City Council voted Thursday to approve the rezoning of Bedford-Stuyvesant North, a 140 block section bounded roughly by Lafayette Avenue and Quincy Street to the south, Classon and Franklin Avenues to the west, Broadway to the east and Flushing Avenue to the north.
Though the blocks in question are mostly made up on brownstone buildings and low-rise apartments, the lack of height restrictions on the area has made it vulnerable to “out-of-context” property development, according to the office of Councilman Al Vann, who helmed the project, along with Community Board 3.
Other goals for the project include incentives for the development of affordable housing and the encouragement of more commercial and residential corridors near public transit hubs.
“I’m extremely pleased to have seen this rezoning project to a successful conclusion during my final council term,” said Vann, in a statement. “Zoning is a powerful public policy tool for protecting neighborhoods and shaping development. I expect that this innovative rezoning will accomplish its many goals, while giving homeowners the freedom to make modest, appropriate improvements to their homes.”
“With today’s success, it seems that the hundreds of hours of site visits, community forums and working meetings were well worth it,” added Henry Butler, Chair of Community Board 3.
