626-flatbush-1-050715

After more than a year of controversy and drama, the full board of Community Board 9 voted yes on asking City Planning to conduct a study of zoning in the area, which covers Prospect Lefferts Gardens as well as some blocks in the southern part of Crown Heights and a bit of East Flatbush.

The supporters of the study want City Planning to downzone the area so tall towers such as 626 Flatbush, pictured under construction above, are not allowed, while also allowing for the construction of mixed-income subsidized housing of a modest height in some areas. The neighborhood has been roiled by rising rents and a building boom, as we have detailed in countless stories.

It’s possible activist group The Movement to Protect the People could challenge this latest vote on procedural grounds, as they have done successfully on several other occasions.

The vote passed 26 to 6 with three abstentions amid chanting and shouting from those opposed to the zoning study, according to DNAinfo.

The precise wording of the letter has changed. The new letter requests City Planning study the entire neighborhood, not just a portion of it. No mention is made of Empire Boulevard, whose rezoning MTOPP opposes.

Like the old letter, the new one asks City Planning “to create new zoning rules that would preserve the existing character of the neighborhood, put height limits on new buildings and takes into account infrastructure needs,” according to DNAinfo.

Community Board 9 Moves Ahead With Controversial Rezoning Study [DNA]
One Year and Two Months Later — The Letter Is Reinstated [Q at Parkside]
MTOPP Coverage [Brownstoner]
626 Flatbush Coverage [Brownstoner]


What's Your Take? Leave a Comment