CB 10 Rejects Mayor’s Affordable Housing Zoning Plan, Says Review Period Is Too Short

Community Board (CB) 10 is joining the chorus of folks apposing Mayor Bill de Blasio’s five-borough rezoning plan, which aims to add 200,000 affordable housing units citywide over the next decade.

The plan, called Zoning for Quality and Affordability, would increase building height limits by five feet and or allow an extra two stories in some cases if developers agree to include housing for low-income residents or seniors.

However, members of the community board serving Dyker Heights and Bay Ridge say the city has not granted them sufficient time to thoroughly review all the details of the plan, which critics say favors developers, so they have no choice but to reject the proposal. The Brooklyn Eagle reports:

Board 10 cited concerns over a number of issues, including zoning changes the Department of City Planning (DCP) is seeking in order to get developers to build affordable housing units, whether the plan will create housing that is truly affordable, and what board members charged was a rushed process that did not allow enough time to study the plan and make an informed decision on its merits.

“Few would deny the need for a fair and comprehensive plan that would address the pressing need for affordable and senior housing in New York City. Certainly, Community Board 10 recognizes this need. Upon due consideration, within the review time allotted, CB10 concludes that the Mandatory Inclusionary Housing (MIH) initiative, now before us, is not that plan,” the board said in a statement.

Members of the board also noted that the character of Bay Ridge and Dyker Heights is “extremely delicate and can be easily eroded without vigilance,” and some questioned whether the new units would in fact be affordable.

There has been a groundswell of opposition in neighborhoods where the mayor’s plan has been introduced, and community boards throughout the five boroughs have submitted concerns to the city.

Last month, Community Board 11, which serves Bensonhurst and Bath Beach, took issue with the fact that the plan designates most of the area a “transit zone,” which would eliminate the requirement for developers to create parking spaces for new homes.

The city may not have accurately assessed the prevalence car ownership in the neighborhood  — in part, because many cars are registered out-of-state — as it fails to address curb cuts, parking issues and congestion in the neighborhood, according to CB11’s district manager Marnee Elias-Pavia.

“[CB 11’s] Planning and Zoning Committee agrees that the goals of affordable and senior housing are laudable, but is concerned regarding overdevelopment, congestion, and the inclusion of our community in the ‘transit zone,’” Elias Pavia told Bensonhurst Bean. “The committee recommends further study of our community before eliminating parking restrictions.”

Similarly, member of Sheepshead Bay’s Board 15 have vehemently rejected the mayor’s zoning plan twice, citing overdevelopment concerns, reports our sister site Sheepshead Bites.