Introduction
The Department of City Planning has proposed amendments to the Zoning Map for 44 blocks in the north-central Queens neighborhood of Waldheim, in Community District 7. The rezoning area is generally bounded to the north by Sanford and Franklin Avenues; to the east by 156th Street; to the south by 45th Avenue; and to the west by Colden Street and Kissena Boulevard. The area is immediately southeast of the downtown Flushing commercial core, and adjacent to the Kissena Park and East Flushing neighborhoods rezoned in 2005.

The proposed rezoning is the result of close consultation with Community Board 7, elected officials, the Waldheim Neighborhood Association, and other concerned stakeholders. The rezoning study was initiated by the Department of City Planning in response to community concerns that recent development is inconsistent with the established scale and character of the neighborhood. The proposed rezoning and changes to commercial overlays aim to better reflect existing development patterns and ensure that future residential development is consistent with the surrounding neighborhood, which consists primarily of one- and two-family detached homes and six- to seven-story apartment buildings.

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