On April 12, 2005, the City Council approved the Department’s rezoning proposal for Bayside and the new R2A district– both of which are now in effect. The goals of the Bayside rezoning proposal are to preserve the area’s established detached and semi-detached character and to ensure that future residential development is consistent with that character. Councilman Tony Avella says the Bayside rezoning “lays a foundation for other low-density neighborhoods in Queens.” The proposal has three principal components:
1) Establishment of a new citywide R2A zoning district, based on the current R2 district but with new floor area allowances, lot coverage requirements, and revised height and setback regulations;
2) Rezoning of much of the Bayside area from R2, R3-1, R3-2, R4, and R4A to lower-density or contextual zoning districts (R1-2, R2A, R3A, R3X, R3-1, R4-1, R4B);
3) Rezoning of selected C1-2 selected commercial overlays, including removing overlays on two block fronts and modifying selected C1-2 and C2-3 overlays by reducing their depth from 150 feet to 100 feet.
27,000 properties in Bayside and its surrounding neighborhoods are eligible for R2A rezoning.