Developers and residents claimed rezoning was racially motivated. On September 15, 2005, the City Council approved a zoning map amendment to rezone a 21- block area encompassing Mott Creek and the West Lawrence section of Far Rockaway in Queens. The proposal was initiated by area residents concerned about their community’s over-development.
It called for the rezoning of an area bounded by Hicksville Road to the north, Beach 9th Street and Beach 6th Street to the west, Seagirt Avenue and the Far Rockaway Inlet to the south, and the Nassau County line to the east. Under the proposal, the area north of Seagirt Boulevard was rezoned from R3-1 to R4-1 to allow larger residential buildings and decrease the lot size requirement. South of Seagirt Boulevard was down-zoned from R5 to R4A and R3X. (more…)
Renderings of the new co-op buildings that will be part of the Soundview campus, one of the many projects initiated by the City in 2020. Image Credit: NYCHA
The newly financed homes keep New York City on track to meet its goal to provide 300,000 affordable homes by 2026. On February 9, 2021, Mayor Bill de Blasio announced that the City financed the construction and preservation of 29,521 affordable homes in 2020. Fifty-seven percent of the affordable homes financed in 2020 will serve families of three that earn less than $52,000 per year. The city has financed over 177,000 homes through the Housing New York plan since 2014. The city has leveraged over $7.4 billion in city capital subsidy to drive a $39.4 billion investment for the five boroughs. (more…)
Council Members Vanessa Gibson and Mark Levine and activists celebrate the anniversary of the passage of the Right to Counsel bill in September 2018. The program will now be expanding to include more ZIP codes. Image Credit: Official NYC Council Photo by William Alatriste
The expansion provides free legal assistance for tenants in five additional ZIP codes. On December 13, 2019, the Mayor’s Office announced an expansion of the Right to Counsel program that provides free legal assistance to New Yorkers fighting eviction. The Right to Counsel program, implemented by a ZIP code by ZIP code approach, will be expanded to five more ZIP codes across the City. (more…)
Rending of Edgemere Commons Image Credit: City Planning
Edgemere Commons receives mixed reaction from the Rockaway community. On September 25, 2019, City Planning unanimously approved the Rockaway Limited Partnership’s application to redevelop an existing superblock in the Edgemere neighborhood of Far Rockaway, Queens. The site, which formerly housed Peninsula Hospital, is a paved over, impermeable surface lot located north of Rockaway Beach Boulevard, south of Beach Channel Drive east of Beach 53rd Street and west of Beach 50th Street. The development is currently referred to as “Edgemere Commons.”
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Beachfront bungalow owner sued City agencies claiming violations of the Federal Coastal Zone Management Act. Ankor Shacaf obtained permits to demolish four bungalows and construct four homes in Far Rockaway, Queens. Shacaf erected a fence around the construction site, which obstructed a private right-of-way to the beach. Neighbor Richard George, owner of a bungalow on Beach 26th Street in Far Rockaway, sued Buildings and City Planning, claiming that the agencies violated the Coastal Zone Management Act when they granted work permits without the required consistency review under the Act and allowed construction that was incompatible with adjoining uses.
After a hearing, a magistrate judge recommended dismissal of all the claims, finding that the Act did not create a private right of action against City agencies. The Act applied to federal agencies whose activity directly affected a coastal zone. Moreover, the Act protected public access to beaches and the right-of-way in question was privately- owned among neighboring property owners that did not diminish public access to beaches. (more…)
