou runs unopposed in what would be his second term in office as Mayor. Mayor Lee has been in Beacon politics since the 1990s as a City Council member throughout the years.

Article to come on Reuben’s candicacy next. Owner of Max’s on Main, Richie Kaplan, offered to host a rally for Reuben on Sunday evening. Reuben and Richie serve together on the Beacon Parade of Green committee, which is one of several local volunteer committees Reuben serves on. Article to come.

That Time A Lease Termination Notice Giving 3 Days Notice Was Taped To The Boards Of John's Shoe Repair Shop After The Fire Months Prior

After the fire back in July 2022 that destroyed Mr. Bell’s Main Street Beauty Salon at 209 Main Street, the shoe cobbler next door, John’s Shoe Repair, also suffered smoke damage.

Before the fire, the building was about to change owners, and the shoe repair shop had negotiated a multi-year lease with their previous landlord, Joe Donovan, in preparation for the sale to Fadil Mavraj of 201-211 Main Street, LLC, as reported in the Highlands Current..

The shoe repair shop’s notice to customers on where to find them around the corner on S. Brett Street while the space was renovated.

After the fire, the shoe repair shop owners YunTae “John” Oh and his wife, HwaJa Oh tried to work without electricity, but moved operations to a house around the corner on South Brett Street. A note with directions on how to get there with open hours was written and taped to the boards that were to remain up months after the fire. The note read: “Renovation will take a bit longer than we thought. At this time, we will be taking customers at our house. Until further notice, it is a 2 minute car ride from here...Please call or come to my house S. Brett Street. Rear Beacon NY.”

Renovations had been taking a long time. The fire happened in July 2022. Before the fire, Joe told the Highlands Current that he was scheduled to close on the sale of the building that housed the shoe repair shop to “Fadil Mavraj, the developer of the 206-208 Main St. building, within weeks.” The lease for the shoe repair shop was untouched, but “Donovan quickly determined it would not be possible to restore the barbershop before the sale, and terminated Bell’s lease at 211 Main,” he told the newspaper.

The sale of the building happened after the fire. Joe told ALBB: “The sale of 201-211 Main Street closed on 14-Sep-2022. The buyer was 201-211 Main Street LLC, whose principals constructed and own the nearby building [across the street] at 206 Main Street (on the corner of Digger Phelps).”

In October, with YunTae and HwaJa operating from the house on S. Brett Street, an affiliate of the new owners of the building was outside on the sidewalk. ALBB asked him when the shop would be able to open again, and he said he did not know, but was trying to help customers find their shoes.

The lease termination letter from 201-211 Main Street, LLC, Landlord and Owner, signed
By Lendita Mavraj, Manager, stating that the shoe repair shop needed to vacate within 3 days.

Within days, the shoe repair shop’s lease termination notice was taped to the boards of the shop. ALBB took a picture of it and showed it to HwaJa at the house. HwaJa expressed shock at seeing the notice, and said she had not seen it yet. She immediately called her daughter, who often serves as a translator for her parents in their business.

The lease termination letter stated that their lease would be terminated 3 days from the date of it being taped to the board. It also stated that they had 3 days to vacate the property and remove all of their things.

The couple’s daughter told ALBB that her mother was shocked to see her name on the letter that was posted publicly. She said that her parents were willing to pay a higher price and wanted to negotiate, but ultimately, felt the rent too expensive for them.

The lease termination letter is reprinted in full below:

To: Ja Oh Hwa
209 Main Street
Beacon, NY 12508

Lease between 201-211 Main Street, LLC with Ja Oh Hwa
Premises: 209 Main Street, Beacon, NY 12508

Dated: October 12, 2022

PLEASE TAKE NOTICE that your Lease for the above-described premises will be canceled three (3) days from the date of service of this Notice upon you.

PLEASE TAKE FURTHER NOTICE that the premises have incurred significant fire damage and have been declared unusable by the Landlord. The Landlord therefore exercises its option under paragraph 14 of the Lease dated July 1, 2022, to cancel said Lease on three (3) days notice.

PLEASE TAKE FURTHER NOTICE that you and all persons occupying the above described premises must vacate said premises, return all keys to the Landlord and remove all property, furniture, belongings and personal effects in and on the above-described premises no later than three (3) days after the service of this Notice upon you.

PLEASE TAKE FURTHER NOTICE that in the event of your failure to vacate the premises within three (3) days of the service of this Notice upon you, the Landlord will commence summary proceedings to recover possession of the premises.

This Notice is being issued at least three (3) days prior to the date you must vacate the premises.

201-211 Main Street, LLC, Landlord and Owner
By: Lendita Mavraj, Manager

New Location and Equipment Fundraiser For John’s Shoe Repair

The couple has found a new location in the residential building behind Mountain Tops and Colorant, a property that Joe Donovan owns. According to the Highlands Current article, “Joe Donovan paid to move and store the couple’s equipment after the fire; John and HwaJa used their retirement money to move the equipment into the new space.”

However, the space is too small to accommodate their largest machine, and they held a fundraiser to raise $12,000 to buy a smaller one. While they raised $2,300, it has not been enough to purchase the machine. The fundraiser remains open.

The Ironic And Unplanned Retirement of Mr. Alvin Bell: "Bad Things Happen To Good People Too"

In 2019, the Chronogram ran a feature story on Beacon called "Development in the Spotlight" which featured different types of businesses who opened and closed in Beacon in recent years, and why they might have succeeded. Included in the feature was one of Beacon's most famed and loved barber, Mr. Alvin Bell. At age 54, after being downsized at the Nabisco plant that would become Dia:Beacon, which sparked Beacon's revitalization, Mr. Bell opened his salon, Main Street Beauty Salon, to continue his survival in Beacon on Main Street. He maintained the salon for over 30 years. The salon was located next to BJ’s Soul Food.

In July 2022, a spark popped in the vicinity of Mr. Bell's salon, which ended up destroying the salon. After 3pm when everyone had left for the day and the salon was empty, a woman working at the pizza shop next door saw smoke coming out of the bottom of the salon door.

Within hours, his salon was destroyed. Back in 2019, the writer of the Chronogram piece wondered if the success of some businesses was by “magic.” The end certainly went up in smoke.

Quoted from the Chronogram: "It [Beacon] is a place where people like 84-year-old barber Alvin Bell, who spent 27 years working at the Nabisco factory before it was transformed into Dia:Beacon, can open up a business that survives for 30 years and counting.

"Perhaps it's magic. But magic is what the magician does just out of sight while you're distracted by the waving handkerchief. Magic is what happens unheralded and unseen, just beyond the spotlight. You want magic? Show up and do the work," declared the reporter.

Mr. Bell’s success was not magic, but he had blessings and a good landlord along the way, helping to make success possible and his rent affordable. By the time the fire engulfed his salon, his original landlord had sold to a new owner.

The property changed hands after longtime owners, the Piccone family sold 20 parcels on the west end of Main Street to Joseph H. Donovan of Hudson Todd LLC. This included properties where businesses such as Mountain Tops, the Mountain Scout (now Utensil), Miss Vickie’s Music (now Colorant), and others were located. After the sale, long-time businesses moved around at that time so that run-down properties could be renovated and rented for presumably higher rents. Most properties were replaced by existing local Beacon businesses who were relocating and could afford the higher rent in a renovated space.

The new owners at that time, Hudson Todd LLC, worked with some business owners to find new locations. One such person was Miss Vickie’s Music, who Hudson Todd LLC’s helped move to the row of apartments behind Mr. Bell’s salon. Mr. Bell and the shoe cobbler, John’s Shoe Repair, were not moved. They stayed put, even though their spaces were quite old and not renovated.

According to Joseph H. Donovan when asked by ALBB, the sale of the building housing Mr. Bell, John’s Shoe Repair, and the apartments behind which housed Miss Vickie and others, was sold in September. Joseph told ALBB: “The sale of 201-211 Main Street closed on 14-Sep-2022. The buyer was 201-211 Main Street LLC, whose principals constructed and own the nearby building [across the street] at 206 Main Street (on the corner of Digger Phelps).”

The day of the fire, Miss Vickie saw the smoke, but neither fire nor smoke damage reached her apartment. Multiple fire engine companies were called to help put out the fire, which ended up destroying Mr. Bell’s Main Street Beauty Salon with heavy smoke damage to John’s Shoe Repair. Not holding business insurance, Mr. Bell had only what was left in the salon to start over. A GoFundMe page was started to raise cash for him, which it was later reported, he returned, which ALBB has also confirmed with his wife, Shirley. ALBB donated, and did so regardless of if he reopened or not.

Months later, it was reported by the Highlands Current that Joseph Donovan worked to secure Mr. Bell’s salon and John’s Shoe Repair Donovan locations with newly negotiated, multi-year leases. He told the newspaper: “We did that so each of the them would have stability in their current locations after the sale.”

But after the fire, he ended up terminating Mr. Bell’s lease before the sale closed, according to the article. According to the article: “But by then, the merchants had signed their leases and Donovan was scheduled to close on the sale to Fadil Mavraj, the developer of the 206-208 Main St. building, within weeks. Donovan quickly determined it would not be possible to restore the barbershop before the sale, and terminated Bell’s lease at 211 Main.”

ALBB’s interview and transcript with Mr. Bell on his feelings of his reluctant retirement is below. Listen to his voice and hear him tell it in his words.

Audio File Credit: The preparation and compression of this audio file was made possible by Tha’Max Studio and Tin Shingle.

ALBB: “Hi, this is Katie Hellmuth with A Little Beacon Blog. I am standing outside of Mr. Alvin's former salon shop here on Main Street. Hello, Mr. Bill.”

Mr. Bell: “How you doing sis?”

ALBB: “I’m good, thank you. We're standing here in front of the boards, that’s boarded up because it burnt down, a bit ago.Will you be continuing in here?”

Mr. Bell: “No I’m not.”

ALBB: “Would you still be cutting hair had it not burned down?”

Mr. Bell: “Definitely. But now with rent going sky high, it's just crazy in Beacon. I don't want to go back to that headache no more. I'd rather just...resign...you know."

Editor’s Note: Mr. Bell could barely say the word "resign."

ALBB: "Maybe if there's a chair somewhere else on Main Street? You'll be behind it? Cutting hair?"

Mr. Bell: "Oh yeah, definate, definite, I'd do that. Mostly I miss my friends. So many beautiful people in the City of Beacon. What I miss is people coming in from all over town. We sit and we'd talk. And I miss all that. And I miss all the pictures. I had pictures of everybody. That's what I miss more than cutting hair."

Editor’s Note: His salon was filled wall-to-wall with framed photos, certificates, awards and recognition. Most of which burned. A gentleman comes to interrupt:

Stranger: "Hey brother, the is your shop right here?"

Mr. Bell: "You know it brother man!" Mr. Bell continued with his infamous deep chuckle. "I miss everybody in Beacon now."

ALBB: "We saw you out here every single day."

Mr. Bell: "That's right. Sure did! And I love it. Everybody was so nice to me. Everybody in Beacon. The Chief of Police. Everybody."

ALBB: "Were you surprised when the burned down?"

Mr. Bell: "Yeah. I was very surprised."

ALBB: "How have you been feeling?"

Mr. Bell: "I've been feeling good physically and mentally, but I miss all my good friends. I miss my friends. I still got friends. Everyone says 'as long as you're in good health.' And I'm in good health. Sometimes things happen, and we don't know why they happen. I don't talk much about spirituality, only I am the central power, that kind of stuff, but, I'm a spiritual type of person. Bad things happen to good people too."

ALBB: "You brought with you today a picture of Pete Seeger. Tell us your back story.”

Mr. Bell: "And here's [a picture of an article in] A Little Beacon Blog!”

ALBB: "Yes! There's A Little Beacon Blog.

Mr. Bell: "Put that on there.”

ALBB: "Ok. Here we go. The article reads: ‘Alvin Bell Sr. Turns 85. He Was Awarded The Unofficial Mayor Of The City Of Beacon” And you were awarded that by Mayor Randy Casale at the time.”

Mr. Bell: "That's right.”

ALBB: "You're now holding the Chrongram Community Pages from May 2019, they did a huge feature of you. They were spotlighting as this was going up. And I see the 2 new apartment buildings next to he gas station. One of them was finished, and that one wasn't finished yet. They are both finished now. But there's a huge spread of you that they did on the other page, opposite that.”

Mr. Bell: "Will you take a picture of that?”

ALBB: “I will take a picture of that. Tell me about Pete Seeger. How is he in your heart?”

Mr. Bell: "Don't forget Chris. I sung with Chris. We went all over Beacon. Chris took me to places. I didn't know what was in Beacon. My favorite song is Victory is Mine. That's my favorite song. Pete used to come in - I never called him Pete.”

ALBB: "What did you call him?

Mr. Bell: "Mr. Seeger. You have to earn it. Also a picture of his wife. When she died and I went to the funeral, he gave me a beautiful picture of her. You see that? 3x Grammy. He gave it to me to put it in the shop. I had so many. I had 20, 30 award. Every Church gave me an award. But they all burn up, so. I don't know why, but. It really don't matter."

ALBB: "We are now looking at the Certificate of Recognition. For the Unofficial Mayor of Beacon. Signed by Randy Casale. The letter reads:

Dear Alvin Bell Senior:

I would like to wish you a very happy 85th birthday. You have been the unofficial mayor of the City of Beacon. Your barbershop has served Beacon residents in an exemplary fashion for nearly 3 decades. This community is grateful to have such a friendly and helpful role model. As a good friend of Pete Seeger, I know you have a good heart. Your children and those around you are blessed to learn from you every day. Thank you for all you have done and continue to do for the City of Beacon. Happy Birthday, and I wish you many more to come.

Signed by Mayor Randy Casale


At the end of our interview, a man driving by pulled his car over and brought out his camera. He asked if he could take a picture of Mr. Bell. Being that Mr. Bell looks so dapper every day.

“Do you know who this person is?” ALBB asked. “No,” he replied, and asked to take his picture. Mr. Bell was flattered and agreed. The man snapped his photo and turned to leave. But not without ALBB forcing this story upon him before he drove away with another icon collected in his camera.

PS: Another beauty salon has since opened in the spot where Mr. Bell’s salon was. ALBB speaks on behalf of the community in welcoming them here and wishing them good luck.

Guardian Self Storage Opens Second Building In Beacon - Temperature Controlled!

Photo Credit: Flynn Larsen for ALBB

Could your self-storage experience feel homey? Mellow? Safe? Yes, yes, and yes, says Guardian Self Storage to the Beacon community.

Thanks to Guardian Self Storage’s sponsor support of A Little Beacon Blog, we were able to create a “Come In!” feature article for you, dear reader, in order to bring you the details behind all those colorful “Now Open!” flags blowing in the wind at 629 Route 52, next to their original building that replaced Southern Dutchess Bowl.

Said property manager Vicki McDonald to A Little Beacon Blog: “We are thrilled to provide the Beacon community – both residents and businesses – with a warm and welcoming space to store stuff of all kinds. We’re all about making moving easy and personable.” Vicki has been with the company for 18 years, and is a lifelong Beaconite who fondly recalls frequenting the former bowling alley.

While Guardian Self Storage’s Beacon location has been open for 5 years, the original plan was always to build a second building to offer a temperature-controlled environment. That day has come.

But First, A Brief History For Beacon Trivia Collectors

General Manager Judy Motter and Beacon’s Manager vicki McDonald stand in the auto-lit hallway of Guardian’s renovated building, that preserved the original wood beamed ceiling of the bowling alley.
Photo Credit: Flynn Larsen for ALBB

As the company’s 14th location in the Hudson Valley, Guardian Self Storage came to Beacon 5 years ago. It converted the former Southern Dutchess Bowl, but preserved the iconic ceiling, allowing customers to view the beams from each storage unit. Units on this floor in the first building can see the original ceiling, as the top of every storage unit is chicken wire, which allows for airflow through each unit.

During that renovation, Guardian Self Storage creatively connected with the community through its re-use of bowling lane planks. One person bought some of the high gloss maple timber for a kitchen renovation. Other pieces of the floor were sold to a bar for their decor.

The previous owner, Barry Winter, also kept a lane for himself. He says it was a "championship winning lane."

The New Building – Temperature Controlled!

windows for natural light in both Guardian Self Storage Buildings in Beacon.
Photo Credit: Flynn Larsen for ALBB

The new, four-story, 64,000 square foot facility sits next to the original building, fitted with an elevator. Both buildings are temperature controlled, are immaculate, and have windows to see the views and let in the natural light.

Units range from 25 square foot “small closets,” to the humongous 300 square foot “attics.” Large enough to be a 2-car garage (but no cars are stored at this location)! All units are 10 feet high, with roll-up metal doors. The smallest is the size of a small pantry, followed by a proper closet.

“We converted some of the larger units to be the smaller closet size, because that has been the most popular size in Beacon,” said Vicki.

Customers usually use their own storage shelves if they feel they need them, but they can hire Guardian Self Storage to build custom built shelving for the unit. Rentals are available month-to-month.

“Frequently, we are helping some people during a stressful point in their lives,” added General Manager Judy Motter. “It could be a divorce, or moving for one reason or another. We are a calming factor. We want to make this the easiest part of your move, if you’re moving.”

Each unit has a number, identified with a stylish sign, like on an apartment.
Photo Credit: Flynn Larsen FOR ALBB

Indeed, Guardian/Beacon serves a diverse array of space-seekers. Customers include drivers for brand name snacks, homeowners, renters, business people, people who make or collect to sell at flea markets, craftspeople, and artisans.

The 10’ x 30’ unit in the new temperature controlled building.
Photo Credit: Flynn Larsen for ALBB

“Some of them hang out, make things, and tinker,” said Vicki. “Years ago, when people in Beacon first started being approached to sell their homes for cash and they accepted, they and had to move very quickly. They stored most of their house here until they relocated.”

The “Garden units” in the new temperature controlled building of Guardian Self Storage.
Photo Credit: Flynn Larsen for ALBB

Natural light imparts a cheery ambiance in the boxy building. “We purposefully have a lot of windows, with plenty of landscaping,” said Judy. Soft piano music chimes in the background on all of the floors as one walks to their storage unit. “We make a point of making people feel welcome, and at home here.”

The lower-level spaces are dubbed “Garden Units” because of large picture windows facing some of the storage units. “A person feels like they are in a “Garden Apartment,” twinkled Ms. McDonald.

Community Involvement Beyond Storage

For many years, Guardian has been well-respected for creating close community ties, and Guardian Beacon looks forward to becoming a friend to Beaconites and beyond.

“Being there for Beacon is something we’re looking forward to,” said the project manager. “I grew up in Beacon, and loved my years at the Yanarella School of Dance, on Main Street. So, I’ve experienced the arts first-hand. Each month, Guardian Self Storage allows a manager of all locations to pick something in their community to benefit. I’m very happy with Guardian’s community policy that lets us reach everyone.”

To this end, the recent Howland Cultural Center Photography Members Exhibition was granted corporate support from Guardian Beacon.

Security In The Storage Units

Customers have their own personal code for easy accessibility during the hours of 6 a.m. and 10 p.m., seven days a week. Security cameras are located in several places in both buildings.

Easy Storage, Supplies and Moving Convenience

Photo Credit: Flynn Larsen for ALBB

Stop by the main office to purchase supplies like boxes, combination locks, and moving supplies as needed.

Guardian Self Storage’s Beacon location is celebrating its Grand Opening with a 30% discount for the first three months. A free 14-foot box truck or 10-foot van* rental is available on a first-come basis for moving. Customers pay for fuel as well as a small deposit and insurance fee.
*Van is available for the Beacon location only. Lucky us!

Guardian Self Storage also accepts mail and packages for business customers.

Guardian Self Storage Sizes

629 Route 52, Beacon, NY
(845) 838-3800
Storage Unit Sizes:
4’ x 3’ Good for college students
5’ x 5’ Good for gear & garden tools
5’ x 10’ Good for seasonal clothes or motorcycle
5’x 15’ Good as a walk-in closet
10’ x 10’ Good for 2-3 rooms of furniture
10’ x 15’ Good to store an apartment
10’ x 20’ Good for 3-4 rooms of furniture
10’ x 25’ Good for business storage
10’ x 30’ Good for a household of storage

All in all, Guardian Self Storage’s overarching aim is putting smiles on people’s faces. The proof of the pudding is the enthusiasm of the managers and office staff, and the gleaming cleanliness of the facility.

“Think of that spider-web covered crawl space of your basement, or cramming things into your apartment,” said Vicki. “Instead, you can use a clean unit that you can access as needed. No more denying yourself more holiday decorations just because you ran out of space!”

Seeing is believing, and yearning to stow. Contact Guardian Self Storage’s Beacon location for a tour. Call 845-838-3800 or email beacon@guardianselfstorage.com.

Judy and vicki are ready to take you on a tour of Guardian Storage in Beacon.
Photo Credit: Flynn Larsen for ALBB

UPDATE: Flag Pole To Remain - No Need To Repair At Veterans Memorial Building

Update 3/7/2023: After this article was published and in a response to a question from ALBB, Harold G. Delamater confirmed that the flag pole does not need repaired or removed, after further inspection.

Construction has begun on the Veteran’s Memorial Building at 413 Main Street. The Veterans announced last week via Harold G. Delamater of the Veterans Memorial Building Committee that the building was undergoing planned renovation to the front porch and landscaping on the grounds.

Now that digging has begun, Harold made another announcement to the media: “The large flag pole in front of Veterans Memorial Building will be taken down this week to repair or replace the base, which appears to be cracked. Upon repair, the pole will be reinstalled.”

Everyone Is Concerned About the Fencing At The Memorial Building - The Veterans Commenced Upon Repairs

When the fencing went up at the Veteran’s Memorial Building at 413 Main Street, people had questions. Were they getting a new fence? Was something big happening that would impact access to the Memorial Building and the events the Veterans host there?

Harold G. Delamater of the Veterans Memorial Building Committee was quick to send an email out to the media providing answers. He stated: “Folks have been questioning the recently installed construction fencing in front of the Veterans Memorial Bldg. The Veterans Memorial Building is currently under-going renovations to the front porch and landscaping to the grounds. The bricks from the Carmen Ramputi Detachment Marine Corps League monument will be stored for later placement in front of the Veterans Memorial Building. The project is expected to be completed in late Spring 2023.”

In a followup question from A Little Beacon Blog regarding who was financing this project, Harold answered that the project is being financed by a small grant they anticipate receiving from Senator Skoufis's office. There has been no financial assistance from the City of Beacon. Years ago, the Veterans appealed to the City under Randy Casale’s administration to receive funding for improvements to their building. At that time, some financing was released under then City Administrator Anthony Ruggiero.

Herold said that at this time, the City of Beacon has been supportive of the project, but not financially.

The Veterans will be starting a donation campaign to supplement the grant. They will be releasing more information via press release in the following week.

925 Wolcott Ave Was Being Renovated To Convert 16 Units to 9 SRO Units, Before Fire

The former boarding house at 925 Wolcott Avenue that burned down as a result of arson on January 3, 2023, was under renovation to convert 16 units to 9 units that would meet SRO definition (Single Room Occupancy in apartments or residential hotels in which low-income or welfare tenants live in single rooms), according to the permit filed by the owner, Yeshia Berger of 925 Wolcott Ave LLC, which was obtained by A Little Beacon Blog via FOIL request. He acquired the title to the property on July 13, 2022, according to the paperwork.

The front porch of 925 Wolcott Avenue.

According to the Application For The Certificate Of Occupancy Or Certificate Of Compliance filed on December 7, 2022, and had an Issue Date from the City of Beacon of December 12, 2022 signed by Building Inspector Bruce Flowers, each unit would have a bathroom and kitchenette, with all new plumbing and electric. A sprinkler system was also to be installed. The estimated cost of construction was written in as $200,000.

An Application for Building Permit was submitted on August 19, 2022 with an Issue Date dated August 26, 2022 signed by previous Building Inspector David Buckley to get new moldings, floors, and plumbing on the front porch/deck. The contractor was designated Olvin Construction out of Monroe, NY on the permit, who held the Workers Compensation Insurance.

On July 19, 2022, an Application For The Certificate Of Occupancy Or Certificate Of Compliance was filed to “rebuild existing CFP - roof to remain - with patch and paint to the interior with new plumbing fixtures.”

More than a month after the fire on January 3, 2023, pieces of the razed house still sit on the property. The arsonist and former tenant of 925 Wolcott Avenue, Brian P. Atkinson, is due in court later in February, unless the hearing is pushed. Mid Hudson News and ALBB first reported that Brian turned himself in after starting the fire, according to people who were at the scene. The Highlands Current later reported that “Police said he walked to the department and turned himself in immediately after starting the fire,” even though that was not written in the Press Release issued by the Beacon Police.

The owner, Yeshia, also owns the boarding house across the street, 916 Wolcott Avenue. That house was recently in the news as being the residence of the man who died after a fall into the stream under Teller Avenue on New Year’s Day. While the situations remain unconnected, both men did frequent Main Street at the local outdoor sidewalk hangout on Teller and Main Street.

Eviction Assistence For Beaconites From Legal Services Of The Hudson Valley

Last year, as a result of public outcry at rising rents and evictions in Beacon, the City of Beacon entered into an agreement with Legal Services of the Hudson Valley in order to in provide increased access to assistance for Beacon tenants facing eviction.

Legal Services of the Hudson Valley encourage all to not self-evict. Meaning, if a landlord tells the tenant to leave, the tenant may have rights that they are not aware of. There are times when some people opt not to pursue outside help when faced with a landlord telling them they need to leave, preferring instead to deal with matters on their own.

A phone call to Legal Services of the Hudson Valley would be worth it, just to see what happens and what strategies are available. Call the paralegal, Steven Mihalik at 845-253-6953 to inquire.

Eviction Timeline Uncertain at 925 Wolcott Ave, As is Tenant's Possible Work/Trade/Board Agreement With Landlord When Served With Eviction

Evictions look different than this house debris at 925 Wolcott. An eviction of a person, group of people or family looks like all of their stuff outside on the sidewalk. Their vacuum cleaner, washer and dryer maybe, boxes of stuffed animals and clothes. Sometimes these items are soggy and wet after days of sitting outside in the rain.

Soggy stuff on the front lawn and sidewalk is what it looked like when a recent Beacon elementary school student’s family was evicted days before the holidays. Their things were outside for the entire community to see.

The day before their eviction, the student’s playmates asked them at the end of the school day: “Can you play tomorrow?” The student answered: “I don’t know. My mom says that we are moving tomorrow if we can’t find a new place today.” The students accepted the answer at face value, while the parents who heard the student’s answer doubted the precise nature of it. Perhaps the student was parroting an exasperated claim by their parents. Wishfull thinking.

The next day, the student’s family’s things were indeed on the sidewalk, looking like this house debris in the picture above, but in the reverse. The house was in tact, but their stuff looked like debris.

Note: To answer a reader’s question: This story is an example of what an eviction can look like. It is not illustrating the burning of this house by a former tenant on the day of his own eviction hearing. The rest of that story is below.

Note: To answer a reader’s question: it is unknown if the owner of the student’s house and the owner of 925 Wolcott Avenue are the same owner. This story is to illustrate an eviction, and what that looks like from an owner’s house perspective that is standing with their tenant’s personal possessions outside, and an owner’s house that has been destroyed by the tenant that the owner is seeking eviction on.

The Intended Eviction of Brian P. Atkinson

The picture above is a reverse eviction. The tenant of 925 Wolcott Avenue, Brian P. Atkinson, was arrested for arson after setting the house he lived at on fire the day he was due in court for an eviction hearing. This fire endangered many people, required multiple fire departments to control, destroyed one property, and damaged two other properties.

Several locals familiar with the situation said that he turned himself in, which was later confirmed by the City of Beacon Police in an article. The building’s owner, Yeshia Berger, who also owns the multi-unit house across the street at 916 Wolcott Avenue, told A Little Beacon Blog that Brian was caught on camera, removing the camera shortly before the house caught fire. The fire was so hot it almost melted a firetruck and did damage two neighboring houses. A gasoline-sniffing dog was used to investigate the debris. The flames were so so high, they could be seen across the Hudson River in Newburgh.

Brian, it was later learned after the first media reports came out about the fire, was due in Beacon City Court that Tuesday for his eviction hearing. The newspaper, The Highlands Current, had called the Beacon City Courts to acquire information and learned of his court date. When the building owner spoke with A Little Beacon Blog, he stated that the person who set the house on fire was a prior tenant was not living there anymore.

People familiar with Brian’s living habits, including neighbors who could see the property, confirmed that Brian had been on the property during the day and night right up until the fire, collecting trash and maintaining the property. A light would be on at night, indicating he was living inside. Locals say he was a skilled carpenter, and had been “hired” recently by the building owner.

Locals and the Police Report say that the house was under construction, and had been stripped to the studs inside. However, the Police Report says that the house was unoccupied. According to neighbors and locals, Brian was known to be living there. And in fact, may have experienced the power shut off on that Monday.

Midhudson News reported that renovations had begun on the house, but were stopped by the City of Beacon. A Little Beacon Blog has filed a FOIL to gain access to the permit for construction, and the City of Beacon’s stop-work notice, if either exist.

Neighbors have confirmed that construction work had begun on the house to fix the front porch. The City of Beacon’s Building Department nor City Administrator have not responded to questions on this matter. Perhaps they will divulge during a public City Council Meeting.

According to information obtained by The Highlands Current, Brian had been served with an eviction hearing on December 21, 2022, citing unpaid rent. His hearing was set for Tuesday, January 3, 2023. Some locals indicated that he was in agreement with the building owner to provide services for the house in trade for living there. It is not clear then, how soon after he completed his last task, that an eviction notice was given to him.

The Torching of 925 Wolcott Avenue As Metaphor For Housing Crisis

While torching anything is wrong and not justified, the igniting of 925 Wolcott Avenue has come to represent a literal expressing of “burn it all down” when people reach the end of what they see as a broken system.

This fire has lit up the Beacon community to use this situation as illustrative of the housing crisis Beacon is experiencing - and has been experiencing since its settlement, as different people move in over the decades. But now, is hitting different classes and races, so different voices are speaking out.

Questions that arise include:

  • Why are people’s names not included on property companies, making it hard to find the people who own a building?

  • Does the City of Beacon regularly inspect the interior of rental units to make sure they are safe and humane? Movement is being made on short term rentals for Airbnb, but what about long term rentals? The long-term rental market is a quieter market who usually fears the landlord and does not make complaints. Unlike Airbnb, where there is a public platform for renters to write reviews about their rental units, and owners can write reviews about renters.

  • The City of Beacon may have stopped work on outside construction because it did not conform to laws, but were the people living inside OK this day, and years prior?

  • How far do people want local and state government to go, because there is already overreach? How is this all to work? With so many already existing laws that leave some people invisible?

Eviction Hearing and Tenants Rights

After much protest and arguments by residents of the City of Beacon in 2021, the City did enter into an agreement with Legal Services of the Hudson Valley to assist people facing eviction. Most people might not know about it, if they missed a single news report about it.

The information for how to use the tool designed for tenets rights is buried in the City’s website in a blog post dated March 2022 (as opposed to being front and center on the City’s home page, since losing one’s home is such a traumatic event).

You can find those legal assistance services here, which includes a direct phone line for Beacon residents. People are encouraged to call, even if they fear their landlord and assume they don’t have much time to find a new place.

It is unknown if any of the tenants of 925 Wolcott Avenue who were told to leave their boarding rooms by the landlord prior to the fire pursued legal help. The benefits of Legal Services of the Hudson Valley include attempting to connect someone with rent arrears assistance. However, some tenant/landlord agreements or leases are verbal or do not meet the standards of what a rent arrears assistance program requires, so some people do not even try to get this help.

If a new building owner wants everyone out, there are ways to do this, including:

  • Paying people to help them move.

  • Giving them time to move once notice is given.

  • Helping them find a new location.

Buying property is tricky. Once new financing is in place, often rent has to go up to sustain it, and repairs need to be done to the property. Math. Additionally, tact.

Arrested Arson Suspect of 925 Wolcott Avenue Fire Was Scheduled For Eviction Hearing Day Of Fire

The house at 925 Wolcott Avenue once known as “The Gate House,” and known for being a boarding house, has been demolished after being allegedly set on fire by previous tenant.

As first reported by the Highlands Current, 56 year old Brian P. Atkinson, who has been arrested for arson for the fire of the boarding home at 925 Wolcott Avenue on Tuesday, January 3, 2023, was due in Beacon City Court that same day for an eviction hearing, as stated in court records obtained by the Highlands Current. The fire destroyed the house and caused heat damage to two neighboring houses. 925 Wolcott has since been demolished, one day after the fire.

The newspaper reported: “According to court records, Atkinson was scheduled to be in City Court on Tuesday for eviction proceedings which had been filed against him for non-payment of rent on Dec. 21 by the building’s landlord.” It is not clear yet for how long the non-payment of rent is being disputed.

As told to A Little Beacon Blog by the building’s current owner, who stated that he purchased the building 6 months ago, there was no one living in the building at the time of the fire, including Brian.

According to the Beacon Police in a press release, the building was “unoccupied as it was currently under construction.” The Beacon Police also said Brian was “undomiciled.”

According to reporting by Mid Hudson News, construction on the house had been stopped by the City of Beacon. ALBB awaits comment from the City of Beacon’s Building Inspector Bruce Flower or City Administrator Chris White on that reporting.

Beacon Police Department Confirms Arson In 925 Wolcott Ave. Fire After Dutchess County Investigation Division Investigates

After sunset on the day that 925 Wolcott was allegedly set fire before sunrise, the Beacon Police Department released arrest details of the suspect in a press release issued by Detective Sergeant Jason Johnson #315 at approximately 5pm on January 3, 2023. The press release reads as follows:

On 1/3/2023 at approximately 06:25am, the City of Beacon Police along with City of Beacon Fire Department responded to 925 Wolcott Avenue for a fully engulfed fire. The building was determined to be unoccupied as it was currently under construction. Two nearby residences sustained exterior heat damage. The Dutchess County Fire Investigation Division was contacted and also responded. An investigation revealed that the fire was in fact arson and previous tenant Brian P. Atkinson was subsequently arrested. Atkinson is 56 years old and currently undomciciled. He was charged with the following:

  • Arson 3rd (1 count) Class C Felony

  • Reckless Endangerment 1st (2 counts) Class D Felony

  • Criminal Mischief 2nd (2 counts) Class D Felony

The defendant was processed and he is currently awaiting to be arraigned in Beacon City Court.

The press release did not mention if the suspect had turned himself in, as stated by other reports and the building owner. The Beacon Police Department did not respond to ALBB’s request for that confirmation as of this publishing.

“Undomiciled,” according to Urban Dictionary, means: “Housing challenged. The politically correct way of saying one is homeless. props to dforce for this one.”

Additionally, Beacon’s Building Department or City Administrator did not respond to ALBB’s request for confirmation if the construction had indeed stopped prior to the fire per the City of Beacon’s issuance, as reported in the Mid Hudson News. If ALBB learns more from the building owner, this article will be updated.

ALBB previously reported on this story here.

Raging Fire Destroys Multi-Unit House Under Renovation In Alleged Arson (925 Wolcott Avenue)

Photos Posted by the Beacon Fire department. See all of them here.

At 6:35am, flames and smoke at 925 Wolcott Avenue could be seen above roofs of neighboring houses.

On the morning of Tuesday, January 3, 2023, between 6am and 6:30am according to neighboring residents who called 911, the house at 925 Wolcott Avenue known to longtime Beaconites as “The Guest House” because it was a group home, was engulfed in a raging fire, which destroyed all 3 floors. According to Zillow, the house had 9 bedrooms and 9 bathrooms.

According to those at the scene, there was no one living inside of the house at the time of the fire. The house had been purchased 6 months ago, according to the new owner, and was under renovation.

First responders could not yet confirm that there were no injuries, but they indicated that no one had been inside to need assistance. By 9:30am, once the fire was contained and smoke remained, fire fighters began searching the rubble to make sure no one was inside, as they searched for “hot spots” to continue to put out. Also at that time, Beacon’s City Administrator Chris White could be seen exiting the scene.

Flames at 925 Wolcott Avenue in Beacon could be seen high above trees and houses from Newburgh in the early morning before sunrise.
Photo Credit: Mid Hudson News, Anastasis Amanatides

At 6:35am, flames and smoke could be seen above roofs of neighboring houses. According to one resident who called 911 at approximately 6:35am, other people had also called in to report the fire. According to that resident, no sirens were immediately heard approaching, even though they may have arrived at the building already.

UPDATE 1/6/2023: Other readers did recall hearing sirens. It was a multi-agency event, so several first responders from different communities were there.

The fire was so hot at 925 Wolcott Avenue, it peeled the vinyl off the neighboring house.

In Beacon, during slow periods on the road, or in quiet hours, emergency response units have been known to flash their lights but not their sirens, perhaps out of noise consideration.

According to first responders at the scene, they arrived at 6:30am to fight the fire. Several fire departments assisted as mutual aid, including Rombout, Fishkill, Glenham, and others. Those at the scene said the blaze was so hot, that it almost melted a fire truck.

UPDATE 1/6/2023: Other readers did recall hearing sirens. It was a multi-agency event, so several first responders from different communities were there.

UPDATE 1/6/2023: As reported by the Highlands Current, first responders included: firefighters from the Village of Fishkill, Castle Point and Glenham. Both of Beacon’s ambulance services, Ambulnz and Beacon Volunteer Ambulance, assisted. the Dutchess County Sheriff’s Office and MTA police also assisted. Rombout and Chelsea firefighters provided standby coverage in the city. The fire is being investigated by the Beacon Police, the Dutchess Sheriff’s Office and the Dutchess Fire Investigation Division.

The fire’s heat did peel vinyl siding off the neighboring house, and those residents were vacated from their home while the fire was put out near their home with water. Central Hudson poles on the sidewalk near the house were also burned.

Central Hudson was also on the scene to find the gas line under the ground to shut it off to prevent any gas leak. They began digging using a private contractor trained in such excavation.

Beacon City School District Administrative building is nearby, as is Sargent Elementary School. Containment of the blaze was ongoing during the morning arrival of students via bus, car and those who walk. Sargent Elementary PTO issued an update via Instagram to those transporting to expect delays, and that the drop off circle was not in use, but that the school was not physically impacted by the fire.

According to Mid Hudson News, the 3rd floor of the house collapsed. Experts on the scene predicted the entire building would need to be demolished.

Alleged Cause Of The Fire

According to those at the scene, arson was suspected by fire fighters, who called in the Dutchess County Fire Investigation Division, who reportedly prefers to not use the word “arson” in their title anymore. Their truck is labeled Dutchess County Emergency Response Field Support Unit. A black dog trained to sniff for gasoline was seen exploring the scene.

Inside, the house had been stripped to the studs. According the building’s owner who spoke to A Little Beacon Blog, the suspect had turned himself in for setting the fire. According to the owner, the suspect could be seen removing a security camera before allegedly pouring gasoline throughout the house. The owner said the suspect had been a tenant in the boarding house prior, but did not live there now. ALBB reached out to Beacon Police Chief Sands Frost and City Administrator Chris White for confirmation and/or comment, and has not yet received a response.

UPDATE 1/6/2023: The Highlands Current reported in the print version of their article published after the online version was published: “Police said he walked to the department and turned himself in immediately after starting the fire. He is in custody at the Dutchess County jail in Poughkeepsie and is scheduled for a preliminary hearing at 10 a.m. in Beacon today (Jan. 6).”

According to Beacon City Court when ALBB followed up, that preliminary hearing got adjourned and postponed to the following week, the date still to be released.

UPDATE 1/3/2023 5pm: The Beacon Police Department issued a Press Release confirming arson. Read it here.

According to reporting by Mid-Hudson News: “The property had recently been sold and construction was being performed at the property until the project was shut down by city officials.” A Little Beacon Blog has reached out to Beacon’s Building Department Inspector Bruce Flower and the City Administrator Chris White for comment and has not yet received a response.

As the building’s owner looked at the wreckage, he reflected to ALBB that it was a landmark. When asked if he had plans to designate it historic, he answered that he did not. As for any historic designation, ALBB reached out to Beacon’s City Planner John Clark, who said: “So sorry to hear about the fire. This building, although old enough, is not included in the City's Historic District and Landmark Overlay Zone and, as far as I know, not on the National Register of Historic Places. It was also not on a list of residential buildings considered last year for the HDLO, which concentrated on properties closer to Main Street.”

Longtime residents of Beacon remember 925 Wolcott Avenue as a boarding house for men. Old pictures show the condition of the inside of the house, including notes residents wrote to each other, as well as architectural details.

NOTES FROM THE KITCHEN

Tenants of the house had left each other common area notes, according to old photos on Zillow. These say: “Please THINK! ALL of us here must share common “stuff” such as toilets, showers, sinks, one stove. Be kind and clean up any messes you make” The note was signed with a smiley face.

Another note says, in all caps, indicating importance: “Unused stove burners not be considered.The back left burner is used less often. It needs to be covered up when you cook. This reduces fat and grease buildup.”

The third note instructs in green marker: “Please don’t touch any of the heaters.”

It is not known when the last time the building was inspected while people lived inside of it, before it was purchased and gutted.

Tips can be sent to the Beacon Police Department and to A Little Beacon Blog.

Beacon's City Council Announces Passage Of Law Prohibiting Evictions Without Good Cause - Mayor Votes Against - Council's Responses

On Monday, March 7, 2022, Beacon’s entire City Council voted to pass a law prohibiting residential evictions without good cause, known to some as the “Good Cause Eviction Law.” Mayor Lee Kyriacou, who is a landlord, voted against the law. The press release prepared by Beacon’s City Council has been provided in full below.

Beacon’s Eviction Without Good Cause Law accounts for many situations, including requiring landlords to provide good cause to raise the rent above 5% if contested by their existing tenant requesting proof of necessity if the tenant/landlord discussions break down and the landlord pursues going to court to let a judge decide on the legality of the rent increase.

Where Is This Law Coming From?

Beacon is joining in the national movement within the housing crisis for all people to not let long-term rentals be a cut-throat rental market business model anymore. Other municipalities in this area have crafted and signed similar legislation, including Newburgh, Kingston, Poughkeepsie and Albany. Each of those communities, including Beacon, experienced the decimation of many of their historic buildings during the federally funded program Urban Renewal, which ended up mattering when rent regulation laws were enacted. Albany currently has one lawsuit against it, brought on by three landlords and their companies, asking for the law to be rescinded, as reported in the Times Union. There is proposed legislation in New York State Legislature that would enact a similar measure statewide.

It is in part because of that destruction that these communities cannot enact forms of rent stabilization found in New York City today. A new law in New York State, the Emergency Tenant Protection Act of 2019, allows for a declaration of a housing crisis in a locality, but is based on having a number of historic buildings still in tact. However, as has been especially demonstrated in the past several years, laws are created, and laws are walked back upon when levels of harm are represented by groups of people advocating for change.

Residential Real Estate As A Business Model

During this process of legislative debate, advocates for Beacon’s law stressed that housing is a human right and needs more protection. Landlords who showed up to public meetings to speak answered that money they invested in a property is their retirement plan and should not be impeded upon. However, price hikes in any business model usually proves bad for business, and results in a client-business breakdown. Some Beacon landlords showed up to speak in favor of the law.

Even in the short-term rental market, or a client-services market - if a client is used to paying one price over a long period of time - to suddenly hike that price usually ruins the business/client relationship. In the housing market, the long-term landlord may replace the tenant quickly in an unregulated market, but in the equally unregulated service or even the short-term rental industry which has online reviews tied to it, pricing is regulated by online reviews (social pressure), proper business relationships, and providing great service. Because secure housing is such a desperate need, some residential landlords don’t often face social pressure to keep rent increases stable, or provide stellar service in some cases.

Said the lead author of the law, Councilmember Dan Aymar-Blair, to A Little Beacon Blog about the passage of this law: “Tenant-landlord issues are most often resolved out of court and I hope that continues. The law has clear definitions of what constitutes good cause eviction and that framework can be used for discussions before anybody has to go to court. I hope landlords and management companies that depend on abusing tenants for profit margins will see their business model won't work in Beacon.

“I hope that Beacon will next come together to address the lack of affordable housing for all income ranges. Good cause eviction means that tenants can organize and participate without fear of retaliatory evictions and jacked rents.”

Was This Vote Expected This Night?

The week prior, The City Council was not anticipating voting on the law on March 7th. Week after week, the law had been pushed forward by the Council to even get it to the stage of Public Hearing, which is where it was the Monday evening of this week. For months, the City Council heard resistance from its retained legal counsel, Keane and Beane, who also represents developers building rental units in the City of Beacon, to advise the City not to create a law, stating on public record that it would be difficult to defend if a lawsuit was brought against the City. The Council then discussed the possibility of hiring a different law firm to represent a lawsuit in that case, should that happen.

Beacon’s City Administrator Chris White stressed throughout several discussions his concern for “fiduciary” spending of taxpayer dollars on legal costs defending this law. It is not clear on his definition of fiduciary, since he has currently authorized at least $110,000 of taxpayer dollars in the pursuit of terminating employment of a longtime city employee of the Highway Department, in addition to over $50,000 in paid-leave salary for that employee to not work during a labor shortage.

This law was in its second round of Public Hearing, where anyone in Beacon could come speak their mind about it. With this law being discussed on social media and out in real life for several months, it was hard for the community to ignore the effort. Landlords came to speak in favor or against, as did tenants. Advocates for the law even held a holiday caroling/protest in December 2021 at Pohill Park, which marched to City Council to confront the then City Councilmembers during their last days on council before the new members started.

Self-Fulfilling Prophesy Of Rent Hikes Before The Law Passed

After at least one tenant came forward to public City Council Meetings to speak in favor of the law, word circulated that some landlords had begun raising rents in anticipation of the free-for-all rent hike situation getting regulated.

That Beacon tenant reported at the next Public Hearing, that after she spoke in public at a City Council Meeting, she had subsequently asked her landlord to fix something necessary in her apartment, whereby she received by text from her landlord saying that he would fix it. In the same text, he declared he was also raising her month-to-month rent by $600/month. This hike, after an agreed upon hike of $100/month over the summer, resulted in a $700/month hike within one year, she told A Little Beacon Blog. This renter is White, works in the non-profit sector, and volunteers to teach classes in a corrections facility in the evenings.

Usually, if the City Council expects to vote on a legally binding resolution the night of the closing of a Public Hearing, the Resolution is noted in the official Agenda for the City Council, and a vote is taken that evening. This can be fore anything simple like having a Public Hearing for allowing firefighters to live further away from Beacon, hearing from the community, and then voting affirmatively right after if the public doesn’t bring overwhelming objection.

But this vote wasn’t on the evening’s agenda after the Council closed the Public Hearing, yet they discussed putting it on the agenda during the opening of the meeting. A Little Beacon Blog asked Councilmember Dan if the Council expected to vote that evening. He answered: “Yes. When we started to hear that landlords were retaliating against renters, we had no choice. Seeing that the outstanding amendments would have weakened the law and allowed this retaliation to continue for another month, we pressed forward.”

When asked if he was surprised to see it not initially on the agenda, Councilmember Dan answered: “No, it wasn’t an issue.” You can listen to how they all discussed putting the vote on the agenda at the beginning of the City Council Meeting here.

When Did This “Eviction Without Good Cause” Movement Start?

In the Before Times, during the pre-pandemic days, and during the former administration under Mayor Randy Casale, rents were already on the rise in Beacon. Former Councilmember Terry Nelson suggested pursuing the Emergency Tenants Protection Act of 2019. During that administration, where Lee Kyriacou was then a Councilmember, the common response by then Mayor Casale and some councilmembers to Councilmember Terry’s urging was that rents would self regulate under market conditions.

When the new administration came in, with former Councilmember Lee Kyriacou winning the election to become Mayor, the new Mayor Lee Kyriacou gave a platform for the Emergency Tenant Protection Act of 2019 to be considered, after Councilmember Terry continued to bring it up. Mayor Lee would state that he was doubtful that Beacon qualified for the tenant protection. Yet he dedicated space at a public Workshop Meeting for expert opinion to explain why Beacon did not qualify.

The Emergency Tenant Protection Act of 2019 requires a locality to know its rental vacancy rate, and of those, that the buildings are ones built between February 1, 1947 and December 31, 1973. Many of Beacon’s buildings that were of that age had been bulldozed during the federally ordered Urban Renewal period. You can get an introduction to Urban Renewal from the blog Newburgh Restoration, who describes it as a “tragedy” when mentioning how 1,300 buildings were demolished there, 9 streets “plowed under,” and “The city’s African American community was uprooted, with thousands of businesses and residents displaced.” A similar situation happened in Beacon. The Emergency Tenant Protection Act of 2019 requires that these buildings still exist to qualify.

During the time of Beacon’s Emergency Tenant Protection Act of 2019 discussion, Mayor Lee also stated that Beacon does not have a housing survey to know its vacancy rate. He did not imply that Beacon was in a hurry to conduct such a study. However, he did support spending at minimum of $50,000 on a Parks and Recreation study to be told what people want from a central Community Center. Two such centers used to exist in Beacon, and Beacon’s current tiny Parks and Rec building at 23 West Center Street is bursting at the studs with services and volunteerism.

The City Council’s pursuit of more tenant protections continued, with Councilmember Dan Aymar-Blair pushing to have a Good Cause Eviction Law considered. Councilmember Dan took the lead on drafting the law with other Councilmembers and the City’s retained law firm, Keane and Beane.

A Little Beacon Blog reached out to former Councilmember Terry Nelson to get his take on the passage of this law, and if he thought his early efforts helped from years ago. He responded: “It’s not really for me to say if my efforts helped, but I would like to think they did. It’s always a good thing when renters get the protections they deserve. But any law only works when there is effective enforcement. Attention must be paid to the level of enforcement of the new law.”

What Some City Council Members Said Upon Voting

Before casting his vote of Yes, Councilmember George Mansfield, who consistently voiced concern about leaving renal rates in the hands of a judge on a case-by-case basis, said this to explain his vote in favor of the passage of the law:

“This is a complicated issue, and I appreciate everyone who has come out during the course of this discussion.

“I'd like to first say that Keane and Beane, our lawyers, have represented this community and looked out for them for as long as I've been on council - or maybe I've been here longer than Keane and Beane has, but. So I truly respect your advice and consider that greatly in my decision.

“I also think, that I can see through our discussions, that we have an opportunity to respond to Albany - that there might be an opportunity - I don't feel like we are risking an expensive lawsuit going forward - that we can respond.

“I would have preferred to wait for the Albany decision to come down. But I think we have time to respond between maybe passing this and actually going to quote and the cost of litigation associated with that.

“One of my goals when we pass a law such as this is to help as many people and to hurt as few people in the decision. And in the end, no one is fully happy, and no one got fully what they wanted out of these discussions.

“I think that there is an urgency right now, certainly listening to some - part of the urgency is created not only by the greed, but by the fear of this law being passed. I think that is what is happening to some people. Landlords are raising rents objectionably and unconscionably right now. They've been known to do that in the past as well.

“My decision tonight will be based on helping as many people and hurting as few people going forward. Thank you all for being part of this conversation.

Mayor Kyriacou had this to say before casting his lone vote of No:

“The issue that I have respect to authority is that I have been sitting on Council for a long time. The nature of how City's get their authority from the State is not supported in this area. I'm sorry, but that is what it is. You all may have a different view, and I'm very respectful of that view.

“The second of my concern is, if we are picking away to help renters, and I think we do need to help renters, pitting one part of the community against the other is the wrong way to do this, and this does exactly that. Which I find that just sad.

“I know we want to help renters. Again, the County has announced a rental support program for people in low-income. That I think is the correct approach. It's something that we all as a community pay taxes to support, and I'm supportive of that. Pitting one part of the community against the other is the wrong way to go. I'm just saddened as I listen to us just dividing ourselves.

“The ones that I am focused on helping is low-income renters. There are plenty of renters that have come to Beacon who are fully capable of paying the full rents that are out there now. That's why those rents are out there. If we afford them the same rights, they will push low income renters out, and that's the group I really, really wish to help. I don't think this law is structured correctly do to so. Those are my concerns.”

In answering the Mayor, Councilperson Justice McCray gave their answer before voting in favor of the passage of the law:

“To that point, this law is designed to keep people in their homes, so I don't see how this would push low-income renters out,” Justice said.

“Just to talk about eviction:

“Evicted individuals are 11% to 15% more likely to experience a loss of employment and medical insurance as compared to individuals who have not been evicted (Harvard University)

“Children victimized by eviction are typically forced to transfer schools; a traumatic destruction of stable educational and peer relationships that has been shown to have a lasting negative impact on childhood development. (National Education Policy Center)

“All adult populations, once evicted, experience higher-all cause mortality, increased instances of emergency room visits, higher rates of addiction and relapse, depression, and suicide. (National Library of Medicine)

“Cost-burdened households spend more than 30% of their income on rent, and severely cost-burdened households spend more than 50% (Disrupted)

“I came onto Council as a community organizer working in social and racial justice. Passing Good Cause is crucial for bringing racial justice to housing. More than two-thirds of Black families in New York State rent. Among renters, Black households are the most vulnerable to eviction, the most likely to experience discrimination from landlords, and the ones most likely to be displaced when neighborhoods change.

“High rents and gentrification have had a devastating impact on Black communities in New York State. In my social justice work over the past couple of years, I’ve built connections with Black members of our community who lived here for years, and because they weren’t protected by this law, they’re gone. I don’t get to walk around the corner and share meals with them anymore. If you’ve been here for not even 10 years, you’ve seen the active displacement of Black people in Beacon. Good Cause is an important step in promoting community stability and combating displacement.

“According to a study published last week by the Pratt Center for Community Development Urban Democracy Lab, Legal Aid Society, Housing Justice for All, and the Community Service Society: “Black Households In New York Are 3x As Likely To Face Eviction As White Households”

“Councilmembers and community alike have stated that housing is a human right. It’s not just a philosophy. Universal Declaration of Human Rights Article 25: Everyone has the right to a standard of living adequate for the health and well-being of himself and of his family, including food, clothing, and housing…

“I support Good Cause Eviction.”

The Press Release From The City Council After The Vote

Below is the press release from the City Council, that has not yet been published to the City’s website yet. In earlier discussions as the law was debated, City Administrator Chris White asked the Keane and Beane attorney if the law, if voted on, could be delayed to be published to the City Code and delay enforcement, to which the attorney answered that it could. It has not been stated as to the date that this law will be published to the City Code.

BEACON, NY MARCH 8, 2022 - In last night’s City Council meeting, the Beacon City Council passed their hard-fought “good cause eviction” law tonight with the support of all six City Council members. By providing Beacon’s housing court with a framework for what constitutes an eviction with good cause, the City Council hopes to end the leniency of eviction proceedings against tenants, allow greater access to due process, and mitigate the displacement of residents. The law builds upon the fact that housing is a human right and that apartments and houses are not just commodities, they are homes.

“To clear up misconceptions, this law does not change that evictions require the courts. What it does is sets relevant standards for the proceedings that protect tenants,” said Wren Longno, Ward 3 Councilmember.

Specifically, grounds for eviction with good cause include:

  • Non-payment of rent

  • Substantial lease violations

  • Property damage

  • Committing a nuisance

  • Refusal of access

  • Illegal activity

  • Bad-faith refusal to sign a written lease

  • If the landlord wants to move themselves or a family member into the rented unit.

  • Additionally, rent increases above 5% will require a justification before a judge in cases where the tenant objects to the increase. The law intends to end the practice of arbitrary evictions and steep rental increases which are de facto evictions.

“Beacon is a popular place to live, and with good reason, but increased rents of 20% or more have become common which is simply impossible for most people.” said Councilmember At-Large Paloma Wake “While this law does not directly address affordable housing per se, we know that stable housing has compounding benefits for the entire city. When basic needs are met, individuals can be more active and thriving members of our community.”

Since Councilmember Dan Aymar-Blair for Ward 4 first introduced the law in August 2021, neighboring communities of Newburgh, Poughkeepsie, and Kingston passed their own similar versions of the law.

While no legal action has been taken against these municipalities, over several workshops, the City Council discussed the potential of a lawsuit brought by landlords. The City Council concluded that the risks posed to the city by a lawsuit were low, particularly the threat of legal expenses.

“Passing Good Cause is essential for bringing racial justice to housing,” said Ward 2 Councilmember Justice McCray. “More than two-thirds of Black families in New York State rent; and among renters, Black households are the most vulnerable to eviction, the most likely to experience discrimination from landlords, and the ones most likely to be displaced when neighborhoods change. If you’ve been here for not even 10 years, you’ve seen the active displacement of black people in Beacon. Black households in New York are three times as likely to face eviction as white households. Good Cause is an important step in promoting community stability [preserving diversity] and combatting displacement.”

Similar laws are still being considered around New York State, including New Paltz and Ithaca. A statewide bill is also actively under consideration.

“Tenants can now organize and speak up about their living conditions without fear of retaliatory evictions and jacked rents,” said Aymar-Blair. “Now that the folks who depend on affordable housing can fearlessly join the conversation, the City Council is ready to turn its attention to creating new affordable housing for low-income residents and working families.”

Molly Rhodes, Ward 1 Councilmember said, “We hope this can be a launching point where both tenants and landlords feel inspired to come together to help the city craft future housing policies and vision.”

From:

City of Beacon Councilmembers Dan Aymar-Blair, Wren Longno, Justice McCray, Molly Rhodes, and Paloma Wake

“Pitting One Part Of The Community Against The Other” - Governing Laws Already Do This

One of Mayor Lee’s stated concerns is for avoiding this legislation is to avoid “pitting one part of the community against the other,” implying tenants vs landlords. This type of “pitting” has already existed in the form of legislation in New York State, especially so in New York City and parts of Albany, Erie, Nassau, Rensselaer, Schenectady, and Westchester counties where rent control is still in effect, according to the Residential Tenants Rights Guide. These members of the community are already pitted against each other when the landlord pursues going to court to evict a tenant - if it reaches that point, and the tenant doesn’t self-evict.

A Little Beacon Blog has spoken to people who work in different areas. Families who have the same job year after year - fixed income if you will - who cannot afford a large rent increase - and then need to move out of Beacon to Wappingers or Newburgh to find comparable rent. Nurses. Home care workers. Self-employed creators. Service-industry folks like bar tenders and restaurant managers can barely afford to live in Beacon, yet they work here. Some commuting from counties over. “Artist lofts” are very limiting for who qualifies to live in those units, and can be discriminatory.

It is unclear who these low-income people are that Mayor Kyriacou says he advocates for, since the people he seems to say can pay these rising rents may be from certain private sectors, or people who rent apartments as second get-away homes, or are never home because their jobs who can afford this rent send these new Beacon citizens to other locations to do their jobs. Or, are the blessed collection of employees who can work remotely from home.

City Of Beacon Seeks Input On Protecting Green and Open Spaces - Public Survey Open Until October 30th

Beacon’s Conservation Advisory Committee is a busy committee whose mission is “advising the Planning Board and the City Council on matters affecting the preservation, development and use of the natural and man-made features in the City.” Currently, they are looking for public input on open green spaces, and the online survey ends on October 30, 2021.

Early on, they were reviewing Beacon’s 2007 Comprehensive Plan and formed recommendations for the 2017 version. They spearheaded Beacon’s opposition to the proposed Danskammker Energy plant in 2019 under Mayor Randy Casale.

As of June, 2019, was appointed Beacon’s Climate Smart Task Force by the City Council. This task force is headed by the City of Beacon’s Climate Smart Coordinator, Faye Leone. Initially, Eleanor Peck held the position. The task force keeps tabs on what Beacon is doing climate-wise, and from that data, goes to apply for grants that Beacon works to qualify for.

Public Input Wanted About Open Spaces And Usage Of Those Spaces

The committee is seeking the public’s input about current open spaces in Beacon, and how they are used. They are also seeking help to identify where those spaces area. In addition to well-known ones, like Memorial Park, you may be aware of a smaller space that is off the radar, but needs protection.

Among other things, the survey asks,

  • When you want to be outside, where do you go? What do you like to do?

  • What are the barriers keeping you from visiting Beacon’s parks and open spaces?

  • What might make Beacon’s open space more accessible, inclusive, or equitable?

Take the survey here.

How Is An Green And Open Space Defined For This Survey?

According to the survey: “Green and open space is land that is not developed for residential, commercial, industrial or institutional use. Green and open space may be publicly or privately-owned, can serve many purposes, and can range in size. Some examples of green and open spaces are parks, playgrounds, ball courts, community gardens, mountains, and forests.”

Who Is On The Conservation Advisory Committee?

As of now, the following people are on the Conservation Advisory Committee, with vacancy:

Nicole Wooten, 2022
Antony Tseng, 2022
Phillip Stamatis, 2022
Eleanor Peck, 2022
Vacancy, 2022
Sam Adels, 2021
Carinda Swann, 2021
Sergei Krasikov, 2022 *Chair
Vacancy, 2022

You can take the online survey here, which ends on October 30, 2021.

What's Being Discussed At Tonight's City Council Workshop: Accessory Apartments; Good Cause Eviction; Highway Department Hire; Assessment Base Percentage; Zoning Board Appointment

Beacon's City Council will meet this evening 9/27/2021 at 7pm for a regularly scheduled Workshop meeting, which is when they discuss topics amongst themselves in public, but without opportunities for Public Comment. This type of meeting happens every other Monday.

On the agenda tonight are different topics, some of which were covered during last week's public City Council Meeting. When new information or public feedback emerges, sometimes these topics get put back onto the Workshop schedule for further discussion. Click here for the full agenda, plus links to supporting documents.

Tonight's Agenda Includes

Accessory Apartments

The City Council is perusing normalizing Accessory Apartments as a right for homeowners of single family homes in all R1, all RD and the T Zoning Districts to build and rent out without requiring a special use permit approval from the Planning Board. Mayor Kyriacou with the support of City Administrator Chris White is pursuing this in the name of renter and owner affordability during the current housing crisis throughout the nation. According to supporting documentation from the City's attorney: "The City Council is considering adopting amendments to the City Code to encourage the development of accessory apartments to promote renter and owner affordability in the City of Beacon."

This vision is led by Mayor Kyriacou and City Administrator Chris, who served on council together during the 1990s. Mayor Kyriacou is a property owner in Beacon who has renovated properties, and has served as a landlord for different properties.

Mayor Kyriacou is pursuing the right to build the Accessory Apartments bigger than they are now. City Administrator Chris is pursuing removing parking requirements for Accessory Apartments. Parking requirements can sometimes be used to stall a building project by those who disagree with a project.

For the past several years, Beacon has been unfavorable toward Accessory Apartments, even when someone wanted to build one for their parent-in-laws or caregivers required to care for an aging parent or person who required consistent medical care. This zoning edit would change that.

During tonight's meeting, the City Council will debate several changes to the existing code, including size of the unit, how any dwellings would be allowed per lot, the design scheme of the accessory apartment, increasing the maximum build, eliminating currently required inspections every two years, and removing the parking requirement.

It is not indicated how the increase in number of Accessory Apartments would guarantee lower rental prices, since the free market and current supply and demand are not yielding to lower prices in Beacon.

The City Council will also review code regulations from the Town of Cortland, the Town of Newburgh, the Town of Pound Ridge, and the Town of Wappinger.

Proposed Local Law Regarding Good Cause Eviction

Councilmember Dan Aymar-Blair proposed that the City consider a law making it more difficult to evict tenants, called the Good Cause Eviction Law. The City will also look at Albany's Good Cause Eviction Law during tonight's Workshop. During last week's public City Council Meeting, a handful of people from the public called in demanding that the City put on Dan's proposed Good Cause Eviction Law onto the agenda. People told stories of people they knew who had their rents raised by several percentage points, making it difficult or impossible for them to remain in Beacon.

Last February 2020, Councilmember Terry Nelson pushed to have the Emergency Tenants Protection Act (ETPA) considered by the City. This law would legalize a rent cap, but has several requirements that the city must meet, including vacancy rate and the age of buildings. This was discussed by the Council, and Mayor Kyriacou presented reasons for not pursuing it.

Proposed Hire of Motor Equipment Operator

The Highway Department is recommending the hiring of Andi Driza for Motor Equipment Operator.

Abandonment of Paper Streets

The City of Beacon is pursuing abandoning specific, very tiny areas in Beacon that are undeveloped and slipped through the cracks of ownership decades ago, which could put them into the ownership of neighboring homeowners. During last week's Public Hearing on the topic, some of those neighboring homeowners came to speak on the issue, to say if they wanted or did not want the property that was about to be absorbed by them. The council indicated that they were not anticipating the feedback, and appreciated the input. The matter has moved back into Workshop, where the council will discuss it again.

"The Official Map of the City of Beacon contains several undeveloped paper streets identified as Ryans Avenue, BeVier Avenue, Morse Street and Levy Street. A paper street is a street established on a filed subdivision map and is included on the Official Map of the City of Beacon, but which was never subsequently developed or used as a public way."

Proposed Appointment of Montos Vakirtzis to the Zoning Board of Appeals

Montos Vakirtzis is being recommended by Joe Galbo to be on the Zoning Board of Appeals.

Proposed Resolution to Certify Base Percentages and Proportions for the 2021 Assessment Roll Pursuant to Article 19 of the Real Property Tax Law

"Pursuant to Article 19 of the Real Property Tax Law, the City Council hereby adopts and establishes the Adjusted Base Proportions for the 2021 City of Beacon Assessment Roll as 69.10766% for Homestead parcels and 30.89234% for Non-homestead parcels, which are to be used for real property tax purposes;"