From The Real Deal:The Department of City Planning and Council member Peter Vallone are introducing a massive rezoning plan for the Astoria section of Queens tonight at a public meeting, officials said.
Vallone of Astoria and City Planning are hosting what they describe as a "town hall informational session" to discuss a rezoning study that would limit development in residential sections of the neighborhood while relaxing zoning in commercial areas.
The study encompasses roughly 200 blocks stretching north to south from 20th Avenue to Broadway and east to west from the East River to Steinway Street (see proposal below). It covers around 8,860 lots and would set a maximum building height of 80 feet in rezoned areas.
Under the plan, homeowners will be able to improve their residences provided the renovations maintain the look and feel of the street, and residents will not be allowed to build unregulated buildings that dwarf their neighbors' homes, the press release says.
One of Astoria's main commercial corridors, 31st Street, would be rezoned to "[allow] for considerable growth."
17 comments:
Some advice:
If John Young is their main speaker, Astoria residents should be advised to bring their anti-anxiety meds.
More like no-doze. The old saying, "if you can't dazzle them with your brilliance, baffle them with your bullshit applies.
The entire meeting consisted of rapid-fire recitation of arcane zoning jibber-jabber with few or no maps, photos or explanations extant. The only piece of information I got was that they will be squeezing even more people in.
Remember that the Astoria community fought against a R5 zoning in the 1980s, claiming it would lower property values. You reap what you sow.
To be fair, Astoria in 1985 was mostly poorly-educated immigrants with high school educations--no match for slicksters with their lying tongues.
In fact, before yesterday's meeting, a man who was obviously a contractor pretending to be a resident urged me to go to the meeting to protest the downzowning on those exact grounds.
When I pointed to a nearby construction site whose owner had successfully demolished the roofs of two adjacent lower buildings, I was told "a damaged roof won't affect your property, value, this will." ?????
This is the madness we are up against. Also, the alleged downzoning really doesn't downzone anywhere and allows for buildings of unlimited size along 30th Avenue.
Will the local "historical society" be attending or will they be sitting this one out too?
City Planning was telling the community groups that they were the first ones to see this as they sounded out the community.
Vallone said he had been working on this for five years.
Which explains the development patterns in the past several years. The word was out years before the public knew about it.
All the discussion was about accomdating development.
No mention that the people in the room would be paying for this and not reaping the benefit from it.
Lots of questions about infrastructure, and no answers.
People were complaining that Astoria cannot handle the current populution.
Again, no answers.
The waterfront was cut off and not mentioned, except in passing it was referred to an area of "potential development" and "under utilized."
We saw a new piece of Crap the other day that already has rust stains and patches of discoloration on the side. Astoria is going to be so hideous in ten years.
Presented to the community as a done deal.
Vallone said that this is the only zoning with no community input - it was all his doing.
LMAO. I wasn't there, but did he say this was so because every other grassroots attempt was ignored by the planning commission and local newspapers, or undercut with misinformation
(See momo on Woodside landmark efforts from "Honest Joe" Crowley and dissention sowed in Sunnyside Gardens by the clubhouse hacks and press as docuemented elsewhere on Crappy.)
In fact, before yesterday's meeting, a man who was obviously a contractor pretending to be a resident urged me to go to the meeting to protest the downzowning on those exact grounds.
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Huh? This aint no downzoning.
It still allows for double digit population growth that will increase each year as more and more communities are downzoning.
Why doesn't Long Island City Alliance invite people in from other communities to critique this plan, and talk about real downzoning?
What is needed is a public education effort. 99% of the people had only a foggy idea on what is going on.
What is needed is to sweep this away, and ask the community what it wants (including first and foremost population)
Then put in the plan.
Infra structure is an aftertought. More develpment seems its primary purpose. Community wants and needs hardly mentioned.
WTF is that in the picture? Holy crap what a POS!
Went over to astorians.com. Not a peep.
An extensive discussion of Mexican food, though.
Cinco de mayo, get it? (no, that's not spanish for "hold the mayo")
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