STOP OVERDEVELOPMENT by PARK CIRCLE

 

Update, Monday, December 7th: At today's remote hearing, the City Council Subcommittee on Zoning and Franchises unanimously voted in favor of the rezoning application. The Land Use Committee will vote on Wednesday, December 9th.

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Update, Friday, December 4th: The rally has been scheduled for noon on Sunday, December 6th, because of the possibility of rain on Saturday, December 5th.

 

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Rally to Stop Overdevelopment by Park Circle

Saturday, December 5th, noon

Rain Date: Sunday, December 6th, noon

Protest the rezoning of 312 Coney Island Avenue from a C8-2 District to an R8A District and establishing within the proposed R8A District a C2-4 District. This change would allow the building of thirteen-story luxury towers on the present site of the International Baptist Church (Ocean Parkway, Caton Place, and Coney Island Avenue at Machate Circle-Park Circle).

 

From the Stable Brooklyn community group:

This rally is in response to a ULURP [Uniform Land Use Review Procedure] filed by the developer, JEMB, which has a rental agreement with the International Baptist Church.

 

Our little part of Windsor Terrace/Kensington has been subject to spot zoning, resulting in the development of luxury housing in a once thriving, integrated working class neighborhood. Many of us have been priced out of other neighborhoods. The children we raised can no longer afford to live here.

 

57 Caton Avenue (next door to 312 Coney Island Avenue) has recently been rezoned and will be developed soon, adding even more luxury housing to the neighborhood.

 

Some of us who live near the site have been testifying: at an initial Community Board 7 meeting, the Borough President’s hearing, the City Planning Commission hearing, and the City Council Land Use Committee. We have gotten to know each other and banded together because all of us agree:

 

• The development is out of context with our neighborhood.
• It can only make matters worse for traffic at Park Circle.
• The sheer wall will act as an echo chamber for our neighbors in the apartments at 10, 20, and 30 Ocean Parkway who already suffer from rush-hour horns and heavy traffic from Park Circle.
• It will cast a shadow on the Ocean Parkway bike path entry to Prospect Park.
• It could be an environmental nightmare for Prospect Park animals and plant life (noise and light pollution, shadows).
• It does nothing to solve the housing crisis in our city.
• It monetizes views of Prospect Park.

 

The rally will be held at 10 Ocean Parkway. (map)

For additional information, see the Windsor Terrace-Kensington Community Voice page on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/groups/184348329485099.

 

Previous blog posts:

OCEAN PARKWAY GREEN SPACE UPGRADE; REZONING IN EAST WINDSOR TERRACE  January 22, 2019

PUBLIC HEARING ON A THIRTEEN-STORY RESIDENTIAL BUILDING VS. A HOTEL BY CATON PLACE   January 8, 2020

PUBLIC HEARING ON A THIRTEEN-STORY RESIDENTIAL BUILDING VS. A HOTEL BY CATON PLACE

Public Hearing on Rezoning 312 Coney Island Avenue

Thursday, January 30th, 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.

Community Board 7 will hold a public hearing about the rezoning of 312 Coney Island Avenue (map) on Thursday, January 30th, from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. The meeting will be held at P.S. 130 Upper School at 713 Caton Avenue, NOT at the community board office.

The two items on the agenda are

• Application #C200092 ZMK – 312 Coney Island Avenue. Change from a C8-2 District to an R8A District bounded by Ocean Parkway, Park Circle-Machate Circle, Coney Island Avenue, Caton Place, and a line 150 feet easterly of East 8th Street.

• Establish within the proposed R8A District a C2-4 District bounded by Ocean Parkway, Park Circle-Machate Circle, Coney Island Avenue, Caton Place, and a line 150 feet easterly of East 8th Street.

"Zoning Amendments Sought for 13-Story Building at 312 Coney Island Avenue in Windsor Terrace, Brooklyn," published on New York YIMBY on December 26, 2019, reports that the proposed thirteen-story structure would contain 210 residential units with parking for 36 vehicles, the International Baptist Church and its school, commercial retail space, and "unspecified community facilities."

The zoning application is posted on the Department of City Planning's website here. Milestones and Actions in the procedure for applications that affect land use can be viewed there.

In "Zoning Resolution of the City of New York," community facilities fall within Use Groups 3 and 4. Use Group 3 "serves educational needs or provides other essential services for the residents;" specific allowable uses are described on pages 5 and 6. Use Group 4's specific allowable uses are described on pages 6 through 9 and include "recreational, religious, health, and other essential services for the residents."

The website Mayor's Office of Environmental Coordination has details about the City Environmental Quality Review for this application. In December 2019, the Department of City Planning determined that the proposed project would not have a significant adverse impact on the environment.

If city agencies don't approve the proposed building, the developer has stated that a hotel will be built instead. The building would also include the church, its school, and medical offices.

"Repositioning the asset to reflect the evolution of Windsor Terrace" will "add to the area’s steady growth," New York citybizlist wrote on July 18, 2018.

Meeting location
P.S. 130 Upper School
713 Caton Avenue
between E. 7th and E. 8th streets
Windsor Terrace, Brooklyn

OCEAN PARKWAY GREEN SPACE UPGRADE; REZONING IN EAST WINDSOR TERRACE

Ocean Parkway Pedestrian Bridge - Parks Upgrades;

Rezoning International Baptist Church Property and Other Stable Brooklyn/East Windsor Terrace Locations

Wednesday January 23rd, 6:30 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.

From New York City Councilmember Brad Lander

The New York City Parks Department will discuss potential upgrades to the two green spaces on either side of the Ocean Parkway Service Road.

Last year Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams and I allocated $650,000 to refurbish the sitting area on East 8th Street and the park on Sherman Street, and at this meeting the Parks Department will update us on their plans and listen to your suggestions for how to improve these spaces.

We will also share updates on the different development projects in the "Stable Brooklyn" area, including the rezoning of nearby 57 Caton Place, and the preservation of Kensington Stables.

We will have a presentation from the developers of 312 Coney Island Avenue (where the International Baptist Church is located). They will present a new proposal to rezone the property and build a mixed-use development with residential units. The presentation is not part of formal land use review process. Instead, this community meeting is an opportunity to offer feedback on the proposal before a rezoning application is filed.
 

I understand that there are many different development projects underway in this part of the neighborhood, so we will have time to share updates, think holistically about the broader issues and needs facing the area, and talk about how neighbors can be involved.

Please RSVP by emailing Catherine Zinnel in my District Office at czinnel @ council.nyc.gov.

Meeting location

P.S. 130 Upper School
713 Caton Avenue
between E. 7th and E. 8th streets

Windsor Terrace - Kensington, Brooklyn