The Department of City Planning’s draft rezoning plan for Dumbo—which made its debut last week—seems like it’s come out of nowhere, but in fact it’s been in the works for nearly two years. Planning put the rezoning drive on hold while the LPC worked on making the area a historic district, and now that historic designation’s happened (pending Council approval), the city is once again gunning to rezone Dumbo. We spoke to Purnima Kapur, the director of City Planning’s Brooklyn Office, about the draft rezoning proposal. (Gowanus Lounge also chatted with Kapur yesterday; as GL notes, it seems clear that “the Department is pushing to explain its proposal.”) Takeaways:

-Scope: The draft proposal encompasses a 12-block area generally bounded by John Street and the East River to the north, Bridge Street to the east, York Street to the south and Anchorage Place and the Manhattan Bridge to the west.

-Mixed-Uses: The DCP proposal is mixed-use and concentrates bulk (R8A zoning) along Jay Street and works its way down in density as it reaches Vinegar Hill, which has lower-rise buildings.

-Timeline: Planning is beginning its public outreach process. Once consensus is reached, environmental assessment can begin. We’re hoping to have certification by the fall, says Kapur, to begin ULURP.

-About that Other Proposal: The Dumbo Neighborhood Association’s rezoning proposal, which was released last week and covers a much larger swath of the neighborhood than the city’s, took Planning by surprise, but Our proposal is not that different from theirs, says Kapur. One big difference is that DNA wants to have heavy manufacturing zoning mixed in with residential uses. We’ve concentrated on promoting an appropriate mix of complementary uses in an area where the underlying zoning is no longer reflective of the mix of existing land uses and where there were vacant or underutilized buildings, says Kapur. We did not include areas where there are active industrial or utility uses.

-Why the Controversial Walentas Dock St. Site Isn’t Included: “The reason it’s not in our proposal is because it’s under single ownership and it is non-contiguous with our study area. In addition, because of proximity to the Brooklyn Bridge, it’ll require a site-specific review which cannot be achieved in an area-wide rezoning, says Kapur. The public will have an ample opportunity to examine and comment on the applicant’s proposal.
Post-Landmarking, Dumbo Rezoning Talk Begins [Brownstoner]
Brooklyn Planning Director Explains Dumbo Rezoning [GL]
DNA Throws Its Dumbo Rezoning Plan Into the Ring [Brownstoner]
Dock Street Protesters: 20% There on Signatures [Brownstoner]