City Planning Holds Hearing on Bushwick Rezoning for Private Development

The City Planning Commission yesterday heard testimony for and against the proposed rezoning of the old Rheingold Brewery site in Bushwick, Bushwick Daily reported. Numerous Bushwick residents who spoke at the City Planning Commission expressed concern that the Community Board 4 vote on the rezoning in July took place behind closed doors, said Bushwick Daily.

The meeting yesterday was part of a routine rezoning process. In any rezoning, first the community board votes on it, and then it goes to the City Planning Commission. In July, Community Board 4 voted in favor of the rezoning, but because the meeting was not public, the vote may be invalid. Council Member Diana Reyna has previously said she is investigating the matter. CB votes are advisory and not binding.

The proposed private development by Read Property consists of 10 buildings with 977 apartments and 54,000 square feet of retail space in what is now mostly vacant property at Flushing and Evergreen avenues (pictured above). The area is currently zoned for manufacturing, not residential. The buildings will have private courtyard gardens and rise as high as eight stories. Twenty percent will be “affordable.” Many large residential complexes of comparable size already exist in Bushwick, but most are either public or affordable housing and do not contain market-rate apartments.

City Planning Shocked by Lack of Community Involvement at Bushwick Rezoning Public Hearing [Bushwick Daily]
City Planning Met on Rezoning of Rheingold Brewery Site [Brownstoner]
Image by Meredith Hoffman for DNAinfo