The Community Preservation Corporation announced that 660 housing units of its development at New Domino will be permanently affordable. This is a change from the original plan to keep the units affordable for fifteen years. Even with this improvement, the developers will still need to consider enhancing transportation access to the site.

On Tuesday February 23rd, the Land Use Committee of Brooklyn's Community Board 1 rejected the $1.2 billion proposal to redevelop the Domino Sugar factory in Williamsburg. One point of contention was the 15-year promise of affordability for some of the residential units as opposed to guaranteeing permanent affordability. The full board will vote on the plan on March 9th.

Residents and neighbors are concerned about the additional stress added to the Williamsburg infrastructure if the zoning for the New Domino development is approved. The proposed project could bring up to 5,000 new people to the area. Advocates are asking MTA to look at alternatives including Bus Rapid Transit and to reexamine the proposed parking requirements.

The New Domino plan received mixed reviews from Community Board 1 residents at a meeting on Tuesday night. The developer, CPC Resources, highlighted the plans affordable housing (at 30 and 60% AMI), commercial space, parking, and waterfront open space. Some residents, including two faith leaders, spoke in favor of the project.

Early this month, the Department of City Planning approved an 11-acre rezoning of the former Domino Sugar Factory site, located at Kent Avenue, between Grand Street and South 5th Street. The area was zoned for manufacturing uses and the new zoning allows for residential and commercial uses.

The New York Community Council opposes the 2,200 apartments slated for the Domino Sugar refinery as per the city's Draft Environmental Impact Statement for the site. Phil DePaolo, the organization's president, posits that public services for this community will be unable to sustain this additional growth.

On Monday, the City Planning Commission initiated its land-use review process for the Domino Sugar refinery. The developer has committed to setting aside 660 units of affordable housing for the project. The developer has also promised to engage a multiphased development timeline.

The Department of City Planning certified a number of projects, the first step in the City's public review process, the Uniform Land Use Review Procedure (ULURP). Among the projects selected were Related's Kingsbridge Armory, Jean Nouvel's MoMA tower, and the West Side Rail Yards projects. Redevelopment of the Domino Sugar Factory was not included in the list of projects gaining certification.

In late March, Williamsburg Independent People filed a lawsuit against the Landmarks Preservation Commission (LPC), claiming that the Commission failed to properly disclose why it denied landmark status for the buildings surrounding the old Domino Sugar factory. The LPC designated the refinery as a historic landmark in 2007, but did not include several smaller buildings on the property.

Opponents of the residential development of the partially landmarked Domino Sugar Factory hope that the economic crisis will prompt developers to scale down and rethink the plans.