Norwood Neighborhood Association members attend
Community Board 1 Public Hearing on Astoria Zoning Proposal
February 16, 2010
In a terrific showing of neighborhood spirit, sixteen members of Norwood Neighborhood Association braved the ice and snow to attend a Public Hearing held by Community Board 1 last night. NNA made clear its support of the Proposed Zoning for Astoria, especially in regard to the proposed R5B and R4B* designations for Norwood Gardens.
In 2002 Norwood Gardens residents discovered a shocking fact: Their neighborhood, an established community of one- and two-family homes built in the 1920's, was zoned R6, a zoning which permits buildings over 12 stories**; structures which are inappropriate, unwanted, and highly destructive to the integrity of our blocks (as well as damaging o the property of homeowners next to the new constructions--cracked foundations, loss of light, blocked site lines, etc.). Unfortunately, New York City’s half-century-old, out-dated zoning regulations made all this legal in our community.
Legal but not right!
NNA residents do not oppose development. Through the years and decades, Astoria has benefited from many beautiful new buildings and improvements, the contributions of conscientious and appropriately situated development. NNA supports planned growth and new construction where Quality of Life and the environmental impact of higher density is weighed and anticipated and when adequate infrastructure is in place and able to provide residents with the basic services to which all New York City residents are entitled as taxpayers (utilities, hospitals, schools, green parks, transportation, etc.).Unfortunately, the recent development boom has irreparably disrupted and disturbed communities throughout Queens. As they have made emphatically clear by their many rallies, petitions and ongoing efforts to reach out to elected officials, urban planners and land use experts, the overwhelming majority of home-owning residents of Norwood Gardens vehemently protest out-of-scale and uncharacteristic development in their community.
In an effort to gain strength in numbers, we residents founded Norwood Neighborhood Association (NNA) in 2002 to protect our neighborhood against such intrusions. NNA has been highly active and vocal, fighting hard for the proposed R4B and R5B Norwood zoning designations that are currently undergoing the review process. We want to express our sincere thanks to Council Member Peter Vallone, Jr. for initiating this highly important zoning proposal, to Ian Hegarty from City Planning who met with us many times over the course of months to help us understand the complexities of zoning, to Paul Graziano, land use expert, who early on pointed the way and inspired us to believe we could save our beautiful neighborhood, to the Long Island City Alliance for their ongoing, contributing strength and most of all to the hard working, dedicated residents of Norwood Gardens who have given the time and talents which in the end will help us achieve this our goal: A warm, vibrant, caring neighborhood, a true neighborhood benefiting not only those who live here but rewarding the local business community, too, by attracting visitors to an area of Astoria, a "Special District" with a unique and distinctive character.
We need R5B and R4B zoning now!!
No legislative moratoriums exist to freeze inappropriate constructions. There has been too much delay and too little action. As one NNA member graphically stated at the recent Community Board hearing, during the first NNA Rally against inappropriate development in 2002 she carried an 8 month old baby in her arms. Last night, that same child stood next to her before the Community Board: 8 years old!
We urge Queens Borough President, the Honorable Helen Marshall, to support this important zoning proposal and to work for, advocate and expedite the process which will establish the zoning changes we urgently need.
* R4B for the attached homes on 36th Street with 25’front gardens **(building height and bulk largely dependent on the size of the site footprint or FAR)
