Plan aims to end McMansion construction. On June 30, 2009, the City Council downzoned 32 blocks of the Cord Meyer-Forest Hills neighborhood of Queens from an R1-2 to an R1-2A district. Aimed at eliminating the construction of oversized single-family homes, often referred to as “McMansions,” the new district sets stricter bulk limits including a 35-foot maximum building height and a 500-foot maximum floor area exemption for parking. The original zoning set no height limit and allowed the exemption of the entire ground floor in exchange for one interior parking space. 6 CityLand 57 (May 15, 2009). (read more…)

Planning’s proposal would implement recently approved R1-2A contextual zoning district to reduce height and bulk of future development. On April 22, 2009, the City Planning Commission held a public hearing on the Department of City Planning’s proposal to rezone 32 blocks in the Cord Meyer section of Forest Hills, Queens. The proposed rezoning area is currently zoned R1- 2 and generally bounded by 66th Avenue and 67th Road to the north, 72nd Road to the south, Grand Central Parkway to the east, and 108th Street to the west.

Zoning in Cord Meyer has remained largely unchanged since 1961. The area, primarily consisting of single-family detached houses, has recently experienced development pressure as houses have been demolished and replaced by larger and taller ones that are out-of-scale with the neighborhood. Planning proposed replacing the R1-2 district with the newly created R1-2A contextual district to ensure that future development reflects the area’s established character. (read more…)