KARC has served as City Planner for the City of Beacon since December 2023. In February 2024, KARC assisted Mayor Kyriacou in establishing the Fishkill Avenue Concepts Committee (FACC), a special advisory body charged with developing conceptual planning guidance for revitalization of the Fishkill Avenue corridor. The initiative was launched to address a range of interrelated planning challenges, including pedestrian safety and streetscape conditions, zoning and land use constraints, access to a proposed Dutchess County rail trail, connections to the State-supported redevelopment of the Downstate Correctional Facility site, and linkages to Beacon’s Greenway Trail and surrounding neighborhoods.
As lead planning advisor and process facilitator, KARC designed and managed a structured public engagement and committee framework to support informed discussion and consensus-building. Our scope included preparation of technical and visual meeting materials, facilitation of committee meetings, stakeholder and property owner interviews, coordination of pop-up engagement activities and public workshops, and presentations to City Council. Throughout the process, KARC documented community input and synthesized feedback into clear, policy-relevant concepts that could be evaluated by City staff and elected officials.
KARC integrated community perspectives with technical planning considerations, translating the committee’s recommendations into a cohesive set of corridor concepts intended to inform future zoning updates, capital improvement planning, and interagency coordination. The process emphasized transparency, inclusivity, and consistency with broader municipal and regional initiatives, ensuring that the concepts were grounded in both community priorities and implementation realities.
The Fishkill Avenue Concepts Committee process established a shared understanding of corridor challenges and opportunities and provided the City with a community-informed framework to guide next steps. By structuring an inclusive and transparent engagement process, KARC helped clarify priorities, build public trust, and position the City to advance Fishkill Avenue revitalization in a coordinated and strategic manner.
