*Photo Credit: Screenshot from Planning Board Video recorded by Peter Skorewicz.*

After 22 years of public service to Beacon, NY, the chairman of the Planning Board, Jay Sheers, has resigned his position. He previously served on the Zoning Board, and his time on the Planning Board has coincided with some of the biggest growth in Beacon's history.

He told the public of his decision during the December 12, 2017, Planning Board meeting, before the start of the meeting. The meeting was expected to be heavily attended, as development projects were on the agenda. Specifically, the meeting centered on a vote about a planned large apartment complex known as 22 Edgewater Place (see details about this in A Little Beacon Blog's Building and Development Guide), which is proposing 307 apartments in seven buildings, to be built in the woods above the train tracks near Pete and Toshi Seeger Riverfront Park. The Planning Board voted to allow the project to proceed to the next step in its development cycle.

Here is Jay's resignation message, thanking city workers and fellow volunteers. He shared this before larger proceedings of the meeting began:

“I’m debating a personal note, so I’ll do that now, because it may appear that I’m leaving the Board because of this [refers to the audience], but it’s not true. I’ve been thinking about leaving the Board for a long time. So and tonight is my last Planning Board Meeting. I’ve been on this Board since 1995 and I’ve been the Chair for 10 years. Before that I served on the Zoning Board of Appeals.

"It has been extremely gratifying to have worked with the many people who have given so much time and effort to bring about the large number of positive changes that have taken place in this fascinating and wonderful City over this period of time.

"Recently, demands on my time from my job and my growing extended family make it harder and harder to fully prepare for and attend meetings. I know that the City is in the middle of a lot of important work, but that’s pretty much always the case. Waiting for a good time to step out would mean that it would never happen.

"One of the most rewarding aspects of my time working on the Board has been with my fellow volunteer Board members both past and present, and I’d also like to thank Mayors Gould, Gold, and Casale for their support over the years, as well as Board consultants and attorneys, and a special thanks goes out to Ann Thomas, Etha Grogan, and Tim Dexter. Beacon would not be what it is today without their hard work and dedication. Thank you.”

You can watch the full video here, and see what was on the agenda.