So, the slowing real estate market is now making rezoning property–say, from manufacturing to residential–more attractive to developers. “In the height of the market, a lot of developers just wanted to buy it, develop it and get out,” on real estate lawyer says. “A rezoning can take two to three years. Now is a good [...]

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Five of nine developments in Carroll Gardens questioned by the community after the “narrow streets” zoning change was enacted last week have been hit with Stop Work Orders by the Department of Buildings. (The photo above is of 360 Smith Street before work was halted.) This is because they are not complete enough to be [...]

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An effort to officially define a number of very narrow streets in Carroll Gardens as actually being narrow for zoning purposes received unanimous support from the City Council yesterday afternoon. The “Narrow Streets” Zoning Text Amendment had won wide political and community support. It changes obscure, yet critical, zoning language that had considered very narrow [...]

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There is significant excitement in Carroll Gardens neighborhood circles today as the City Council is slated to vote on the “narrow streets” Zoning Text Amendment. The technical change will redefine very narrow neighborhood streets as being narrow for zoning purposes. They have been defined as “wide” because the front gardens of buildings were counted as [...]

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The Carroll Gardens group called CORD, which formed around the contentious issue of the design of 360 Smith Street (now known as the Oliver House Condos) and went on to push for a broader downzoning of the neighborhood, must be in a good mood. Late yesterday, the group started circulating a “thank you” email for [...]

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With the raucous Coney Island Scoping Hearing an amusing memory, it’s worth noting that it is still possible to submit written testimony about the Coney Island rezoning proposal. While are appropriate, the scoping process determines the study of the proposal that is done, so specific comments related to what the city should study in terms [...]

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The “narrow streets” zoning text amendment that would redefine a number of narrow Carroll Gardens streets as actually being narrow for zoning purposes was passed by the City Planning Commission today by a unanimous vote. The measure would define the streets as 50 wide rather than the current 130 feet (which counts front gardens) and [...]

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Within the city’s presentation prepared for the Coney Island Scoping Hearing on Tuesday night were some new renderings of a proposed Coney future, as well as new detailed maps and diagrams of what would go where. The raucous meeting ended up with the following headline in the Brooklyn Daily Eagle: “Coney Plan Overwhelmingly Rejected at [...]

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For those that haven’t had their fill of the circus of the Coney Island Scoping Meeting on Tuesday Night, here’s a vid of NY 1’s report that’s been posted to the YouTube:

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[Photo courtesy of GerritsenBeach.Net/flickr]
Normally, “scoping hearings” are boring in the deadliest way. Not last night’s hearing about Coney Island rezoning. Not by a longshot. You expected differently when the Mermaid Queen had been on a hunger strike to publicize it and get people to attend? There was a large turnout and it was a pretty [...]

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[Photo courtesy of GerristensBeach.Net/flickr]
The second Coney Island rezoning Scoping Meeting took place last night in front of a large crowd with testimony that ran toward performance art. An earlier meeting had been held, but the process has had to be redone, because the plan has been revised since then. Kinetic Carnival said the meeting “was [...]

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As has been widely noted and is now on live webcam, the Queen of the Mermaid Parade is on a short hunger strike to draw attention to opposition to the city’s revised plan for Coney Island and to try to get a big turnout at the “scoping” meeting on Tuesday for it. The hunger [...]

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The rezoning that put the wheels in motion for the development of Brooklyn’s Park Avenue four years ago covered most of 4th Avenue between President and 15th streets, allowing for the construction of 12-story residential buildings on the thoroughfare. What was left out of that rezoning is now set to join the higher-rise party. One [...]

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The City Planning Commission heard a lot of statements yesterday about the proposed zoning text amendment for Carroll Gardens that would redefine a number of streets for zoning purposes as being narrow and reduce the size of future new buildings and additions to existing ones. Nearly three dozen people spoke at the hearing, most in [...]

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The City Planning Commission is holding a hearing on the Carroll Gardens Zoning Text Amendment on Wednesday (June 4). The measure, which would redefine the neighborhood’s narrow streets from “wide” to being “narrow” for zoning purposes, limiting the density of new buildings and size of additions to buildings, has won strong support at every step [...]

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The prime areas of rezoning interest in Gowanus will be the area around the Gowanus Canal itself, where some of the biggest projects might someday rise. City Planning envisions a canal that will someday have a 40′ foot wide public esplanade on both side (a Sponge Park has also been proposed independently) and buildings rising [...]

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The long awaited proposal for rezoning Gowanus should be revealed tonight in a community meeting in Carroll Gardens. It’s an “update and presentation” by the Department of City Planning on the next phase of the Gowanus Land Use Framework for the Community Board 6 Land Use Committee. The meeting will take place at PS 32, [...]

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There’s another public scoping meeting coming up for the Draft Scope of Work for the “modified rezoning project” for Coney Island. This is because there’s a revised Environmental Assessment Statement based on the change in size of the city’s “parkland” for an amusement park from 15 acres to 9 acres. The session will be held [...]

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The “narrow streets” zoning text amendment for Carroll Gardens, which was approved by Community Board 6 last week has been approved by Borough President Marty Markowitz. The amendment, which has attracted some opposition in the neighborhood, but even stronger support, would change an old definition in city zoning documents that considers very narrow streets [...]

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Close watchers of the Williamsburg development scene will recall the two Karl Fischer towers that had been planned for the corner of Grand and Driggs Williamsburg. One site is currently a big hole where a rather spirited game of beat the downzone had been going on until it was hit with a Stop Work Order. [...]

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The next step in the Carroll Gardens “narrow streets” zoning text amendment process (it was approved by Community Board 6 last week) is a hearing before the City Planning Commission. The City Planning hearing will be coming up on June 4. The change must be approved by the City Council as well.

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Lost in all the drama surrounding the bitter fight over the liquor license of Union Hall in Park Slope was another important local measure that was up for a decision by Community Board Six on Wednesday night: the “narrow streets” zoning text amendment in Carroll Gardens. That text change would redefine a number of [...]

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The next phase of the long process of rezoning Gowanus will start on May 29. That’s when an “update and presentation” by the Department of City Planning on the next phase of the Gowanus Land Use Framework will take place. The meeting will take place at PS 32, which is located at 317 Hoyt Street, [...]

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Yesterday’s Court Street Fair in Carroll Gardens found the new South Brooklyn Neighborhood Alliance with a booth and groups handing out information about a proposed zoning text change that would redefine a number of streets in the neighborhood as narrow ones, reducing the height of potential new developments and buildings. (The very narrow streets are [...]

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So, what’s this Carroll Gardens “narrow streets” zoning text amdendment thing all about? Several groups in Carroll Gardens have prepared the equivalent of an FAQ about the text amendment, which is now moving through the public review process. It’s been posted by the CORD group among others, but we’re also presenting it here.

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