Developer requested the rezoning in order to replace a one-story commercial structure with a twelve-story residential building. On February 24, 2010, the City Planning Commission heard testimony on Kew Point Associates LLC’s proposal to rezone an entire block bounded by Queens Boulevard, Kew Forest Lane, 78th Avenue, and Union Turnpike in Forest Hills, Queens. Portions of the block are currently zoned C4-2, C4-4, and R6. Kew Point requested that the Adjmientire block be rezoned to a C4-4D district. The rezoning would allow Kew Point to replace a one-story commercial building at the corner of Queens Boulevard and 78th Avenue with a twelve-story, 120-foot-tall residential building with 65 housing units, 46 below-grade parking spaces, and ground floor retail space. The remainder of the block consists of two-to-four-story residential buildings and an eleven-story mixed-use building. (more…)

Planning’s proposal would implement recently approved R1-2A contextual zoning district to reduce height and bulk of future development. On April 22, 2009, the City Planning Commission held a public hearing on the Department of City Planning’s proposal to rezone 32 blocks in the Cord Meyer section of Forest Hills, Queens. The proposed rezoning area is currently zoned R1- 2 and generally bounded by 66th Avenue and 67th Road to the north, 72nd Road to the south, Grand Central Parkway to the east, and 108th Street to the west.

Zoning in Cord Meyer has remained largely unchanged since 1961. The area, primarily consisting of single-family detached houses, has recently experienced development pressure as houses have been demolished and replaced by larger and taller ones that are out-of-scale with the neighborhood. Planning proposed replacing the R1-2 district with the newly created R1-2A contextual district to ensure that future development reflects the area’s established character. (more…)

Residents support City Planning’s proposal to use lower density and contextual zoning districts to limit out-of-character development. On April 22, 2009, the City Council approved the Department of City Planning’s rezoning proposal for more than 250 blocks in northeastern Queens, and the creation of a new citywide R1-2A contextual zoning district. The North Flushing rezoning plan, undertaken in response to requests from local council members, Queens Community Boards 7 and 11, and local civic groups, impacts five neighborhoods: North Flushing, Broadway-Flushing, Bowne Park, Auburndale, and Bayside. The rezoning area is generally bounded by 25th Avenue to the north, Northern Boulevard and Depot Road to the south, Clearview Expressway and Francis Lewis Boulevard to the east, and Union Street to the west.

Zoning in North Flushing has remained largely unchanged since 1961. Over the past several years North Flushing has experienced increasingly out-of-scale development in the largely residential area, which is predominantly characterized by one- and two-family detached and semi-detached houses, and with multi-family buildings located primarily in the western and southern portions. The bulk of the rezoning replaces many existing R3- 2, R4, R5, and R6 districts with lower density and contextual zoning districts, including the new R1-2A district. The rezoning also modifies commercial overlay districts to prevent intrusion of commercial uses on residential portions of blocks. Planning believes that the rezoning will ensure that future development in the area will reflect the neighborhoods’ established character. (more…)

Maximum height limit reduced from 150 to 120 ft. in portions of proposed C4-5X district. On March 24, 2009, the City Council approved, with one modification, the Department of City Planning’s proposal to rezone and create the Special Forest Hills District within a 10-block area in Forest Hills, Queens. The rezoning area, roughly bounded by Queens Boulevard to the north, the Long Island Rail Road to the south, Ascan Avenue to the east, and Yellowstone Boulevard to the west, had originally been zoned C8-2, C4-2, and R7-1 in 1961. The C8-2 and C4-2 districts allowed for further development of the predominant uses in the area, which were automotive, commercial, and mixed-use. Over time, the auto repair shops and gas stations gave way to retail businesses and restaurants, and the area transformed into the commercial core of Forest Hills. Despite the change in neighborhood character, the outdated zoning remained, and developers increasingly sought variances from BSA to construct large, residential and commercial buildings.

Local residents and elected officials became increasingly concerned with the possibility of haphazard, out-of-character development. They feared developers applying for variances would endeavor to construct buildings that did not reflect the current neighborhood context. Council Member Melinda R. Katz and Queens Community Board 6 requested that Planning devise a rezoning for the commercial core that better reflected current uses and development patterns in the area. Two years later, Planning proposed to rezone the area to R5D/C2-3, C4- 4A, and C4-5X, and to establish the Special Forest Hills District within the entire 10-block area. (more…)

Plan will preserve low-density character. On October 29, 2007, the City Council approved, City Planning’s plan to rezone 41 blocks in the southern portion of the Forest Hills neighborhood in Queens.

The plan, drafted in consultation with Queens Community Board 6, the Forest Hills Community and Civic Association, and Council Member Melinda Katz, aims to preserve the low-density character within the triangle-shaped area generally bounded by Union Turnpike, 69th Avenue, and Kessel Street. Although the old, R3-2 zoning allowed a range of housing types, the area is developed by mostly one-and two-family homes.

A new R3A zoning district will cover 31 blocks, some north of Metropolitan Avenue west of Ascan Avenue, and others south of Metropolitan west of 74th Avenue. A new R3X district, located on three contiguous blocks south of Kessel Street and east of Ascan Avenue, will also better reflect the dominant character of houses in the area, while accounting for larger lot sizes. Lastly, a new R3-1 district, consisting mainly of one block at the eastern edge of the district, will restrict development to one- and two-family detached homes but also allow for semi-detached homes.

To prevent commercial intrusion on the newly rezoned residential side streets, the City will rezone C1-2 and C2-2 commercial overlays along Metropolitan Avenue to C1-3 and C2-3 and reduce the overlay from 150 feet to 100 feet.

At the Council’s Subcommittee on Zoning & Franchises hearing on October 23, 2007, Council Member Katz, whose district includes Forest Hills, stated that the area needed rezoning to avoid “commercial creep” from Metropolitan Avenue. Barbara Stuchinski, president of the Forest Hills Community and Civic Association, also testified in support of the plan. No speakers testified in opposition. The full Council approved the plan without modifications on October 29, 2007.

ULURP Process:
Lead Agency: CPC,Neg.Dec.
Comm.Bd.: QN 6,App’d, 31-0-0
Boro.Pres.: App’d
CPC: App’d, 12-0-0
Council: App’d, 49-0-0

Council: Forest Hills South Rezoning (Oct. 29, 2007). CITYADMIN