COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT
ZONING FOR HOUSING AND PRESERVATION PLAN
A FRAMEWORK FOR A ZONING PROPOSAL
Your Opinion and Feedback Matter!
Community Board 17 is proposing a Zoning Amendment (Rezoning) that will facilitate the creation of 3,645 housing units, a number that unequivocally demonstrates CB 17’s Zoning for Housing and Preservation Plan is a reasonable and sensible plan to help address the City’s housing crisis while mitigating the wholesale destruction of our community and our displacement.
Developers’ “as-of-right” zoning, (R6) leaves CB 17 vulnerable since we, as a community, have no input in the development taking place throughout a substantial portion of CB 17.
Please Provide Your Feedback on the Rezoning Proposal to the
Department of City Planning by Completing the Survey Below
Community Board 17 has been advocating for rezoning our District since 2005 to combat the rapid and non-contextual development
that has made living here unaffordable.
Your participation and feedback are a vital part of the process.
Over the coming months, CB 17 is conducting Community Engagement to get input and feedback from the community on CB 17’s Zoning for Housing & Preservation Plan (Rezoning Proposal). To access the Rezoning Proposal, please click here. Your thoughts, opinions, and suggestions are welcome and can be submitted to the Board below by completing the survey or form below.
What is Rezoning?
Rezoning is a process in urban planning that involves designating specific areas for certain types of construction to promote organized and sustainable development. This is done to ensure the well-being of the local community and the city as a whole.
New York City has regulations that dictate how each area can be utilized and what kind of construction is permitted. These areas can range from a few blocks to many blocks and are identified using a zone coding system. The system designates whether an area is for residential, commercial, or manufacturing development and then imposes restrictions on what kind of structures can be built. These limitations include rules regarding use, density, setbacks, and sometimes building height. Please click here for information on zoning codes R4 and R5, and here for information on R6.
https://www.nytimes.com/2018/03/15/nyregion/breaking-down-the-citys-rezoning-process.html
https://blocksandlots.com/nyc-rezoning/
Why Rezone Community District 17?
- The zoning regulations that have been in place since 1961 are no longer sufficient to meet the needs of our community and the City as a whole. The majority of new housing being built is of the luxury variety. In fact, from 2020 to 2022, our District saw the construction of the third most expensive housing developments in the City, despite the fact that our area median income (AMI) is below the City’s average. As a result, our District has one of the highest vacancy rates in the City.
- A substantial area of our community is zoned “R6” which means developers have the right to construct buildings with no height restrictions.
- “R6″ currently has no requirement for affordable housing in development.
- Developers are allowed to demolish homes and construct noncontextual buildings without restrictions and without regard for the character of the block. They can build a six-story building among three-story row houses, for example.
- East Flatbush’s infrastructure was not designed to accommodate the massive development taking place.
- The development is resulting in the displacement of community residents since the new housing is generally unaffordable for tenants in our community.
- The development is also displacing local small businesses that have no viable alternative for commercial rental options.
- The disappearance of small local businesses is damaging the essence and personality of our neighborhoods, causing a negative impact on our quality of life. This is because it results in the disappearance of services that satisfy the requirements of community residents and our community’s cultural individuality.
- The destruction of homes by developers not only means the loss of a chance to achieve the “American Dream” of owning a home but also the loss of wealth that could have been passed down through generations. Studies have shown that if the New York State Multiple Dwelling Unit Law is amended to permit the legal conversion of basements into living spaces, where it is deemed safe, the district could potentially increase the number of housing units by 4,340+. Furthermore, if all single-family and two-family homes were to create an extra living space, the district could yield 11,730+ more homes. This conversion would not only increase the housing availability in the district but also provide additional income to homeowners.
Losing Black Homeownership in CB17
Thank you for your contribution to this crucial community initiative.
Your feedback will be provided to DCP and is important to this process.