De Blasio’s Affordable Housing Plan Could Cause A Parking Nightmare

Mayor Bill De Blasio’s affordable housing initiative is coming to Sheepshead Bay — and some community leaders worry the plan could cause a parking nightmare in the neighborhood.

On Tuesday, October 13, officials from the Department of City Planning (DCP) will present a set of zoning proposals to Community Board 15, which are intended to encourage a building boom that would create more housing for low-income residents and seniors. Rezoning proposals are being introduced in neighborhoods across the five boroughs and are part of the mayor’s 10-year plan to create and preserve 200,000 affordable units in New York City.

In Sheepshead Bay, the changes would allow developers to construct mixed-income buildings one or two stories above current regulations. The amendments explain that current height restrictions do not allow developers to to fit already-permitted floor areas in buildings.

However, the proposal to eliminate parking requirements for most mixed-income buildings constructed east of Bedford Avenue has drawn the most alarm from community leaders.

Community Board 15 Chairwoman Theresa Scavo said the current zoning proposal makes unfair assumptions about the neighborhood.

“You can’t say, across the board, that people who live in affordable housing don’t have cars or that seniors don’t have cars. You cannot make these generalities. And especially not in our community in southern Brooklyn,” she said.

The community board has repeatedly struck down developments that sought to sidestep parking requirements. This summer, board members rejected a proposal to construct a four-story office building on Avenue Z, between East 21st Street and East 22nd Street, that included none of the 32 parking spaces required by zoning laws.

Scavo said that parking is already at a premium. The mayor’s proposal would take away the board’s ability to rule on developments that bring more vehicles in the community without providing spaces for them to park, she said.

“Parking is a commodity,” she said. “If you go to Kings Highway, do you pull up in front a parking spot quickly? If I ride down Avenue Z, am I going to find a parking spot quickly? No.”

Steve Barrison, president of the Bay Improvement Group, agreed that eliminating the parking requirement would cause a headache for drivers. He said it was part of a pattern where the needs of motorists are sidelined in order to advance other city agendas.

“It’s ridiculous. This is sticking your head in the ground as if no person is every going to buy a car again. And certainly not in any new building,” he said. “It’s as if they think cars are going to be come extinct.”

The DCP is expected to present changes to the current proposal when it meets with the community board. After the meeting, the board will submit recommendations to the City Planning Commission, which will hold a public hearing on the zoning proposals later this year. The commission’s conclusions will then be sent to the City Council for review.

“The City Planning Commission will carefully weigh the recommendations of community boards, borough presidents, and borough boards, along with testimony at its public hearing in making its determination,” a spokesperson for the city planning department said.

City Councilman Chaim Deutsch said he would wait until hearing Tuesday’s presentation before forming an opinion on the proposals.

“I have to keep an open mind. I want to hear the entire proposal and listen to what my constituents have to say and I will take it from there,” he said.

If you would like to attend the Department of City Planning’s presentation, the community board meeting will take place on Tuesday, October 13, at 7pm in the Faculty Dining Room, U112, at Kingsborough Community College (2001 Oriental Boulevard).