Joshua Benson on DOT’s Bicycle Program

Joshua Benson, the 33-year-old Acting Director of Bicycle & Pedestrian Programs for the New York City Department of Transportation, admits to being particularly fond of the basket sitting at the front of his simple single-speed bike, noting how it allows him to carry anything from groceries to his laptop and projector on the bike. Benson started riding a bike as a student at NYU and now commutes to Downtown Manhattan every weekday from his home … <Read More>


Council approves protective Flatbush rezoning

Plan seeks to protect Victorian homes and pre-war apartment buildings. The City Council approved the Department of City Planning’s rezoning proposal for the Flatbush neighborhoods south of Brooklyn’s Prospect Park. The plan impacts 180 blocks generally bounded by Prospect Park to the north, Bedford Avenue to the east, Coney Island Avenue to the west, and Brooklyn College to the south. The rezoning area includes the Prospect Park South, Ditmas Park, Albermarle- Kenmore Terraces, and Fiske … <Read More>


East Windsor Terrace Rezoning approved

East Windsor Terrace Rezoning, Proposed Zoning used with permission of the New York City Department of City Planning. All rights reserved.

Commission approves community-initiated rezoning to curb out-of-character development and encourage retail use along Caton Avenue. On February 4, 2009, the City Planning Commission approved a five-block rezoning in Brooklyn, just west of the Parade Grounds at Prospect Park. The rezoning area, generally bounded by Caton Place to the north, Ocean Parkway to the west, … <Read More>


Proposed historic district would be Brooklyn’s largest

Prospect Heights Proposed Rezoning.

Neighborhood adjacent to Atlantic Yards characterized by 19th Century rowhouses. On July 15, 2008, Landmarks moved to calendar 21 blocks in Prospect Heights, the first step in designating a new historic district. With 870 buildings, the proposed district would be Brooklyn’s largest. Bordering Forest City Ratner’s Atlantic Yards development, as well as Prospect Park, the area is characterized by residential 19th Century rowhouses, predominantly in Neo- Grec, Italianate, Second Empire, and … <Read More>


Landmarks designates 19th century school

Designation does not include adjacent lot to accommodate trade group. Landmarks voted on November 20, 2007 to designate the former P.S. 90 building in Flatbush, Brooklyn. The Round-Arch style building dates back to 1878 and was built by John Y Culyer, chief engineer of Prospect Park and designer of the nearby Flatbush Town Hall. Landmarks first held a public hearing on the building back in 1989.

At the September 18th public hearing, representatives from the … <Read More>


Rezoning and inclusionary housing approved

South Park Slope rezoned to protect low-rise character and provide affordable housing. On November 16, 2005, the City Council rezoned 50 blocks of South Park Slope and applied the inclusionary housing program to specific R8A districts along Fourth Avenue, allowing an increase in a building’s floor area with the developers’ commitment to build affordable housing on or off site. The proposal called for the rezoning of an area generally bounded by 15th Street on the … <Read More>