15K New Homes for Long Island City? Council Approves Major Rezoning Plan

Lawmakers approved a plan Wednesday to rezone a -block swath of the Queens waterfront neighborhood including industrial lots where new housing was previously restricted Anable Basin in Long Island City once eyed by retail giant Amazon for its Queens headquarters before the controversial plan fell apart is part of the rezoning area Adi Talwar City Limits The City Council approved a plan Wednesday to rezone a stretch of Long Island City including industrial lots where new housing was previously restricted what executives say will spur nearly new apartments in the coming years as the city struggles to fill a historic housing shortage The so-called OneLIC plan will update zoning rules for blocks near the East River waterfront including along Annabel Basin the inlet where retail giant Amazon once planned its controversial HQ offices It s expected to create more housing than any neighborhood-specific rezoning in the last years functionaries stated around of the new units will be income-restricted The deal also includes million for a range of local projects including funds for a new waterfront esplanade sewer upgrades and repairs at the nearby NYCHA Queensbridge Houses The approval of this plan opens the door for more New Yorkers of all income levels to live and work here and to benefit from new open space and society investments City Planning Commissioner Dan Garodnick disclosed in a comment Wednesday The neighborhood rezoning is the fifth passed under Mayor Eric Adams who leaves office at the end of the year It s also the second in Queens in late October the Council approved a plan to allow more housing in Downtown Jamaica what bureaucrats say will help address a dire need as New Yorkers struggle to afford increasingly high rents and more than people sleep in shelters each month Areas rezoned for residential under the OneLIC plan will be subject to the city s Mandatory Inclusionary Housing MIH rules for the first time requiring at least to percent of new units built on private sites are affordable Those apartments will be reserved for households earning up to either or percent of the Area Median Income or AMI equivalent to or a year for a three-person household respectively The city also plans to develop affordable units on masses land within the rezoning area at least half of which must be set aside for Extremely and Very Low-Income households or those earning no more than percent AMI Long Island City is no stranger to advance the neighborhood s population grew by percent between and according to the Long Island City Partnership a local business advocacy group Glossy apartment towers have bloomed along the area s waterfront The waterfront along Hunters Point just south of the rezoning area where a multitude of new buildings have risen over the last several years Adi Talwar City Limits That existing improvement is why particular locals have opposed the rezoning saying an influx of new residents will further strain local infrastructure that already hasn t kept up Long Island City has not avoided rise So why is all this new growth coming here stated Lisa Goran a member of the Long Island City Coalition Hunters Point Population Coalition The City of Yes was supposed to distribute housing equitably she added in reference to Mayor Adams plan passed last year which overhauled zoning rules citywide to make it easier to build The Coalitions have been advocating for an alternative plan dubbed the Hunters Point North Vision Plan for Resiliency which calls for a robust waterfront park and conditions resiliency measures along the shoreline They say that any new housing should be built further inland outside the floodplain noting that the area was hit hard by flooding during Hurricane Sandy We have to do resiliency and we have to house people We can do both And that s what we re saying Goran revealed We re saying that we re given a false choice in this plan But city functionaries argue the rezoning area has been held back by outdated rules that restrict new housing in a neighborhood that s prime for more homes pointing to its proximity to Manhattan and access to multiple subway and bus lines Councilmember Julie Won who represents the area noted she fought to secure millions in public benefits as part of the deal like the upgrades to the nearby Queensbridge Houses and improved sewer infrastructure A view of the Queensboro Bridge from Vernon Boulevard Adi Talwar City Limits The city has also pledged to open new school seats and add five acres of open space under the Queensboro Bridge including comprehensive renovations to Queensbridge Baby Park a once popular neighborhood space which has fallen into disrepair This and the planned new waterfront esplanade will conclusion in a continuous stretch of open space along the neighborhood s waterfront Won noted linking Queensbrige Park north of the rezoning area to Gantry Plaza State Park and Hunters Point South Park to the south All that is long overdue Won noted ahead of the Council s vote on the plan Wednesday Ultimately through this project we will become one Long Island City to integrate current and future residents in all corners of this neighborhood To reach the editor contact Jeanmarie citylimits org Want to republish this story Find City Limits reprint strategy here The post K New Homes for Long Island City Council Approves Major Rezoning Plan appeared first on City Limits