Curb cuts and parking amendments approved

Text amendment would introduce curb cut prohibitions and limit front yard parking spaces in certain residential districts. On February 24, 2010, the City Planning Commission approved, with modifications, the Department of City Planning’s Residential Streetscape Preservation text amendment. Planning proposed the City-wide amendment in response to community concerns about inappropriate curb cuts and front yard parking spaces in residential districts. Planning seeks to clarify parking requirements and preserve and enhance residential streetscapes.

The proposed amendment … <Read More>


South Brooklyn contextual rezoning debated

Proposed Carroll Gardens/Columbia Street Rezoning used with permission of the New York City Department of City Planning. All rights reserved.

Residents concerned that rezoning plan does not go far enough to prevent out-of-character development. On August 19, 2009, the City Planning Commission held a public hearing on the Department of City Planning’s proposal to rezone 86 blocks of Brooklyn’s Carroll Gardens and Columbia Street neighborhoods. The proposed rezoning area is currently zoned R6 and is … <Read More>


Commission adopts modified bicycle parking text

Amount of bicycle parking spaces required for affordable housing developments could be waived or reduced. On March 4, 2009, the City Planning Commission approved, with several modifications, the Department of City Planning’s proposed bicycle parking text amendment. The amendment would require developers to provide secure, enclosed bicycle parking facilities in new buildings, enlargements of buildings of 50 percent or more, and conversions to residential use.

Although the Commission expressed support for the proposal, it believed … <Read More>


Hudson Yards text modified

Air rights text and new setback rule slightly changed to respond to Council’s concerns. The City Council approved 12 significant text amendments to the Hudson Yards zoning text after the Department of City Planning made two small modifications. Overall, the final text encompasses the transfer of development rights from the MTA’s eastern rail yards, the use of the Hudson Yards District Improvement Bonus, and the relocation of subway entrances for the No. 7 line. The … <Read More>


Text change approved protecting Carroll Gardens

Landscaped front yards in Carroll Gardens. Photo: Molly Brennan.

City Council approves “narrow streets” characterization. On July 23, 2008, the City Council approved a text amendment designed as a stopgap to curb out-of-character development in the Carroll Gardens neighborhood of Brooklyn. The proposal amends the zoning text to identify six blocks of Carroll Gardens as having “narrow streets,” addressing a unique situation in that Brooklyn neighborhood. The affected blocks have deep, landscaped front yards that … <Read More>


High Line Text Amended

Under new plan, City can opt to build High Line amenities in exchange for $2.3M developer fee. On September 5, 2007, the Planning Commission approved amendments to the zoning text for the Special West Chelsea District, specifically aimed at allowing the City to opt to build amenities for the High Line Park rather than waiting for developers to complete the construction.

Under the original text, developments adjacent to the High Line could receive a floor … <Read More>