http://www.planNYC.org/ PlanNYC | New York City Planning Information Portal en-us ja3n@earthlink.net http://www.plannyc.org/modules.php?op=modload&name=Issues&file=index&catid=1&issueid=8#4508 The low-income housing building in Williamsburg, Union Court, is the first development to be rehabilitated by taking advantage of the inclusionary zoning provisions included in the Williamsburg-Greenpoint rezoning, approved in 2005. The building includes 21units and was the first building developed using funding from the Affordable Housing Preservation Strategy, a set of funding coordinated by St. Nick’s Neighborhood Preservation Corporation and Enterprise Community Partners. St. Nick’s is using revenue generated from selling air rights to private developers as part of the 2005 rezoning to keep buildings such as Union Court affordable. 2008-07-30 00:00:00 http://www.plannyc.org/modules.php?op=modload&name=Issues&file=index&catid=1&issueid=8#4023 Several property owners and residents are planning on suing the city over the recently passed Williamsburg rezoning. The residents and owners claim that the Community Board did not provide proper notification that they were voting on the rezoning measure. Many claim they will lose millions because of the rezoning, which will essentially limit a 13 block area around Grand Street to 4 to 6 story buildings. The group tried to stop the City Council from approving the plan but their petition was denied by the State Supreme Court. 2008-04-01 00:00:00 http://www.plannyc.org/modules.php?op=modload&name=Issues&file=index&catid=1&issueid=8#4009 Assemblyman Vito Lopez (D-Brooklyn) has introduced a bill that would allow the state to take Pfizer’s plant in Williamsburg by eminent domain in order to develop affordable housing on the site. Currently, Pfizer plans to shut down the plant and create a mixed-use development on the site. The company is concerned about Lopez’s bill, and notes that its current plans already include affordable housing. 2008-03-31 00:00:00 http://www.plannyc.org/modules.php?op=modload&name=Issues&file=index&catid=1&issueid=8#3989 The City Council approved a rezoning of Grand Street and surrounding 13 blocks in Williamsburg. The rezoning stipulates that most new buildings will not be able to exceed four to six stories. Some planned projects that exceed the rezoned height restrictions will have to reconfigured by the developers. 2008-03-27 00:00:00 http://www.plannyc.org/modules.php?op=modload&name=Issues&file=index&catid=1&issueid=8#3958 Several property owners are upset with a “downzoning” plan by the city to limit new buildings to 5 stories in a 13-block area near Grand Street in Williamsburg. The owners say the city did not properly notify them of their efforts to rezone the area. The owners would be happy with a 7-story limit in the area. Although construction has begun on some sites, since 50% of the foundation has not been laid out, work would be forced to stop if the proposed building exceeds the height restriction. Community Board 1 initiated the rezoning in response to a proposal of a 14-story building on Grand Street. The City Council is expected to vote on the rezoning on Wednesday and the City Planning Commission says it went through the proper public notification process. 2008-03-25 00:00:00 http://www.plannyc.org/modules.php?op=modload&name=Issues&file=index&catid=1&issueid=8#3941 The state’s Board of Electric Generation Siting and Environment rejected plans by TransGas Energy Systems to build a power plant along the Greenpoint-Williamsburg Waterfront saying it was “not in the public interest.” While the energy company is still exploring their legal options, opponents to the power plant heralded the decision as a victory that will allow the creation of a 28 acre park along the waterfront. 2008-03-21 00:00:00 http://www.plannyc.org/modules.php?op=modload&name=Issues&file=index&catid=1&issueid=8#3881 The Department of City Planning has approved a plan to downzone a 13 block stretch around Grand Street in Brooklyn in order to help preserve the neighborhoods low-rise character. Many in the community support the plan and are hoping to speed up the city’s public approval process. Community activists stress the importance of this zoning effort because the 2005 Greenpoint-Williamsburg waterfront rezoning did not include this stretch of commercial brick buildings. At least two new developments could be effected by a change in the zoning. The City Council is holding a hearing on the rezoning on March 19th. 2008-03-08 00:00:00 http://www.plannyc.org/modules.php?op=modload&name=Issues&file=index&catid=1&issueid=8#3789 The city unveiled plans to reopen the McCarren Park Pool in Williamsburg by 2011. The pool area has not been as a pool in 24 years. Discussions to reopen the pool have been in the works for many years, but the plans put forward by the city make it a reality. The $50 million plan will include fixing up the pool, developing a restaurant and recreation center as well as space for an ice skating rink. 2008-02-15 00:00:00 http://www.plannyc.org/modules.php?op=modload&name=Issues&file=index&catid=1&issueid=8#3645 Many local leaders called upon the public to take part in the construction and maintenance of green spaces and parks at a recent meeting led by the Greenpoint-Williamsburg Association for Parks and Planning (GWAPP). GWAPP representatives expressed the need for public participation as many projects in the area are undergoing construction as a result of Mayor Bloomberg’s commitment to green spaces. They would like to ensure that maintenance of the parks will continue even after Bloomberg’s term ends in 2009. 2008-01-24 00:00:00 http://www.plannyc.org/modules.php?op=modload&name=Issues&file=index&catid=1&issueid=8#3546 An acre of land once slated for the development of Greenpoint Monitor Museum is now under threat of being seized by eminent domain. The land had been donated by an oil company to a local couple to construct this museum. The city is considering taking the property to develop the waterfront park along the East River. The Department of Parks and Recreation is working to incorporate the museum into their waterfront plans. 2007-12-24 00:00:00 http://www.plannyc.org/modules.php?op=modload&name=Issues&file=index&catid=1&issueid=8#3525 City Planning approved an amendment to the Williamsburg zoning that will restrict building height in a 13-block area bounded by Berry Street, Fillmore Place, North Third Street, Hope Street, Marcy Avenue and South First Street. The area was left out of the 2005 rezoning of Williamsburg and Greenpoint because the land was not of high value. The amendment will impose contextual zoning and require that new buildings are constructed adjacent to old ones. The amendment must now be approved by Community Board 1, the Brooklyn Borough President, City Planning Commission and the City Council. 2007-12-19 00:00:00 http://www.plannyc.org/modules.php?op=modload&name=Issues&file=index&catid=1&issueid=8#3448 Four elected officials from Brooklyn have introduced legislation in the State Legislature that would allow the use of state eminent domain powers to keep TransGas Energy from constructing a power plant along Brooklyn’s north waterfront. Though the energy company does not own the land, it does have the option to purchase it and has been vying for the rights to build a plant on the 8.4 acre site located between North 12th and 14th Streets. The intent of the legislation is take the decision out of the hands of the State Siting Board, the agency responsible for siting power plants. The Board has yet to make a decision on the case. Both the city and many elected officials from the area are opposed to the construction. The city is hoping to use the site as part of a 28 acre park that was included in the rezoning of the area in 2005. The State Legislature is not expected to take up the bill before it breaks for the holidays this month. 2007-12-06 00:00:00 http://www.plannyc.org/modules.php?op=modload&name=Issues&file=index&catid=1&issueid=8#3415 On Thursday, State Assemblymember Joe Lentol is expected to introduce a bill that will allow the state to use eminent domain to seize 8 acres of TransGas Energy property. If approved, the highly anticipated Greenpoint-Williamsburg waterfront park will finally be developed. 2007-11-29 00:00:00 http://www.plannyc.org/modules.php?op=modload&name=Issues&file=index&catid=1&issueid=8#3380 The 2005 rezoning effort of Greenpoint/Williamsburg has proven successful in the creation of new affordable housing options, according to city officials. 3500 below market-rate housing units are expected along the formerly industrial waterfront in Brooklyn as developers take advantage of tax breaks, subsidies, and incentives if they build 20% affordable housing. 2007-11-25 00:00:00 http://www.plannyc.org/modules.php?op=modload&name=Issues&file=index&catid=1&issueid=8#3389 The Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) announced that the plan to turn an unused sludge tank into a park and affordable housing on the Greenpoint waterfront – part of the area’s recent rezoning – will be delayed until at least 2012. The DEP cited a lack of finances and delays related to the replacement of the sewage removal system. 2007-11-22 00:00:00