FOR
IMMEDIATE RELEASE
September 20, 2004
CONTACT: Rachaele
Raynoff, Press Secretary -- (212) 720-3471
CITY PLANNING UNVEILS STRONGER ZONING PROTECTION FOR NATURAL FEATURES IN STATEN ISLAND AND THE BRONX
Public Review Begins for Text Amending Regulation of Proposed Development in Natural Areas
September 20, 2004 – The Department of City Planning
(DCP) today unveiled new, stronger protections for natural
features including steep slopes, ponds and wooded areas
in Staten Island and the Bronx, officially beginning
the public review of the proposed zoning changes, DCP
Director Amanda M. Burden announced. The proposed text
amendments affect Special Natural Area Districts (SNAD)
in Staten Island and Riverdale in the Bronx, originally
established in 1975 primarily to guide development on
vacant lots. The proposed changes would both simplify
and strengthen the rules, focusing City Planning Commission
(CPC) review on proposals to develop or modify lots with
important natural features and allowing development on
small lots without such features to proceed without CPC
oversight.
"City Planning’s new regulations will be more effective in preserving
the extraordinary natural resources in these areas, said Ms. Burden. "The
rules will provide clear requirements for safeguarding the hills, rocks, trees
and streams that make these areas so special. This proposal complements the
Bloomberg administration’s zoning initiatives for preserving neighborhood
character."
- The proposed zoning amendments would:
• Add stronger steep slope, tree and vegetation preservation
measures adapted from Staten Island’s Special Hillsides Preservation
District, including stricter lot coverage controls and private road design
standards.
• Replace the existing grandfather provision, which exempts from review most lots that were already developed with homes when the rules were originally adopted, with regulations that apply equally to developed and vacant lots to preserve significant natural features. This would extend protection to roughly 1,700 lots -- more than half the residential lots in these districts -- which may now significantly alter natural features without CPC review.
• On small lots with no significant natural features, allow as-of-right development guided by new performance standards
• Modify review procedures by adding clear performance standards and by
easing certain administrative requirements to allow for greater flexibility in
designing sites for maximum protection of natural features.
Natural Area Districts are characterized by natural features such as steep slopes,
rock outcroppings, forests, wetlands, ponds and streams, which the special zoning
regulations are designed to protect. The districts are mapped in mostly low-density
residential districts with detached, attached and mid-rise development, community
facilities on large parcels such as hospitals, senior care, educational and religious
institutions as well as parkland and open space. The largest Natural Area District
covers much of the Staten Island greenbelt; others are mapped in Shore Acres
in Staten Island, in Riverdale, The Bronx as well as the government-owned Fort
Totten, Queens area.
The new rules were developed following public outreach with
the Staten Island Special Natural Area Task Force and Bronx Community Board 8.
The proposal will
be reviewed by the affected community boards and borough presidents, after
which it will come to the City Planning Commission for a hearing and vote,
followed by final review at the City Council as part of the City’s Uniform
Land Use Review Procedure. More details on the proposal and public
review process are available on the City Planning web site.
About 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.
Return
to the Press Release Archive |
