zonein CITYLIMITS The Future of NYC Neighborhoods FEATURE Review Process Begins in the Rockaways for De Blasio’s 2nd Neighborhood Rezoning Some wonder whether Far Rockaway’s difficult commute will get harder if new residents pour in. The city says it is adding to the area’s transit options. BY ABIGAIL SAVITCH-LEW O n January 30, the City Planning Commission (CPC) certified the de Blasio administration’s rezoning application for downtown Far Rockaway. The city also quietly released a Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS), a document describing the potential impacts of the proposal on a variety of categories, from business displacement to day care use. Over the next seven months, the proposal will go through the Uniform Land Use Review Procedure (ULURP, see page 2) with the City Council casting the ultimate vote. The rezoning recommendations are part of a larger plan for the neighborhood crafted by the Economic Development Corporation in response to recommendations from local Councilmember Donovan Richards and a team of neighborhood organizations and that harnesses $91 million in city revitalization investments. The rezoning would increase allowable residential and commercial density in the area, with buildings as high as 15 stories at the center (see map on page 3) and shorter buildings in most of the area. The proposal would also create a special district to ensure the creation of new open spaces and active ground floor uses, and to adjust parking requirements. Levels and depths of affordable housing are yet unknown, though based on market conditions, the city predicts that roughly half the housing would be rent-restricted. The rezoning would ensure all future housing development is subject to the city’s mandatory inclusionary housing policy, which requires that 20 to 30 percent of units are rent-restricted. The city has THE DOWNTOWN FAR ROCKAWAY EDITION FEBRUARY 27, 2017 WWW.ZONEIN.ORG also proposed redeveloping two publicly owned sites with 100 percent rent restricted housing. In addition, the city intends to create an Urban Renewal Area (URA), using negotiations or eminent domain to acquire and redevelop a large underutilized shopping center, a few adjacent storefronts and five adjacent residencies. At a September hearing, residents showed unanimous support for commercial revitalization, but some voiced objections to the more than 3,000 units of housing that the project could bring. There were calls for jobs for locals and investments in amenities and infrastructure. Stakeholders disagree about the affordability levels for the proposed housing, and some have voiced worries about gentrification and the use of eminent domain. Asked by planning commissioners about the neighborhood’s commuting challenges, City Planning’s Brendan Pillar justified adding residential density to the area, noting that the MTA is considering ways to improve transit access, that EDC’s is adding a new Rockaway ferry line, and that the rezoning area is outside of the 500-year flood zone. The city does not expect the proposal will lead to significant displacement. According to the DEIS, Far Rockaway has a weak market, and a rezoning will first lead to the creation of a substantial amount of affordable housing. The DEIS does note, however, that the rezoning could lead to a deficit of 11 acres of open space, stresses on traffic and transit, and shortage of 181 childcare seats. The city says it will try to address those problems, but might not succeed. “Today was an important step, but now it is time to roll up our sleeves and look at how we can make this the most inclusive plan possible by including improvements for transportation, a reasonable amount of density, adequate parking, appropriately affordable units and additional school seats,” Richards said via e-mail. � 1 A Publication of City Limits zonein.org zone@citylimits.org 844-ZONE-NYC @CityLimitsNews EXPLAINER Rezonings Under Review The de Blasio administration is proposing to rezone several New York City neighborhoods, and is considering requests by local stakeholders to rezone several more. The map at right shows where these discussions have concluded or are taking place. With the exception of East New York, whose rezoning passed in April 2016, and Flushing—where the city has withdrawn its proposed rezoning—the rest are at various stages of consideration. LEGEND 1. JEROME AVENUE 2. SOUTHERN BOULEVARD 3. INWOOD 4. EAST HARLEM 5. CHINATOWN 6. LONG ISLAND CITY 7. FLUSHING 8. FAR ROCKAWAY 9. EAST NEW YORK 10. BUSHWICK 11. GOWANUS 12. BAY STREET 3 1 THE BRONX 2 4 MANHATTAN 7 5 6 QUEENS 10 11 BROOKLYN 9 STATEN ISLAND 12 8 What is ULURP? THE CITY DECIDES WHETHER TO DO A REZONING THROUGH ITS UNIFORM LAND-USE REVIEW PROCEDURE OR ULURP 1 BEFORE THE ULURP PROCESS BEGINS, the administration must launch a separate process of environmental review. Once the Environmental Assessment Statement is complete and, if warranted, a draft Environmental Impact Statement is prepared, ULURP can begin. 2 THE LOCAL COMMUNITY BOARD considers the plan first. It holds a public hearing and has 60 days to vote on the idea. The vote is only advisory. 3 4 THE BOROUGH PRESIDENT then has 30 days to render a recommendation—which, again, is only advisory. NEXT, THE CITY PLANNING COMMISSION—where most members are appointed by the mayor--takes up the plan. It has 30 days to vote on it. Even if the CPC votes no, the plan can still go to the Council under some circumstances. 5 THE CITY COUNCIL ACTS NEXT. First the Zoning Subcommittee, then the Land Use Committee and finally the full Council votes on the proposal. The Council can pass, reject or modify the plan, By custom, the member in whose district the proposal falls usually has decisive sway. The Council has 50 days to act. 6 IF THE COUNCIL MODIFIES THE PROPOSAL, it goes back to the Planning Commission for 15 days to review and vote again— unless so much changes that ULURP has to start over. 7 8 NOW IT’S THE MAYOR’S TURN. He can accept or veto the Council’s zoning decision. He has only five days to make the call. IF THE MAYOR VETOES the Council’s decision, the Council can override that veto with a twothirds vote. It has 10 days to try. 2 A Publication of City Limits zonein.org zone@citylimits.org 844-ZONE-NYC @CityLimitsNews EXPLAINER What Does the City Want to Change in Your Neighborhood? Currently, only manufacturing and automotivebusinessesareallowedhere. New zoning would permit residential construction. WHAT IS ZONING? Zoning is a set of laws that govern how large buildings can be, how they are built and what they are used for. A rezoning changes those laws for a particular area to permit larger buildings, or to require that any new buildings be smaller than currently allowed, or to change the type of buildings permitted on REZONING AND AFFORDABLE HOUSING Mayor de Blasio is proposing neighborhood-wide rezonings as part of his plan to build or preserve 200,000 units of affordable housing in 10 Currently a shopping mall and years. He believes that by adjacent homes and storefronts; city rezoning to permit more hopes to designate an Urban Renewal construction, the city will Areaandredevelop.Newzoningwould be able to grow without allow buildings of roughly putting excess pressure 12-15 stories. on rents. He’s imposed a new rule, called mandatory inclusionary housing, Current zoning allows buildings of that requires builders in about 3-4 stories. New zoning would rezoned areas to create allow roughly 6-9 story buildings in affordable housing when most of rezoning, with commercial they create larger buildoverlays on major corridors. ings. His Department of Housing Preservation and Development also pays developers to develop housPublic land that the city proposes ing, some of it for very developing with 100 percent low-income households affordable housing. and some for middle-class families. Some critics believe that the affordable each parcel. Some rezonings do a combination of these. housing is too expensive All rezonings primarily impact new buildings: The changes don’t mean existing buildings have to be torn and that the rezonings are down by law, although building owners can decide to likely to fuel gentrification and displacement. demolish and build something new. MORE AT ZONEIN.ORG TAKE ACTION CONTACTS AND RESOURCES KEY CONTACTS ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION http://www.nycedc.com/project/ downtown-far-rockaway farrockaway@edc.nyc /212-312-3896 CITY COUNCILMEMBER DONOVAN RICHARDS drichards@council.nyc.gov District Office: 718-471-7014 Legislative Office: 212-788-7216 QUEENS COMMUNITY BOARD 14 cbrock14@nyc.rr.com 718-471-7300 UPCOMING EVENTS CB 14 LAND USE COMMITTEE DISCUSSION Monday March 6, 7 p.m. LIKELY DATE FOR CB14 REZONING HEARING Wednesday March 29, 7 pm Both events are at Bayswater Jewish Center, 2355 Healy Avenue IMPORTANT RESOURCES See maps and read plans and other official documents related to the proposed rezoning and redevelopment plan at: citylimits.org/rockdocs MAKE YOUR VOICE HEARD We want to hear from you about your plans for, comments on or questions about the future of your neighborhood. VISIT our website to comment on stories and get more info: zonein.org CALL us toll-free at 844-ZONE-NYC to leave a voice comment EMAIL us at zone@citylimits.org with criticisms, comments, story ideas or questions MAIL us at City Limits, 394 Broadway, 5th floor, New York, NY 10013 and tell us what’s on your mind. 3 A Publication of City Limits zonein.org zone@citylimits.org 844-ZONE-NYC @CityLimitsNews ened by substandard grocery stores and supermarkets in the neighborhood. The results are clear: Obesity and high-blood pressure are far higher in Far Rock than the rest of the borough and the rate of death from heart disease is 78 percent higher in the Rockaways than it is in Queens County overall. How can we eliminate this food desert? We can start by empowering the residents with access to resources such as free, publicly owned land where they can grow RESIDENT SAYS PLANNERS SHOULDN'T NEGLECT FOOD JUSTICE their own food—food without pesticides and horWHEN THINKING ABOUT HOW TO REDEVELOP THE NEIGHBORHOOD. mones, that’s not downtrodden and depressing in appearance, that’s organic. A community farm is needed in the Downtown Far Rockaway area since it is located more than 30 blocks from the closest community farm at Beach 41st Street. The publicly owned land at the corner of Augustina Avenue and Nameoke Street is the best solution to this serious food epidemic. The land is currently owned by the Sanitation Department and has been unused for more than a decade. This land can easily be transferred to the Department of Parks and Recreation for maintenance, and access given to the residents of the area for farming, composting, or food co-op development. Instead, the city plans to sell the land for cheap to real estate investors that probably do not live in the area. As the city moves toward rezoning Far Rockaway, there are many questions to be answered. One of the key ones is, if not through a community farm, how do you planners and elected officials propose to healthily feed approximately 52,000 impoverished Far Rockaway residents, given the poor health statistics and food desert? Other questions include: The redevelopment of Far Rockway could establish ways for residents to grow their own food and create How many acres of green space will the proposed other opportunities to improve access to nutritious food. Or it could worsen existing food-access issues. rezoning set aside to address food and health needs? Compared with concerns like housing, parking, recreation and libraries, what level of priority do you BY ALLISON F. JEFFREY According to the USDA, food deserts place on addressing the Far Rockaway food desert? ause for a moment and consider, “are defined as parts of the country vaGiven the environmental damage from Hurricane “What is the most sacred thing pid of fresh fruit, vegetables, and other Sandy, what precautions will you take to reduce the to mankind after breathing”? It’s healthful whole foods, usually found impact this development/revitalization will have on food (and water of course)! We must eat in impoverished areas. This is largely the ecosystem? � and drink in order to live. Now consider due to a lack of grocery stores, farmers’ a people forced to consume unhealthy markets, and healthy food providers.” and dangerous foods. How might this According to RockawayRising.org, Far Do you think Far Rockaway is a food desert? impact their daily lives? How might Rockaway, despite its beautiful beaches, If so, how do you think it should be addressed? his impact their education, finances, “is a neighborhood which has the secTell us at zone@citylimits.org. housing, access to health, access to ond highest density of public housing resources? How might this impact their of all five boroughs.” culture, how they treat each other, how With 43 percent of its population Excited? Worried? they see themselves, and how they living at or below the poverty line, Far learn? Can this be considered trauma? Rockaway’s food desert is worsened How do you feel about the After all, poverty is a form of trauma. by the copious fast food restaurants, proposed rezoning of Far These questions can and must be particularly in the Downtown Far RockRockaway? applied to the more than 120,000 away area. Within a 10-block radius American citizens residing in the neighof the Mott Avenue and Beach 20th/ borhood known as Far Rockaway. Far Central Avenue intersection there’s a Tell us Today Rock, as it’s affectionately called, is isoMcDonald’s, three Popeyes, a Checkers, zone@citylimits.org lated from the rest of the five boroughs. three Dunkin Donuts, multiple Crown Despite being surrounded on most of Fried Chicken establishments, multiple 844-ZONE-NYC its sides by water, Far Rockaway is a corner bodegas, Chinese restaurants notorious food desert. and pizzerias. This food desert is wors- OPINION Neighborhood View: Farms for Far Rockaway P 4 A Publication of City Limits zonein.org zone@citylimits.org 844-ZONE-NYC @CityLimitsNews