Vote emphatically rejects zoning plan

Community Board (CB) 8’s Land Use Committee has voted overwhelmingly against Mayor Bill de Blasio’s controversial rezoning proposals. The full board, which met after The Press went to print, was expected to vote the same way on Tuesday night.

On Monday night, Land Use Committee Chairman Charles Moerdler criticized the two rezoning plans — called the Zoning for Quality and Affordability (ZQA) text amendment and the Mandatory Inclusionary Housing (MIH) proposal — for the lack of community input that went into their formation. He said the plans would nullify the 197-a zoning plan that the board spent years creating in order to protect the character of the neighborhood. 

Over the past year, the Department of City Planning has made three presentations about the rezoning proposals to CB 8. ZQA would raise height limits for new buildings and reduce requirements for parking spaces, among other changes. MIH would require 25 to 30 percent of units at new residential buildings to be affordable. DCP representatives said the measures would pave the way for meeting Mayor Bill de Blasio’s goal of creating 80,000 units of affordable housing over the next decade.

However, board members on Monday night cited a litany of complaints with the proposal, including measures that would allow developers to build units as small as 250 square feet for seniors.

“Whereas Bronx Community Board 8 is opposed to any zoning text amendment that does not set minimum zoning unit size at 400 square feet, especially for our senior citizens. Whereas Community Board 8 is opposed to any zoning text amendment that increase the floor area ratio of buildings as-of-right,” said Mr. Moerdler.

“Whereas CB 8 is opposed to any zoning text amendment that permits multiple-dwelling-unit buildings to be created in single family districts,” Mr. Moerdler continued, reading from an resolution rejecting the rezoning proposals. “Whereas CB 8 believes the resources that would be spent on ZQA could more efficiently be used in other plans rooted in community planning to create/preserve affordable housing.”