CB7 Votes in Favor of Sunset Park Rezoning Plan
Today we have another Community Board report from a reader… The full CB7 Board vote went as planned last night, despite a large crowd of protesters outside of CB7 with whistles and banners, led by the founders of SPAN (Sunset Park Alliance of Neighbors). The organizers’ goal appeared to be to spread misinformation about the…
Today we have another Community Board report from a reader…
The full CB7 Board vote went as planned last night, despite a large crowd of protesters outside of CB7 with whistles and banners, led by the founders of SPAN (Sunset Park Alliance of Neighbors). The organizers’ goal appeared to be to spread misinformation about the rezoning: that it would not curb development and that it would bring more condos, higher rents and greater displacement. In the end, many from the mixed crowd of Chinese and Latino residents had to be escorted from the meeting after the vote.
The disruptions did nothing to stop the CB7 Board from overwhelmingly approving the ULURP with the provisions of lowering the rezoning of 4th Ave from R7A with an affordable housing incentive (8 stories) to R6A to ensure the views from Sunset Park (from the park) to the harbor and help preserve many affordable housing units in place and lower income rent. R6A would have far less incentive for developers to demo existing stock and build new condo projects. There was also the addition of the recommendation by CB7 to include the rezoning as an anti-harassment special district, putting further assurances in place that owners/developers cannot illegally evict tenants in the name of creating newer housing stock.
Sunset Park Rezoning Review Begins [Brownstoner]
Sunset Park Rezone Plans Meet the Community [Brownstoner]
Sunset Park One Step Closer to Rezoning [Brownstoner]
Thanks for the corrections. I wasn’t aware that CB7 could make changes to the plan — I thought it was an up or down vote. Glad to hear differently!
southbrooklyn,
The posting does not say the original plan preserved views from the park; it states: “with the provisions of lowering the rezoning of 4th Ave from R7A with an affordable housing incentive (8 stories) to R6A to ensure the views from Sunset Park (from the park) to the harbor.” Basically, that the CB asked for that as a change.
I’m sure you were talking about the eight story buildings going up on 4th and/or 5th Avenue and not 8th Avenue. I doubt 8th Avenue development will affect views from the park.
Granted, the run-down is far from objective, but nothing about this process has been objective. Thank you for caring enough about the neighborhood to get involved. (And just ignore P’s ignorance about the neighborhood.)
southbrooklyn- Thanks for the more balanced CB7 meeting report.
Polemicist- Your ignorance and hateful bile speaks for itself.
you’re a hateful person, polemicist.
southbrooklyn:
“Affordable housing” is and always has been a failure. Since the day the first housing project was constructed, the quality and quantity of housing has continually declined in relation to the number of households in the city. The same is true everywhere in the world.
It doesn’t matter what the “promises” were. Government subsidized housing doesn’t work, period. It has never worked, and it is nothing more than a tool of a collapsing democracy to buy votes from a permanent underclass.
Thankfully, this system is now finished. There will be no more government housing of any type any time soon as our city, state, and nation are bankrupt.
The whining mouths in Sunset Park, a neighborhood primarily populated by people on public assistance, will continue to live in squalor as their neighborhood reverts to what it has been for most of the 20th century: a dump.
Whoever emailed this to you is mistaken that this plan will protect park views. I went to a hearing on the rezoning proposal. There was NOTHING in the presentation from the City on the preservation of park views. In response to my statement on this issue during the comment period, we were shown a highly schematic two-dimensional view of the topography of the park which SEEMED to suggest that from the very highest point in the park one would just be able to see over the 8 story buildings that would go up on 8th avenue.
What was missing was a clear simulation of the effects of such construction on the park experience. We were told “this is the only slide we have”!
However, most of the park is not at its highest point! The grassy slopes where most people sit and look out on the water would no longer have water views.
If one walks along 4th Ave. and observes the current building heights and then walks up into the park, it is entirely obvious that the water view will be blocked should eight story buildings be constructed.
And on the issue of affordable housing — how do you know that SNAP was spreading “disinformation”??? At the hearing, I heard from reputable housing organizations and others who made very cogent arguments that this rezoning proposal was only OK, and that it does mean significant risks to current affordable housing stock. Listening, it made sense to me that one could hold out for a better plan, especially since the economic collapse makes this rezoning less urgent.
I’m unclear about the report that CB7 recommended an anti-harassment district. Is someone going to listen to their recommendation in light of their approval vote?
It seems quite pertinent that the rezoning of Williamsburg to allow all the high rises that are going up has yielded exactly NOTHING in affording housing, in spite of promises!
I do object to this anonymous attack on SPAN. I am not involved with the group and I don’t know if they are right on or not, but if you are going to denounce people, why don’t you put your name to it?
Pic looks like one of those San Fran post cards, no?
***Bid half off peak comps***