Contextual rezoning impacted 181 blocks in Williamsbridge and Baychester neighborhoods. On October 5, 2011, the City Council approved the Department of City Planning’s 181-block rezoning of the Williamsbridge and Baychester sections in the Bronx. The rezoning impacted an area generally bounded by 233rd Street to the north, East Gun Hill Road and Givan Avenue to the south, the New England Thruway to the east, and the Bronx River Parkway to the west.

Williamsbridge is characterized by a mix of detached homes, rowhouses, small apartment buildings, and larger multi-family buildings near the Bronx River Parkway. Baychester is characterized by lower density residential buildings developed after World War II. The area was predominately zoned R4, R5, and R6, which permitted development out-of-context with the neighborhood’s built character.  (read more…)