Citywide Rezoning Plan Final Hearing Feb. 10
On Wednesday the City Planning Commission voted 9-3-1 to approve the Mayor’s ‘Zoning for Quality & Affordability’ (ZQA) plan, which would gut neighborhood zoning protections by lifting height limits for new development in residential  areas throughout the city. All of the Mayor’s appointees to the Commission voted in favor, as did the Manhattan Borough President’s and the Brooklyn Borough President’s. The appointees of the Bronx, Queens, and Staten Island Borough Presidents vote no, while the Public Advocate’s appointee abstained. The plan was approved with only minor changes which did not substantively address the concerns expressed by GVSHP, more than fifty of the City’s fifty-nine community boards, or thousands of New Yorkers. The Real Estate Board of New York has expressed support for the plan.
Now ZQA heads to the City Council, which has the final say. The Council can approve, disapprove, or modify. Many Councilmembers have expressed serious reservations about the plan, but as has been widely reported, the Mayor has been doing quite a bit of horse-trading to try to secure the votes necessary for passage.
ZQA will have long-lasting effects upon development in our neighborhoods, turning back the clock on years of progress to protect community scale and character.
HOW TO HELP:
- Write the City Council NOW urging them to reject the Mayor’s rollback of neighborhood zoning protections > >
- Come to the public hearing on Wednesday, Feb. 10 and testify AGAINST the rezoning plan. The hearing begins at 9:30 am at City Hall, though public testimony is not expected to begin until 11:30 am. Speakers get 3 minutes. Click here for more details and how you can track the progress of speakers. Use the sample letter here as testimony.
- If you can’t make it on the 10th, you can also testify on Feb. 9. That hearing also begins at 9:30 am at City Hall, though public testimony is not expected to begin until 11:30 am. Speakers get 3 minutes. Click here for more details and how you can track the progress of speakers. Use the sample letter here as testimony.
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