The New York Landmarks Conservancy Suggests We TAKE ACTION - Write City Planning About Massive Rezoning Plan
Sterling Place, Prospect Heights, Brooklyn - An overlay area with contextual zoning and historic district designation.
Write City Planning by April 6 to Express Your Concerns About a Massive Rezoning Plan That Would Raise Height Limits in Neighborhoods Throughout the City
The City Planning Department held its “scoping session” yesterday on the planned rezoning of contextual districts across the City (Read City Planning proposal). The rezoning would allow taller buildings of 5 to 50 feet higher than had been permitted, depending on the area, for market rate or affordable housing.
Contextual zoning covers much of Manhattan and brownstone Brooklyn and has some overlap with historic districts.
The “scoping session” is the first step in the public review process for the massive rezoning, which is called “Zoning for Quality and Affordability.” City Planning has not provided any data to show how either goal would be achieved. Developers could get taller buildings for market rate housing.
Though there has been little attempt by City Planning to inform the public of this proposal, the Conservancy and some 200 other persons attended yesterday’s hearing—an overflow crowd in a room that holds around 50. The vast majority of speakers spoke against the proposal, including Manhattan Borough President Gale Brewer (Read Brewer’s letter to City Planning here). Speakers testified on the years they worked to obtain contextual zoning; how important it is to respect neighborhoods and protect neighborhood character; objected to how quickly the City is pushing this rezoning through the approval process; and complained that most residents of other boroughs could not get to a late afternoon meeting in Lower Manhattan to be heard. (Read Conservancy testimony here).
TAKE ACTION
City Planning is accepting written testimony on this rezoning until April 6.
We encourage you to write.
Tell City Planning you want more information and public briefings in every borough. Ask for specific maps so you can see how your neighborhood is directly affected. Tell them that the City should not renege on hard-won community protections.
Email:
Or send letters to:
Robert Dobruskin
Director, Environmental Assessment and Review Division
NYC Department of City Planning
22 Reade Street, 4E
New York, NY 10007
