Carroll Gardens Downzoning Sails Through Council

As expected, the City Council yesterday unanimously approved the rezoning of 89 blocks of Carroll Gardens in a move designed to limit the height and scope of future development in the largely low-scale neighborhood. “This contextual rezoning will preserve the area’s existing residential character, distinguished by the neighborhood’s historic brownstones, while supporting vibrant, local retail corridors on commercial thoroughfares,” said Land Use Committee chair Melinda Katz. The simplest manifestation of the rezoning will be a 50-foot height limit on new buildings and additions, the result of new R6B requirements. The resolution was sponsored by Bill de Blasio and supported by other local public figures, including Council Member David Yassky and Borough President Marty Markowitz. The Historic District Council also gave it a thumbs up: “This rezoning is an important step in protecting the historic character and human scale of this wonderful neighborhood," said HDC's Simeon Bankoff. You can see the map of the rezoning here.
Council Votes 48-0 to Rezone Carroll Gardens [Brooklyn Eagle]
Carroll Gardens Rezoning Close, Boerum Hill Wants In [Brownstoner]
Zoning Debate Continues in Carroll Gardens [Brownstoner]
ULURP Begins for Carroll Gardens Rezoning [Brownstoner]
Photo by wackelpudding

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do we know what are the boundaries of the area covered by this re-zoning?

Posted by: gkw at October 29, 2009 11:19 AM

click on older articles that have maps. pretty much all of it from canal on east and including west of BQE.

Posted by: Petebklyn at October 29, 2009 11:24 AM

sorry not from canal but from and including Bond St on east.

Posted by: Petebklyn at October 29, 2009 11:26 AM

I hate you nimy's if you want low density please go back to the freaking suburbs. what makes brooklyn and nyc general great is the density. so more stores/restaurants etc.. can be supported, less strain on the environment!!!

Posted by: armchairwarrior at October 29, 2009 11:57 AM

Carroll Garden's is beautiful neighborhood. Everything should stay the way it is. We do not need freakin' high rises, retail and restaurants everywhere. This is a neighborhood.

This is a neighborhood, not office tower city. Look at 4th Ave already, yucksville.......

Posted by: STARGAZER at October 29, 2009 12:08 PM

I hope this means someone will finally do something about that joke of a project at 333 Carroll Street...

Posted by: feral at October 29, 2009 12:25 PM

Kind of related - what's happening to what I think was known as the "Hell Building" - am I going to have to look at the skeleton of some developer's dream until the end of time, or can the city have that thing taken down?

Posted by: solidago at October 29, 2009 1:01 PM

Exactly my thought, solidago!

Posted by: feral at October 29, 2009 1:17 PM

I used to care about such things, but at least now that the city will be plunging into chaos, I can rest easy at night knowing the residents of CG will have their neighborhood go back to being hell in short order.

The city is bankrupt, Wall Street is never coming back, and the 50,000 residents of the Red Hook houses will soon be getting hungry.

Posted by: Polemicist at October 29, 2009 2:04 PM

HAHAHAHA... The residents of the Red Hook Houses are like Zombies that will soon roam the streets looking for... BRAINS!!!

Posted by: tybur6 at October 29, 2009 2:10 PM

What makes you say all that, P? Wall Street seems to be coming back rapidly.

Posted by: denton at October 29, 2009 2:37 PM

Last one into the ark hauls up the gangplank.

Snob zoning strikes again.

Posted by: thwackamole1 at October 29, 2009 3:05 PM

The thing about all this "contextual" zoning is it is totally not contextual - what I mean is, what sense does it make to have ONE zoning for an entire neighborhood -
Shouldnt the blocks immediately adjacent to mass transit be zoned larger??? - I dont necessarily mean 30 stories, but why would a building next to a subway stop be zoned EXACTLY the same as a building midblock 10 blocks in the middle of a totally residential street? Should Smith Street or Court (both wide - well trafficked blocks with commercial, residential and even offices,with busses and/or subways) have greater density than say 1st Street?

The "context" is totally missing here - because these types of rezonings arent about context at all - they are about anti-development

Posted by: fsrg at October 29, 2009 3:26 PM

FSRQ - I agree with your criticism about how this zoning doesn't take into acount proximity to mass transit, but your other comment (about smith and court)has already been accounted for in this zoning. Take a look at the zoning map. Most of the neighborhood is being zoned r6b. Court St is being zoned r6a (more FAR and higher bldg heights allowed) and both Smith and Court Streets will have a c2-4 overlay.

Posted by: bkre at October 29, 2009 4:04 PM

Thanks you are correct (although I do not think the commercial overlay adds any density) but either way I still think the FAR is too low (3.0) for streets like Smith and/or Court.

Posted by: fsrg at October 29, 2009 4:16 PM

In reality, Smith isn't very wide. Not sure how much has really changed. But I do agree that the whole issue of the new bldg going up at Carroll St station was overblown. And happy that is moving again. Part of area should allow greater density - and I think by the canal that will be the case...except now the anti-devs are pushing for the superfund desig. which will stop everything for another 25 years.

Posted by: Petebklyn at October 29, 2009 5:02 PM

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October 29, 2009

Carroll Gardens Downzoning Sails Through Council

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