http://www.planNYC.org/ PlanNYC | New York City Planning Information Portal en-us ja3n@earthlink.net http://www.plannyc.org/modules.php?op=modload&name=Issues&file=index&catid=1&issueid=9#1049 It is challenging for a layperson to decipher the cryptic zoning codes that govern the city's buildable space, and it is even harder to imagine that minute changes to those regulations made in a small room in Lower Manhattan can have a real, quantifiable effect, miles away. 2006-03-26 00:00:00 http://www.plannyc.org/modules.php?op=modload&name=Issues&file=index&catid=1&issueid=9#471 On the topic of rezoning as a planning tool -- particularly in light of recent neighborhood downzoning proposals -- Tom Angotti writes, "the real problem with downzoning to stop overdevelopment, or upzoning to encourage development, is that they both avoid any serious planning...They don’t allow local residents and businesses to address serious concerns they have with everything from housing needs to traffic, because zoning regulations are limited to use and density controls." 2005-10-18 00:00:00 http://www.plannyc.org/modules.php?op=modload&name=Issues&file=index&catid=1&issueid=9#447 Since 2002, downzonings for about 3,600 blocks have been approved or are under review. While downzoning may help "preserve neighborhood character," does it undermine efforts to add affordable housing to the city? 2005-10-10 00:00:00 http://www.plannyc.org/modules.php?op=modload&name=Issues&file=index&catid=1&issueid=9#395 City Councilmember Tony Avella is seeking to stop issuance of building permits between the time zoning changes are approved by the Department of Buildings and the new laws are passed in City Council. 2005-08-11 00:00:00 http://www.plannyc.org/modules.php?op=modload&name=Issues&file=index&catid=1&issueid=9#375 About 100 homeowners in Bayside, Queens were surprised to find that the city had issued stop work orders on their building permits for home improvements after the City Council approved the neighborhood rezoning. An old law requires that, after a rezoning, work is reviewed by the Department of Buildings to determine whether it is in compliance and can proceed, no matter how far into the project it is. 2005-05-26 00:00:00 http://www.plannyc.org/modules.php?op=modload&name=Issues&file=index&catid=1&issueid=9#344 The 350-block Bayside, Queens rezoning plan was approved by the City Council today. Of interest to other low density neighborhoods around the city is the creation of the R2A zone--a low density contextual district. 2005-04-14 00:00:00 http://www.plannyc.org/modules.php?op=modload&name=Issues&file=index&catid=1&issueid=9#327 The Bayside and Springfield Gardens rezoning plans made it through the city's Subcommittee on Zoning and Franchises with little opposition. The plans go before the full City Countil on April 12th. The proposed changes--primarily intended to ensure new developments fit with the scale and character of each neighbrohood--affect nearly 350 blocks in Bayside and 68 blocks in Springfield Gardens. 2005-04-07 00:00:00 http://www.plannyc.org/modules.php?op=modload&name=Issues&file=index&catid=1&issueid=9#234 This article summarizes actions taking place on Queens downzoning proposals this week. On Tuesday, March 15, City Council will hold a public hearing on the Springfield Gardens rezoning. On Wednesday, March 16, City Planning Commission members will cast their votes on the Bayside rezoning. 2005-03-14 00:00:00 http://www.plannyc.org/modules.php?op=modload&name=Issues&file=index&catid=1&issueid=9#100 Based on the success of the Bayside, Queens rezoning, other Queens communities may follow. The next looks to be College Point. Paul Graziano, an urban planning consultant studied 240 blocks and 4,800 lots in College Point. He found that the residential problems are similar to Bayside, but that historic preservation, industrial sites, and waterfront planning would present new challenges. 2005-02-10 00:00:00 http://www.plannyc.org/modules.php?op=modload&name=Issues&file=index&catid=1&issueid=9#91 On block after block of northeast Queens, houses are growing in size, as they are in other sections of the city with a suburban feel, altering the landscape, increasing property values, recasting mortgage choices, calling into question old zoning codes and raising the ire of many neighbors. 2005-01-30 00:00:00 http://www.plannyc.org/modules.php?op=modload&name=Issues&file=index&catid=1&issueid=9#78 Community Board 11 voted 27 to 6 to approve a new zoning designation -- R2A -- for Bayside, Queens. The Community Board also voted 25 to 8 in favor of rezoning 230 other blocks. These changes are designed to restrict the construction of oversized single-family homes in the community. 2005-01-07 00:00:00 http://www.plannyc.org/modules.php?op=modload&name=Issues&file=index&catid=1&issueid=9#32 The Bayside rezoning is, "the largest low-density rezoning initiative going on in the borough of Queens," said John Young, director of the Queens office of the Department of City Planning. The zoning proposal is designed to curb unwanted development while limiting the number of existing homes that would not comply with the new zoning code. 2005-01-02 00:00:00