Board members like some aspects of the city’s proposed rezoning of downtown Far Rockaway, but have concerns ranging from the impact of additional density on neighborhood infrastructure to a lack of clear labor standards.
The City has proposed redeveloping the branch with rent-restricted housing and a new library space, but many stakeholders insist the land should not be sold to a private developer.
Bronx Councilmember Vanessa Gibson introduced a bill to protect auto shops from bad leases, a measure that could be useful in the event of a rezoning.
The Pratt Center for Community Development argues that Mayor de Blasio’s proposed rezonings could displace auto-repair shops—a vital source of employment in immigrant communities.
Those who ran in a special election for a Harlem Council seat—some of whom plan to run again in November—expressed a range of hopes and worries about a proposed rezoning that falls partly in that district.
In many neighborhoods facing rezoning, the concern is that too few low-income units will be required. Some Far Rockaways community board members are worried that an influx of poor people will harm the local economy.
There were good intentions, but some boards and certainly the Bloomberg administration underestimated the threat of gentrification, board members say.
A weekend summit reviewed the nuances of changing density in the neighborhood, where there are relatively few public sites on which policy—rather than the market—would determine what gets built, and for whom.
Marisa Lago brings to the Planning Commission lessons learned in a three-decade career that has taken her from New York to Boston to Albany to D.C. It includes a five-year stint as chief of compliance at a financial behemoth that played a key role in the financial crisis.
A new CB11 task force will take the lead on responding to the city’s rezoning plan, which has supporters and critics.
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