City Council Unanimously Says "Yes" To Carroll Gardens

City Hall, New York City

Dear Reader,
You probably already heard the good news about the outcome of the City Council's vote on the Carroll Gardens Wide Street Text Amendment:
It passed unanimously today. That is wonderful news for the neighborhood.
After almost a year of meetings, hearings and community outreach efforts, there is finally something written into law that will truly help to protect the historical character of the neighborhood.

The amendment goes into effect immediately!

Though this is excellent news, it is just the first step. Next: the entire neighborhood needs to be down-zoned and efforts are already on the way.
Ultimately? Lets hope that very soon, we will be able to expand the existing Carroll Gardens Landmark District.

Below is a press release by our Councilperson Bill DeBlasio, who has supported the amendment from the start.

Councilmember de Blasio Applauds Passage of Text Amendment

Carroll Gardens— Councilmember Bill de Blasio released this statement following the City Council's unanimous passage of the "narrow streets" Zoning Text amendment, which would limit the permitted heights and densities in Carroll Gardens.

"I would like to thank my colleagues as well as the Borough President, Community Board 6 and the City Planning Commission for supporting the Carroll Gardens text amendment. I am proud to say that the entire community played an important role in making this a reality. This amendment is a critical piece in the larger puzzle of preserving the character of our neighborhood."

De Blasio added, "While this is a positive step forward, we must continue to focus our efforts on a neighborhood wide down zoning. Limiting the permitted heights and densities of new buildings will help to match future developments to the existing low-scale context of the neighborhood."

The proposal amends sections of the Zoning Resolution that regulate height and setback, density and Floor area ratio (FAR). For those sections of the Zoning Resolution, 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 4th Places, and 2nd Street, Carroll Street and President Street between Smith Street and Hoyt Street would be considered 'narrow streets'. The mapped width of the streets on the city map would be unchanged. For buildings developed pursuant to Quality Housing, the proposed amendments would limit new development to an FAR of 2.2 and a maximum height of 55 feet.

For buildings developed pursuant to R6 height factor regulations, the text change increases the depth of the initial setback distance, and produces a more shallow sky exposure plane ratio.

This post linked here:

New York Times

CGZoning Tweak Passes; Oliver House Height Doomed? (Brownstoner)


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