Plan downzones most of Canarsie; concentrates increased density along commercial corridors. Despite some resident criticism, the City Council approved the 250-block rezoning plan for Canarsie, Brooklyn. The rezoned area is generally bounded by Foster Avenue, Fresh Creek Basin, Paerdegat Basin, and the Belt Parkway and Seaview Avenue.

Concerned over the loss of single- family and two-family homes, Canarsie residents asked the Department of City Planning to develop a zoning plan that more closely matched the area’s low-density building scale. Planning’s final proposal called for six lower density and contextual zoning districts — R3-1, R3X, R4A, R4-1, R5D and R5B — to primarily replace the area’s R4 and R5 zoning. The plan concentrated the higher density R5D districts along Canarsie’s established commercial corridors, including Flatlands Avenue and portions of Rockaway Parkway. Planning also proposed to decrease the depth of the existing commercial overlays from 150 to 100 feet to reduce encroachment of commercial uses onto residential blocks. (read more…)

Community opponents raised issues of parking and building height. Sephardic Center of Mill Basin proposed to construct a new 1 0,800 square-foot, two-story synagogue to replace its 20-year old, 6,800-squarefoot synagogue on the corner of Strickland and Mill Avenues in Mill Basin, Brooklyn. As proposed, the new synagogue would exceed the permitted floor area by 5,384 sq.ft., exceed the district’s permitted height by seven feet and fail to provide sufficient parking.

The Center claimed that the height limitation created a hardship since the synagogue needed a double- height worship area that would allow the men o n the lower level and the women on the upper level to view the rabbi from segregated praying areas, The Center also claimed that it needed additional space for segregated immersion pools, separate dairy and meat kitchens, private offices and a large events space. (read more…)