Resiliency is part of new rezonings

From the Queens Chronicle:

The Uniform Land Use Review Procedure has kicked off for a proposed rezoning of Broad Channel and Hamilton Beach, which if passed would only allow for the construction of smaller developments in the low-lying, coastal communities. The Department of City Planning started the process on Feb. 21.

Under the proposed zoning, future residential developments in the communities mostly would be limited to one-family houses, with the possibility of two-family homes only on lots wider than 40 feet in Hamilton Beach. It would also prohibit the construction of semidetached multi-family housing as well as community facilities with sleeping accommodations.

“Our neighborhood is made up of mostly single-family bungalows, some built a hundred years ago, and right next to them are these homes which are completely out of place for the neighborhood,” New Hamilton Beach Civic Association President Roger Gendron said. “With limited access in and out of Hamilton Beach, to continue to allow the overbuilding in our area is unacceptable.”

In Broad Channel, new developments would be single-family only and the construction of community facilities with sleeping accommodations would be prohibited.

Community Boards 10 and 14, which represent Hamilton Beach and Broad Channel, respectively, must hold a public hearing and submit a recommendation on the proposals within 60 days of Feb. 21.

Thirty days after receiving the boards’ recommendations, Borough President Melinda Katz must give her opinion and the city Planning Commission must approve or disapprove them within 60 days after that — the Council must vote on them 50 days later.