
Intersection of Broadway and Dyckman Street in Inwood. Image credit: Daniel Case.
On August 8, 2018, the City Council approved the Inwood Neighborhood Rezoning amidst resident concerns and disapproval. Mayor Bill de Blasio and Council Member Ydanis Rodriguez celebrated the rezoning approval. The rezoning was developed over the course of three years and affects 59 city blocks in the northern Manhattan neighborhood. The Economic Development Corporation, together with the Department of Housing Preservation and Development, the Department of Citywide Administrative Services, and the Department of Small Business Services, proposed the land use actions to implement a comprehensive rezoning plan in accordance with the goals of the Mayor’s Housing New York: Five-Borough, Ten-Year Plan and began to implement the Inwood NYC Action Plan. (more…)

City Council Subcommittee on Zoning and Franchises Meeting. October 24, 2017.
A former Pfizer factory site in South Williamsburg will be developed into a mixed-use building and public plaza. On October 31, 2017, the City Council passed the Pfizer Sites Rezoning land use actions by a vote of 38-6. The zoning map and text amendments will convert the former Pfizer factory site, currently used for parking, into a mixed-use building and plaza. The project area, totaling 182,366 square feet, is bounded by Walton Street to the north, Gerry Street to the south, Harrison Avenue to the east, and Union Avenue to the west. The proposed development includes 1,146 housing units, 62,810 square feet of commercial space, and 26,000 square feet of public open space. For CityLand’s prior coverage on the matter, click here.
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East Shore Study Area. Image credit: DCP
The proposed rezoning is intended to address high flood vulnerabilities on the East Shore by limiting future developments to low density buildings. On September 5, 2017, the City Council’s Subcommittee held a hearing and voted 4-0 to approve the City Planning Department’s application to create a special zoning district on the coastal areas of Staten Island. The zoning map amendment and zoning text amendments would cover portions of the Oakwood Beach, Graham Beach, and Ocean Breeze neighborhoods. The rezoning would limit future development in these highly flood vulnerable areas. The proposal area matches the State’s designated area for its Buyout Program. For CityLand’s prior coverage of this proposal, click here. (more…)

Image credit: NYCC/William Alatriste
Despite disruption from Council public gallery, the modified plans were adopted without suspense. On March 22, 2016, the City Council voted to approve Mayor Bill de Blasio’s Mandatory Inclusionary Housing and Zoning for Quality and Affordability proposals at its stated meeting. The full vote follows extensive modifications by the Council to the original plan. The approved text amendments are significantly different from the earlier versions voted on by the Community Board and City Planning. For CityLand’s past coverage and comprehensive explanation of modifications made to the proposals, click here.
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Carl Weisbrod, Chairman of the City Planning Commission. Image credit: CityLand
The program would amend generation-old zoning regulations to encourage construction of efficient mixed-use buildings and affordable senior housing. On September 21, 2015, the City Planning Commission issued a press release revealing two of the major programs to be implemented under Mayor Bill de Blasio’s Housing New York plan. The programs, which are currently making their way through the Uniform Land Use Review Procedure process, are the Mandatory Inclusionary Housing Program and the Zoning for Quality and Affordability Program. The latter proposes zoning text amendments that relax Inclusionary Housing building regulations and parking requirements to enable the construction of high-quality mixed-use buildings that utilize the full amount of buildable residential space and to encourage the construction of a diverse range of affordable senior housing and long-term care facilities.
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