By Stephen Witt
Community leaders are optimistic that a rezoning plan for Fort Greene and Clinton Hill will soon get the green light from the Department of City Planning (DCP). The rub, though, is that differences remain on what the rezoning plan should look like. “There does seem to be some differences in what stakeholders have prepared and what the DCP has prepared,” said one source. The latest developments on the issue, which has been ongoing for several years, comes after the DCP had a meeting with community stakeholders on Friday, January 20. Among those reportedly attending the meeting were City Council member Letitia James, and representatives for Borough President Marty Markowitz’s office, Community Board 2, the Fort Greene Association, the Pratt Area Community Council, the Pratt Center for Community Development, and several other community and civic groups. Then last week, DCP Director Amanda Burden was quoted in a daily newspaper as saying, “Fort Greene is going to be one of the next neighborhoods,” for rezoning. The community plan as put forward on the Fort Greene Association website calls for most of the Fort Greene and Clinton Hill neighborhoods to move from its current R6 to R6B zoning. The proposed zoning puts height and setback restrictions so that they are in context with the neighborhood and adjoining buildings. The boundaries of this request are roughly from St. Felix Street to Classon Avenue and from Park Avenue to Fulton Street with knockouts for existing manufacturing and commercial districts. The community also wants contextual zoning with a slightly higher density for the commercial hubs along Myrtle and Fulton streets. However, differences between the DCP and the community remain in that the community groups want an inclusionary provision. The provision would allow for developers to build 20 percent affordable housing in exchange for a 33 percent density bonus. Sources say that while DCP is in agreement with the provision in the brownstone areas, they are worried that the inclusionary zoning along Myrtle Avenue and Fulton Street may deter potential developers from coming into the neighborhood. DCP Spokesperson Rachaele Raynoff said the department is committed to working with the community board to rezone Fort Greene and Clinton Hill. “I understand there was a great first meeting,” Raynoff said. “We will be working as expeditiously as possible and expect to do it later this year. Obviously it depends on the scope of the rezoning and the consensus regarding how to proceed.” Fort Greene Association spokesperson Paul Palazzo called the meeting “fantastic” and a clear example of how the community is involved in the process. In e-mails to community groups, Palazzo thanked Regina Meyer, Sarah Goldwyn and Winston von Engel from the Brooklyn Borough Planning office. Palazzo also said the DCP would like a concise list of community comments about the rezoning plan, and asked they be forwarded to him so they can be compiled and finalized at a community meeting on the subject. That meeting is slated for at 8:30 a.m., Wednesday February 8, at the James E. Davis Arts Building, 80 Hanson Place. They will then be finalized and presented to the DCP for consideration, Palazzo said in the email. Palazzo also sent a link to a site where it was announced that a 190-foot, 80,000-square-foot mixed use tower with medical offices, parking, retail and apartments was going to be built on the corner of South Portland and Fulton streets. The website listed the architects as Scarano & Associates, but gave no further information. Calls to the architecture firm were not returned at press time. Meanwhile, Community Board 2 District manager Robert Perris said the community board was pleased that DCP has responded to the community’s request to study contextual zoning in these two neighborhoods. James called the proposed the rezoning a start that she wants to spread throughout her district. “I look forward to putting in place a plan to contextualize and protect the character of Fort Greene and Clinton Hill, and plan on going forward with a plan for Prospect Heights and Crown Heights as well,” she said.
