SAY NO TO CITY PLANNING!
SAY YES TO COMMUNITY SPONSORED CONTEXTUAL REZONING!
Dept. of City Planning at a recent community informational session stated:
- they want out of context buildings of 10-12 stories and more market rate density on all major avenues
- they will worry about infrastructure and needed services after development takes place
If City Planning controls this process:
- they can propose as much height and density as they want
- we will not be able to change those proposals to reduce density during the public process
Here's what this means for all of us:
- we could get as many as 16,000 new units or 43,000 new residents!*
- we would lose light and air as canyons of 10-12 story buildings fill the avenues
- Given higher density linked to ten and twelve story height limits, builders would tear down 3-6 story buildings
- a tremendous increase in traffic, mass transit overcrowding, school overcrowding, parking, negative effects of construction-- noise, vibrations, garbage, etc.
- many long time residents and small businesses would be forced out
- we would lose the essential character and diversity of our neighborhood
Here's what you can do about it:
- call or write CB9 board members and tell them to vote no to any resolution asking Department of City Planning to “begin a study”, regardless of what the resolution proposes.
- join us in calling for an independent professional planner to create a community sponsored plan and rezoning application that reflects what we want and need.
- come to the land use (ULURP) meeting this coming Wed. Feb. 4th at 7pm (St Francis DeSales School 260 Eastern Parkway, corner of Classon Avenue
- come to the CB9 General Meeting - Feb 24, 7pm (location TBA)
Here's why a community sponsored rezoning application and study is better than simply requesting a zoning study from City Planning:
- we determine the height limits and density changes
- we will have a much better chance to keep the character and diversity of our community
- we can make infrastructure/service needs and real affordability a higher priority
- we have a vision for our community that adds a reasonable amount of truly affordable housing with the infrastructure and services that we need as a community while preserving the character and diversity of our neighborhood
Concerned Residents of Community District 9 supporting community sponsored rezoning
*Mayor de Blasio's housing plan calls for 80,000 new units of affordable housing to be built by upzoning just 15 neighborhoods out of 59 community districts. That means each rezoned neighborhood has to build about 5,500 units of “affordable” housing. To reach 5,500 new affordable units our neighborhood will have to build 16,000 new units (if we can negotiate 1 affordable unit for every two market rate units) - that's 43,000 new people, at 2.7 people per unit, moving into PLG and south Crown Heights!
