The City Planning Commission hearing for the Carroll Gardens/Columbia Waterfront rezoning will be held on August 19th at 10 AM at 22 Reade Street, NYC, NY 2nd Floor.
As many of you are aware, the contextual rezoning in the Carroll Gardens area changes most of the current R6 designation to R6B with a portion of the area, for all intents and purposes up-zoned to R6A.
At previous public hearings, some concern was expressed for the portions of First Place, Clinton Street, President Street and Henry Street, where the current plan proposes an R6A classification.
QUICK EXPLANATION:
R6 3.0 FAR* 55 foot height limit
R6B 2.0 FAR 50 foot height limit
R6A 3.0 FAR 70 foot height limit
*FAR = Floor Area Ratio---the number which your square footage of living space is multiplied by in order to come up with the amount of square footage you may increase you living space by. (Please note that there are many, many factors involved in addition to this FAR number when calculating any increases in your building’s size. FAR is only one of those factors, albeit, a very important one.)
We have only three (3) options:
1) accept the proposal as is
2) request that some, most, or all of the proposed R6A areas remain R6, as they are right now
3) reject the plan entirely
Unfortunately, the “Special Planned Community District” designation, as CORD had suggested, was deemed by City Planning as an inviable option at this time.
Looking at the development that took place PRE the wide street text amendment, which allowed for the greater FAR of 3.0 and a seventy (70’) foot height limit, it was on those “wide streets” where almost all of the larger scale development took place.
It is therefore logical to presume, that any “islands” of greater development potential that are created by the R6A rezoning, will draw developers for the greater profitability those islands afford.
City Planning is open to the neighborhoods wishes within the three above options.
This is, admittedly, a very simplified portrait of the contextual rezoning. But, as the City Planning Commission hearing approaches, it is vital that we, especially those who live on those portions of First Place, President Street, Clinton and Henry Streets, those streets where the proposed zoning was questioned, think about what is desired and make those wishes known.
You may view the rezoning map at:
http://pardonmeforasking.blogspot.com/search?q=contextual+rezoning+map
Please feel free to email us your thoughts or ideas on this at cgcord@gmail.com
