Intersection of Sunrise Highway and Old Sunrise Highway. Image Credit: Google Maps

Motorcyclist was killed when he made contact with another vehicle, lost control, and skidded approximately 95 feet until he struck a guardrail. On a clear dry afternoon Vincent Iovine drove a motorcycle east on Sunrise Highway in Nassau County traveling at a speed of 62 miles per hour in a 45 mile per hour zone. At the same time, Guadalupe Carranca had stopped her car at a stop sign on Old Sunrise Highway. Carranca intended to turn right onto Sunrise Highway. As Carranca attempted to merge directly into the left-turn lane of Sunrise Highway, she crossed over three lanes of traffic and then over a solid white line. Before Carranca could successfully complete the merge, Iovine’s motorcycle collided into Carranca’s vehicle. Iovine lost control of the motorcycle, skidded about 95 feet, and made contact with a guardrail. Iovine died from the injuries. (read more…)

Local council member supported 193-block contextual rezoning in suburban Queens. On August 25, 2010, the City Planning Commission approved the Department of City Planning’s proposal to rezone 193 blocks in Rosedale, Queens. The triangular-shaped rezoning area is generally bounded by Merrick Boulevard to the north, Idlewild Park and Hook Creek to the south, Nassau County to the east, and Brookville Boulevard to the west. The plan seeks to preserve the neighborhood’s low-density character and builds on three recent rezonings in the nearby neighborhoods of Brookville, Cambria Heights, and Laurelton. The Commission certified the proposal in June 2010. 7 CityLand 91 (July 15, 2010).

Sunrise Highway bisects the rezoning area. The northern portion is zoned R2 and characterized by single- family detached homes. Rosedale’s southern portion is zoned R3- 2, which allows a variety of housing types, including low-rise attached houses, small multi-family apartment houses, and detached and semi-detached houses. This area is also characterized by single-family detached homes, but the flexibility of the R3-2 zoning has resulted in pockets of over development out of character with the area’s prevailing suburban nature. Planning would replace the majority of the R3-2 zoning with contextual zoning districts in order to better reflect existing development. The plan would rezone 146 blocks throughout the southern portion of Rosedale to R3X, thereby limiting building types to detached one- and two-family homes. (read more…)