By Adam Pincus
The chairman of the board representing Maspeth, Sunnyside, Woodside and Long Island City lauded the decision, approved 28-to-3 with one abstention, which would be the first significant zoning change for the region since 1961.”It has been a long process for the better part of six years,” said Joseph Conley, the chairman. “I applaud their vote.” Community boards 2 and 5 heard the plan at public hearings over the past two weeks and scheduled votes more quickly than normal to accelerate the process, he said.The proposal developed by the Department of City Planning involves 134 blocks in the two neighborhoods, generally increasing the zoning density of major thoroughfares such as Queens Boulevard and decreasing the density in interior residential areas. Several members expressed support for the rezoning, saying it would make Queens Boulevard the vibrant street urban planners had projected years ago as they laid out the borough. But others said they were fearful of greater development.Before the plan becomes law, it had to be voted on by Community Board 5 this week, presented at the borough president's land use public hearing Feb. 23, and then voted on by the City Planning Commission and the City Council. The lopsided vote in CB 2 masked the community's concerns over increased development that board members vented during a half-hour discussion before the balloting.Board member Al Volpe, one of the few dissenters at the vote, said he worried about the development of tall buildings on Queens Boulevard on vacant sites from 50th to 74th streets.”That leaves 14 or 15 lots that could be redeveloped by buildings up to 125 feet tall,” he said.Another member who opposed the plan, Carol Terrano said more housing on Queens Boulevard would not solve the problem of overpopulation in residential areas.The rezoning proposal, she said, “assumes that illegal conversions are going to be addressed, but we still have the problem of illegal conversions.”The board addressed members' concerns of overpopulation by including two stipulations. The first requested that the Department of City Planning remove a zoning provision that allows high-density construction in the R-4 multi-family district, although the change would need the approval of the City Council.The other was a request that Planning study the broader needs of the community, including schools, hospitals and transportation infrastructure.City Councilman Eric Gioia (D-Sunnyside) said he supported the rezoning.”Every New Yorker deserves to live in a great neighborhood, one that's clean, safe, and they can be proud of. That's why it is imperative for the city act to curb over development,” he said Tuesday. Reach reporter Adam Pincus by e-mail at news@timesledger.com or by phone at 718-229-0300, Ext. 154.
