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Briarwood Rezoning

The proposed rezoning of Briarwood, a neighborhood in Central Queens consisting of 39 blocks abutted by Parsons Boulevard to the east, Queens Boulevard and the Van Wyck Expressway to the west, Grand Central Parkway to the north and Hillside Avenue to the south, was initiated by the Department of City Planning (DCP) on October 1st, 2007. The DCP reacted in response to neighborhood concern that the current zoning allows for building types that threaten the neighborhood’s distinct character. The Briarwood Civic Association consulted with the DCP to make sure this rezoning looks more closely at the greater neighborhood context than the current zoning did, which was adopted in 1996. The proposed zoning allows for primarily one and two-family detached houses and some three story multi-family apartments where greater density is appropriate, but at a moderate scale. While a portion of the neighborhood will continue to be zoned R6A for taller, denser multi-family residential buildings, it is a significantly smaller portion than what was previously considered appropriate. There are existing areas, which allow for mixed-use and commercial development, which are not being rezoned at this time due to their inherently commercial nature and location near major roadways. The idea is that any changes that have been made were done in a way to reflect the existing building types in each area to maintain the fabric of the neighborhood. Many in the community believed that the zoning established in 1996 endangered this fabric. The Department of City Planning certified the rezoning application and subsequently sent it on to Community Board 8 for their review.

The Department of City Planning presented a rezoning proposal for the Queen’s neighborhood of Briarwood to Community Board 8’s land use committee at a public hearing. The committee unanimously passed the proposal, which has been widely approved by both the Community Board and the community. Community groups such as the Briarwood Civic Association have been involved since the start of the process doing research and proposing changes to be included in the rezoning. Based on the level of community involvement, there has been little contention over this rezoning. Community Board 8, the Queen’s Borough President’s office, and the City Planning Commission have all approved the rezoning as of January 28, 2008. Continuing with the ULURP process, the City Council is the last to review the rezoning and must make their decision by March 28, 2008.