Rezoning Plan Aims to Limit Building Height

The Department of City Planning has launching the public review process this week for the rezoning of north Bed-Stuy, says The Real Deal, in an effort to preserve the neighborhood’s character.

The rezoning proposal wants to limit building height to five stories on east-west streets and seven stories on north-south avenues, like Nostrand, Tompkins, Marcy and Stuyvesant, in an effort to preserve low-density blocks, says the article.

“In the north of Bed-Stuy, there is no height limit, so you can build a 50-story building, if the lot size allows it. For example, you have 15-story building completed last year on Throop and Kosciuszko,” Community Board 3 president Henry Butler told Patch.

"This is an issue because people from the community feel that residential, low, buildings help keep the integrity of the community and its history; that’s the attitude of the community – they didn’t want to become the next Williamsburg,” said Butler, adding that the proposal has been in the works since 2007.

The plan also aims to encourage affordable housing projects by allowing for taller buildings along parts of Broadway, Bedford, Marcy and Myrtle avenues near the J, M and Z trains, according to The Real Deal. The measure would also rezone 17 blocks of Broadway to attract more storefronts, says the article.

“We do have to have development going on; we can’t stagnate as a community,” Butler told Patch. “So we’ve designated some strips for taller buildings that will have some mixed commercial residential property, like along Myrtle Avenue. But you want to maintain the context of the community.”

According to The Real Deal, Community Board 3 will have 60 days to review the rezoning proposals before they move to officials in City Planning and then the City Council.