Peter Vallone, Sr. moderatesTown Hall Zoning Meeting
Town Hall Meeting on Astoria Rezoning Proposal.
Over 150 concerned Astoria residents showed up at the Town Meeting May 5th, as City Planners unveiled their Zoning Proposal for over 8,000 Astoria properties; the biggest zoning study in almost 40 years!
Director, Queens City Planning, John Young
Norwood Gardens has long been pushing for a zoning study. Local residents watched in disgust, the razing of 38th Street's 1 and 2 family homes. Beautiful, front gardens are now gone and so is 38th Street's leafy, homey character. Norwood Gardens homeowners and residents DO NOT want this to happen in the Norwood Gardens Community (35th, 36th and 37th Streets between 30th Avenue and 31st Avenue) and have been pushing for R4B a contextual zone that would protect the beauty and distinct character of our low rise neighborhood. Norwood Neighborhood Association had a strong presence at the Town Hall zoning meeting May 5th, and applauds Council Member Vallone's pushing for this zoning study and his support of contextual rezoning.
Council Member Peter Vallone speaks in support of the zoning Study.
During the zoning meeting, New York City Planners explained how "upzoning" will be guided to "appropriate" areas of Astoria and how "contextual zoning" of low rise communities will not allow them to be inappropriately and destructively developed. Contextual zoning will protect many of Astoria's low rise neighborhoods that Astoria residents appreciate. These low rise pockets bring benefits to all of Astoria's residents (home owners and renters alike), by providing variety, green spaces and a solid sense of community with an investment and love of their neighborhood.
Residents expressed concern that some very important planing issues were not addressed, e.g., more green spaces! Green spaces are disappearing at an alarming rate: front gardens are being replaced by built out-apartment buildings, community churches and surrounding green areas are being razed in order to develop the properties and front yards are cemented over to make room for parking slabs. Residents need more public parks and green spaces! Families near Broadway / 30th Avenue between Steinway and 31st Street rely on Sean's Place playground (38th Street). The playground is so overcrowded it's dangerous. In the Zoning Proposal, 30th Avenue and 31st Street and Broadway are zoned for high density. Are there any green spaces or parks included in new Zoning Proposal to accommodate more residents and families? It is our City Planners' responsibility to incorporate these important quality of life needs in the 2009 Zoning Proposal, as this MAJOR Astoria rezoning project will affect Astoria residents for many years to come.
Suggestion:
Are there incentives in the new Zoning Proposal to encourage developers to include green spaces and plantings in their development projects? Developers often build out as far as possible and are not concerned with adding quality of life benefits for the neighborhood at large. Developers do not live in our communities and their primary concern is not in creating or contributing to a better more livable community. Families and residents want and need beauty, quite spaces and green in their environment.
Norwood Neighborhood Association has been working on a rezoning study for many years.
When a 1 family home was razed breaking the architectural continuity of 30 planned, attached homes, the community went to the press and elected official in hopes of getting a zoning study initiated. Articles appeared in: Daily News (June 6, 2002), The Western Queens Gazette (June 5, 2002), Queens Chronicle, June 6, 2002 and Queens Chronicle, June 27, 2002 and more. It's taken 7 years to get a Zoning Study. Let's hope R4B is approved for Norwood Gardens and that the implementation takes place soon before more damage is done.
Please, mark this important date on your calendar!
The City Planning Dept. will explain the new
zoning proposal. It's important we show up!
The meeting is scheduled for 6/30 at 6:30 pm
at Astoria World Manor, 25-22 Astoria Blvd.
