"I want to commend the City Council's Zoning and Franchises Committee for approving the College Point rezoning plan developed by the Department of City Planning. This major rezoning helps fulfill our promise to protect the City's primarily low-density neighborhoods by ensuring that new development does not change the character of such neighborhoods. As a result, more than 8,000 homes will be rezoned to prevent out-of-scale development in College Point and to channel growth to areas that can accommodate it. When adopted, this rezoning will extend such protections to over 1,600 blocks of lower-density neighborhoods in Queens alone. Together with our other housing initiatives, we are preserving a variety of housing choices for the next generations of New Yorkers.

"Using new zoning tools, the new zoning will maintain this low-rise character on most blocks, preventing the replacement of one- and two-family homes with out-of-scale multi-family buildings. At the same time, it will reinforce the 'main street' of College Point Boulevard, allowing opportunities for additional multi-family building construction with ground floor retail. It is important to find opportunities to add housing where the capacity exists to support it, and using on this model of housing and retail will further strengthen this community.

"Queens Community Board 7 and area residents should be proud that their strong civic involvement contributed to these positive zoning solutions for College Point. Their contributions, as well as those of Councilmember Avella, were key to shaping and refining this proposal. I look forward to the Land Use Committee's and then the full Council's approval of this plan to ensure the future of College Point."