FOR
IMMEDIATE RELEASE
May 10, 2004
CONTACT: Rachaele
Raynoff, Press Secretary -- (212) 720-3471
CITY PLANNING REZONING
STRATEGY TO PRESERVE BROOKVILLE, QUEENS GOES OUT
FOR PUBLIC REVIEW
May 10, 2004 - The Department of City Planning (DCP)
today certified a rezoning proposal designed to preserve
the neighborhood character of more than 80 blocks of
Brookville located north of JFK International Airport
and Idlewild Park in southeast Queens, City Planning
Director Amanda M. Burden announced. Recent building
trends threaten to alter the neighborhood’s character
through the construction of multi-family structures
which are permitted by zoning that has governed the
area since 1961. The proposed rezoning will ensure
that any new construction would more closely match
the one- and two-family homes that typify the area’s
development. City Planning’s proposed rezoning
now goes to Community Board 13, to begin its official
public review.
"City Planning’s rezoning proposal provides
guidelines for compatible development at an appropriate
density to preserve the Brookville’s longstanding
low-density character," said Director Burden,
"in keeping with the Bloomberg administration’s
commitment to reinforcing the distinctive character
of residential neighborhoods that are among the city’s
most precious assets."
The rezoning proposal affects an area bounded by
South Conduit Avenue, Brookville Park, Idlewild
Park and
Springfield Park that is nearly entirely zoned R3-2
today. The R3-2 zoning has allowed the construction
of an out-of-context, 25-unit apartment development
adjacent to Brookville Park at the eastern end of
the rezoning area. Several large vacant parcels
remain
in the area, and the prospect of construction on
the vacant sites or the assembling of lots for
more out-of-scale
construction adds urgency to the drive to preserve
the neighborhood character. The rezoning would replace
the current R3-2 zoning district, under which a variety
of housing types, including multi-family apartments
and row houses, may be constructed. The new zoning
to be mapped in most of the area is R3-1, which permits
only one- and two-family detached and semi-detached
homes. A four-block area in the northeast corner
of Brookville, adjoining South Conduit Avenue and
Brookville
Park will be rezoned to R4B to more closely reflect
a fully built series of Old English-style row houses.
The new rezoning proposal enjoys the support of Councilmember
James Saunders, the Springfield-Rosedale Community
Action Association and the Eastern Queens Alliance.
The community board now has 60 days to review the
proposal, after which it will go to the Borough President,
the City Planning Commission and the City Council as
part of the City’s Uniform Land Use Review Procedure
(ULURP). The proposed rezoning is one of several studies
in the works to preserve the character of similar low
scale residential neighborhoods in Queens and Brooklyn.
Please visit the DCP website for information on
other projects
and proposals and the ULURP
process.
City Planning
The Department of City Planning is responsible for
the City's physical and socioeconomic planning, including
land use and environmental review; preparation of
plans and policies; and provision of technical assistance
and planning information to government agencies,
public officials, and community boards.
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