Queens community rezoned at request of residents. On July 27, 2005, the City Council approved a 103-block rezoning in East Flushing. The proposed rezoning was initiated by the Planning Department in response to requests of the East Flushing Civic Association, the Off-Broadway Homeowners’ Association, Community Board 7 and a zoning task force created by Borough President Helen Marshall’s office. The groups raised concerns that the 1961 zoning did not reflect building patterns in the area and encouraged out-of-character development.

A majority of the rezoned areas, from 149th Street to 166th Street, had allowed as-of-right construction of large multi-family buildings in streets generally developed with single or two-family homes. These areas were down-zoned to districts restricting density to one and two-family structures (R2, R4-1 and R4A). Along East Flushing’s major thoroughfares, Northern Boulevard and Crocheron Avenue, the new zoning (R6B) would allow mixed-use development. The existing commercial overlay was extended to 159th Street, but its depth of coverage was decreased to prohibit commercial uses from encroaching on established residential streets. (read more…)