At least 30 speakers testified on proposal backed by residents and local elected officials. On June 4, 2008, the City Planning Commission held a public hearing on the Department of City Planning’s proposal to define an area of Brooklyn’s Carroll Gardens as having “narrow streets” under the zoning law. The proposal would result in a lowering of the permitted building heights and densities, making as-of-right development consistent with neighborhood character. Currently zoned R6, with portions covered by a commercial overlay, the area consists mostly of three and four-story brownstones built in the mid-19th century. Two of the affected blocks lie within the Carroll Gardens Historic District.

Carroll Gardens, according to City Planning, has seen rising property values and out-of-context development due to permissive zoning. In response to community concerns, the proposal would apply to First through Fourth Places, between Henry and Smith Streets, as well as Second, Carroll, and President Streets between Smith and Hoyt Streets. (read more…)