Brooklyn Downtown Star has an article about how the American of Institute of Architects’ push to change the city’s zoning text—which has flown under the radar of many community boards and was fast-tracked into ULURP a public-review process similar to ULURP—is being opposed by the City Council’s top dog in terms of zoning, Councilman Tony Avella of Queens. The institute’s changes would increase lot coverage on smaller lots and allow taller max base heights for some buildings in R6 through R10 zones. City Planning has certified AIA’s proposed zoning changes but the architects didn’t have to conform to the typical ULURP process requiring that community boards be notified of zoning changes and be given 60 days to respond to proposals. Avella, who chairs the Zoning and Franchises Subcommittee of the Council’s Land Use Committee, is pissed that AIA (whose members stand to profit from the changes) held private meetings with City Planning prior to being certified and that the proposal wasn’t required to come before community boards. I think it is a disgrace that the AIA didn’t reach out to any community groups, said Avella, who held a press conference about the matter last week. I’m also disappointed that City Planning didn’t do more outreach. This whole process seems backwards. The proposed changes have been shown to some community boards, including Brooklyn’s CB7, which was not impressed by the presentation an AIA lobbyist made last month. They say the changes are designed to improve the art of architecture, said Aaron Brashear, a CB7 member and cofounder of the Concerned Citizens of Greenwood Heights. Even if that were the case, they still did a poor job of due process.
Councilman Demands, Architect Group Declines [Brooklyn Downtown Star]
Tony Avella, Civics Blast Zoning Text Amendment [Times Ledger]
AIA Proposed Zoning Tweaks: Beware the Domino Effect [Brownstoner]