City planners push for zoning change
Corrections appended.
The Department of Planning is proposing major zoning changes to the neighborhood. Its representatives will present them to the Thursday, June 25 meeting of Community Board 8’s Land Use Committee. The session is scheduled to take place at 7:30 p.m. in the auditorium of the IN-Tech Academy, located at 2975 Tibbett Ave.
The changes are part of a citywide plan aimed at allowing taller buildings and facilitating more affordable housing in areas including Riverdale and Kingsbridge.
The Special Natural Area District (SNAD), originally conceived to protect Riverdale’s natural features, would not be subject to direct changes. The proposal states some changes would affect underlying regulations in those areas that the SNAD guidelines don't cover.
For senior housing and long-term care facilities along part of Broadway and near Jerome Park Reservoir, the height restriction would be raised from 75 feet, or seven stories to 85 feet, or eight stories, in some parts; and from 85 feet to 105 feet in other parts.
For residential buildings in Kingsbridge and other parts of the northwest Bronx, current height restrictions of 70 to 80 feet would be raised by five feet.
In addition, developers would be relieved of the need to provide parking in new affordable and affordable senior buildings within designated "transit zones," described as areas roughly half a mile from a subway spot.
At least two groups, the Broadway Community Alliance and the Riverdale-Spuyten Duyvil Coalition have come out strongly in opposition to the new rules.
A letter circulated by the the latter group states its concern “about the impact of the Department’s proposal, particularly because it is vague and fails to detail how it benefits our community overall... We find the language in the scoping document emphasizes convenience and cost savings for developers rather than positive planning objectives, and feel the Special Natural Area District within our community may be compromised.”
Click on the attachment above to read “Housing New York: Zoning for Quality and Affordability: Community District Profile Bronx CD 8."
An earlier version of this story incorrectly described changes to the Special Natural Area District and the parking requirements for new buildings.
The article also incorrectly referred to the Broadway Community Aliiance as the Bronx Community Alliance.
Keywords
zoning, Department of Planning, Shant Shahrigian
