Beacon Cinema Construction

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PITTSFIELD – Over the next few weeks, construction activity will be increasing on the Beacon Cinema project. This means Allegrone Construction and the City will be implementing the traffic changes approved last fall by the Traffic Commission. A diagram, illustrating the temporary changes, is attached. The anticipated time frame for each change is also shown on the diagram.

As a reminder, at various times during construction these changes will include:

North bound traffic on McKay Street being diverted through the McKay Street parking garage;

South bound traffic on McKay Street dead ending at the Central Block;

The open short term parking area on McKay Street, directly in front of the parking garage, being closed.

The City is working to provide:


Temporary parking along West Street, east of McKay Street;

A temporary loading zone along West Street, west of McKay Street; and

Relocate 2 handicap parking spaces – one into the garage and one on to West Street.

As with any major construction project, these changes will cause short term disruptions in pedestrian and vehicle access in the area of the cinema construction project. Steps have been taken to limit the duration of changes, while recognizing that public safety on and in the vicinity of the construction site is the first priority.

The City appreciates the cooperation being given by all affected by these changes. When completed, the cinema center will bring 200,000 plus people downtown each year, continuing the renaissance of downtown Pittsfield, the urban center of the Berkshires. For more information, please contact Matt Dindio in the Mayor’s office, 413 499-9322
If you would like to contribute information on this article, contact us at info@iberkshires.com.

Pittsfield Looks to Update Zoning for ADUs

By Brittany PolitoiBerkshires Staff

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — Accessory dwelling units will be by-right in early 2025 and the city wants to be prepared.

On Tuesday, the Community Development Board voted to become the petitioner for amendments to the City Code that reflect the new ADU legislation. City Planner Kevin Rayner has crafted a draft ordinance that the board will dig into before it goes to the City Council.

As a part of the $4.1 billion Affordable Homes Act signed into law over the summer, ADUs up to 900 square feet can be built by right in single-family zoning districts.

"This legislation will go into effect February 2, 2025, so we're trying to get our ordinance to accommodate ADUs by that point," Rayner said.

"Our ordinance wasn't prohibitive against accessory dwelling units, but we do need to up our dimensional requirements to kind of accommodate for them as they are, sort of like an accessory structure, in a way but they have some different requirements because they are being used as a dwelling."

The city plans to allow ADUs in a one- to two-family residential use, allowing for duplexes that meet other requirements to have one.

Most of the amendments will take place in Article 23 Section 9.101, which outlines restrictions for accessory buildings.  

"They're mostly dimensional. We're going to make it so that maybe you can't take up more than 20 percent of the lot coverage," Rayner said.

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