Over 80 people attended the Glenham Mills Planning meeting on October 11, at the Slater Chemical Fire Hall as a part of a series of meetings this year which has focused on the planning for the future of Glenham Mills (the Former Texaco Beacon Research Center). With the welcomed additional new people in attendance, a lively discussion ensued on the future of Glenham Mills with participants voicing their hopes, dreams and concerns about the potential future uses of the site.
The meeting began with an opportunity for participants to enjoy dinner, chat with neighbors and view maps and meeting display materials demonstrating various sustainable communities. Connie Hall, Real Estate Consultant with Chevron Land and Development Company kicked off the formal meeting, stating that Chevron is excited to bring the communities of Fishkill and Beacon together to engage in this process. And, that Chevron is committed to this process because we care about the economic growth and stability of the Glenham community – a place that we were proud to be a part of for many years.
Connie then outlined the purpose of the meeting which was to:
• Share case studies and examples of successful sustainable communities.
• Continue participation in modeling exercise to explore design / land planning ideas.
Following the presentations, participants feedback was provided though small table discussions and full room discussions. While many people were excited about the prospect of integrating local services such as a drug store and coffee shop and opportunities for open space including biking and hiking trails, there were also questions around impact to taxes, infrastructure and school capacity.
The meeting concluded with participants working in small groups to share their desired vision for the site and further discussion on next steps.
Join us on November 15 for our final meeting this year where we will review the property redevelopment planning process, present initial evaluation of potential site options, and respond to the questions raised during the October Planning meeting.
Please continue to stay informed! Visit our website and follow us on Facebook.