The Department of City Planning is working on a proposal to rezone a large swath of Flatbush that will affect neighborhoods known for their stunning collections of Victorian houses, like Ditmas Park West and South Midwood. Details about DCP’s plans are scarce at the moment—a spokesperson for the department said the city has studied 200 blocks in the area in response to “community concerns about out-of-scale development”—and there’s no map available detailing the exact areas the city is likely to propose a rezoning for. What is known is that the measure is going to affect some Victorian Flatbush neighborhoods, and plenty of residents aren’t thrilled about the city’s vision, according to an article in Flatbush Life. Planning’s proposal would mean new developments in Ditmas Park West and South Midwood could only come in the form of one- and two-family detached homes (thus stemming the destruction of older housing stock for small condo or apartment building construction, as current zoning allows), but it would also allow new detached homes to be 50 percent bigger than is permitted by the zoning that’s now in place. PlanningSpeak on the matter is as follows: “The Department’s draft recommendations would map contextual zoning districts intended to preserve the scale and character of the area’s established neighborhoods. Contextual zoning districts are intended to result in new construction that is more in context with existing homes. Contextual zoning districts would deter tear downs of the existing detached, one- and two-family homes, where these homes are predominant. The Department has also recommended medium-density districts that would preserve the character of rowhouses and apartment building areas, where appropriate. In addition, the proposal would provide incentives for the production of new and affordable housing along portions of Flatbush Avenue, from Church Avenue to The Junction, as well as along portions of Coney Island Avenue.” Ditmas Park Blog has a link to an online petition asking Planning to rethink its proposal.
Community Board 14 Wrangles Over New Zoning [Flatbush Life]
Rezoning Victorian Flatbush [Ditmas Park Blog]
Photo by Flatbush Gardener.