Approval marks the fourth Queens down-zoning in 2005. The City Council voted unanimously to down-zone 40 blocks of Kissena Park, making it the fourth neighborhood in Queens to be rezoned by the Council in 2005.

The Kissena Park down-zoning responded to residents’ concerns over the demolition of structurally sound single-family homes and the construction of out-of-character developments in their neighborhood. As-of-right development within the 40 blocks will now be restricted to one or two-family homes. (read more…)

Commission down-zones another Queens neighborhood. On April 13, 2005, the Planning Commission approved another of the Bloomberg administration’s down-zoning initiatives by rezoning 40 blocks of Kissena Park, a small residential neighborhood directly north of its namesake, the 235-acre Kissena Park.

The down-zoning, commenced at the urging of the Kissena Park Civic Association, would be the first rezoning plan passed since 1961 in this predominately one and two-family home residential neighborhood. Designed to match the context of the area’s buildings, the action proposed replacing the current R3-2 zoning with three districts (R2, R3A and R3X) that would generally limit future development to one and two-family homes on all 40 blocks. The current zoning allows rowhouse and large apartment development. The proposal would impact an area generally bound by 45th and 46th Avenues and Parson Boulevard to the east, Rose Avenue and Colden Street to the south and Mulberry Avenue, Union Street and Kissena Boulevard to the west. (read more…)