In an effort to curb excessive development of Brooklyn’s Polish neighborhoods, the City is introducing height limits for new construction and making sure that there will be enough low income housing units in the new buildings.
The N.Y.C. Department of City Planning has prepared a rezoning plan, which redefines a previous zoning plan of 2005, and will regulate the infrastructure development of 175-street area located in the middle of Greenpoint and Williamsburg in Brooklyn.
“The residents of Greenpoint have demanded this rezoning for long time, to curb excessive development of the neighborhood by setting up a height limits for new buildings and to make available more low-income apartments in Greenpoint. Should the developers build skyscrapers that exceed the height limit, they will be obliged to offer low income housing,” explained Jennifer Torres, spokeswoman for Department of City Planning to Nowy Dziennik.
On October 28 and 29, representatives of the Department of City Planning, Brooklyn Community Council Board 1, and City Council members Diana Reyna and David Yassky will hold open public meetings in Greenpoint and Williamsburg to inform neighborhood residents about the details of the rezoning proposal. The residents of the two neighborhoods will be able to express their opinion and to find answers to their questions.
Currently, the designated area is dominated by multi-family houses – the so-called zone R6, since developers have been allowed to build new buildings exceeding 10 stories. Jennifer Torres did not want to reveal the proposed height limit. “We want to discuss it first with the public during the public meetings next week,” said the spokeswoman.
“People should participate in these hearings, because the way the rezoning will be conducted will affect the way Greenpoint will look in the future,” said Krystyna Chołowacz, from Greenpoint Property Owners. “Nobody wants skyscrapers in the middle of Greenpoint. However, rezoning will decrease the value of the land because construction with no limits will not be possible anymore, and developers will make less money on construction here. We need to know exactly what the new limit will be and whether, for example, an owner of a 7-family house with high ceilings will be allowed to build a new house of the same size on the same piece of land in the future.” Cholowacz also pointed out that rezoning will have impact on real estate taxes.
According to renters’ advocate Jacek Bikowski, from North Brooklyn Development Corporation, rezoning is a good idea that has come too late; in the last couple of years, Greenpoint has become a very modern neighborhood; many tall buildings have been built there and “the developers have not been required to offer low-income apartments,” said Bikowski.
Developers in Greenpoint have had the added incentive of the 421-a tax abatement, which entitled them to a tax cut if they built a residential unit. Those who managed to complete new construction foundations before June 30, 2008, the expiration of the regulation, will reap the benefits. For developers who laid foundations after that date, they will be entitled to the tax cut only if they put aside a portion of the apartments for low-income renters.
Bikowski pointed out the new rezoning plan does not encompass the area of south Williamsburg, where developers will still be able to erect tall buildings without being obliged to offer low-income housing.
Next week’s public meetings aim at obtaining the public’s opinion so that it could be taken into consideration before the final step, the so-called Uniform Land Use Review Procedure (ULURP), is completed. ULURP includes analyses by the Community Council, the neighborhood president, the Department of City Planning Commission, as well as the City Council. Public consultations will be held during each stage of process, which is expected to take seven months.
