Boerum Hill Looks to Downzone
In the wake of the rezoning of Carroll Gardens, which was finalized in 2009 and encouraged new buildings to stay in the range of 30 to 40 feet, Boerum Hill is now looking to protect its blocks against any incoming high rises. The Brooklyn Eagle reports on the proposal to downzone the neighborhood to a…
In the wake of the rezoning of Carroll Gardens, which was finalized in 2009 and encouraged new buildings to stay in the range of 30 to 40 feet, Boerum Hill is now looking to protect its blocks against any incoming high rises. The Brooklyn Eagle reports on the proposal to downzone the neighborhood to a 50 foot limit after residents realized “Boerum Hill was the last brownstone area that was not more fully protected. The Boerum Hill Association has been working with the Department of City Planning, where the only point of contention is the rezoning of the 3rd and 4th Avenue corridor. Currently, the blocks between 3rd and 4th are zoned at a maximum of 75 feet, and the DCP says the area has “more mixed character” than the rest of the neighborhood and should remain zoned as is. Regardless, the downzoning request is expected to reach City Council by June at the earliest.
50-Foot Limits Help Keep Brownstone Neighborhoods in Scale [Brooklyn Eagle]
Photo by noflashes
btw Chicken, I hope you’re not including me in the group. I think most “fedder” buildings are ugly, but I fully support their being built! Some of the “finger” buildings are quite nice and I have absolutely no problem with a building shooting up above others. It can make for an interesting look.
I think you’d be very surprised to find out how many of those “rich folks” would move right back to a “less hip” Boreum Hill if they could afford it.
fsrq,
Different “rich folks,” I think. Glossy high rises and “hip” Bushwick appeal to different sets of people (although I personally don’t understand the appeal of either).
Bob – the point is that if the “rich folks” move into new high rises in neighborhoods like Boreum Hill – there will be less “rich folks” moving into neighborhoods like Bushwick (there is at some point a limit to the number of “rich folks”) and therefore help keep pre-gentrified neighborhoods affordable.
Not sure what the proposal is here but given most of BH’s historic district, doesnt seem like it will have much practical effect.
The current zoning for 3rd and 4th at 75 feet is perfectly reasonable as is. It’s not worth fighting over 25 feet for those two streets.
The point of increased density doesn’t mean that *magically* poor or folks of modest means will live in that area!!
It means that the “luxury” high-rise will be filled with rich folks… then there is less pressure on the properties closer than a 2-hour commute from the farthest flung locations of the ‘outer boroughs’
In other words, less pressure = more availability = lower cost
Downzoning huge commercial corridors like 3rd and 4th avenues (or Flatbush like some are actually trying to do too) is ABSURD. Wacko. It shows as much an extreme in belief in one direction as those do in the other direction who oppose any and all kind of landmarking or zoning. Let the moderate and balanced views in the middle make the decisions on these matters please.
Yes, please preserve this character:
http://maps.google.com/maps?q=bergen+st+and+3rd+avenue&oe=utf-8&client=firefox-a&ie=UTF8&hq=&hnear=3rd+Ave+%26+Bergen+St,+Brooklyn,+Kings,+New+York+11217&gl=us&ei=YOfzTIKuFYK88gbLhNz1Cw&oi=geocode_result&ved=0CBQQ8gEwAA&t=h&layer=c&cbll=40.683012,-73.980959&panoid=LigCrWBMXPtwte6ZAuWVNw&cbp=12,94.93,,0,8.7&ll=40.681435,-73.979166&spn=0.008592,0.01929&z=16
(Sorry for long link.)
3rd and 4th Avenues and the streets in between seem like perfect places to put taller buildings. Close to Atlantic-Pacific, pretty remote from surrounding neighborhoods, fenced in by two major truck-route avenues.
Why does everybody hate 1910? It was a good year.
And yeah, I’m all for density but this area has rents in the 2,000+ price range. Working class folks aren’t going to be moving into glassy new high rises unless somebody goes out of their way to build affordable housing units. I say, downsize. Plenty of vacant lots in Williamsburg and elsewhere in the city.