Monday, March 7, 2011

Developer rezonings reach insanity level

From the Times Ledger:

Community Board 13 voted against an application to build a one-story commercial building in Cambria Heights during its monthly meeting Monday night.

The public hearing at St. Clare’s School, at 137-25 Brookville Blvd. in Rosedale, was an extension of one held Feb. 15 at the Alpha Phi Alpha Senior Center in Cambria Heights, where residents expressed concerns over traffic, congestion and parking, according to Richard Hellenbrecht, chairman of CB 13’s Land Use Committee.

Jamaica Associates Inc., the applicant, wants to change the zoning from an R3-2 residential district to a C1-3 commercial zone so it can build a one-story commercial building at 226-01 Linden Blvd. in Cambria Heights.

Hellenbrecht said the property used to be occupied by a farmhouse but is now vacant and adjacent to the Cambria Heights Community Garden, which is maintained by the Cambria Heights Civic Association’s Beautification Committee.

Jerry Caliendo, architect for the project, said the developer reached out to City Councilman Leroy Comrie (D-St. Albans), the community garden and the Cambria Heights Civic Association and agreed to provide water, light and winter cleanup for the garden if the developer gets approval to build the structure.


Well I can certainly see how a cheap strip of stores would enhance the aesthetics of the neighborhood...

The fact that this was certified by City Planning shows that so long as there is a chance a developer might turn a profit off it, the City will approve just about anything, no matter how detrimental it might be.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Why do we have zoning in the first place if developers can just come along and change it with the city's blessing? What a joke.

Anonymous said...

just about anything ?