Rezoning for affordable housing

On Thursday, June 1, Community Board 2 is expected to pass a proposed rezoning of 130 blocks in Woodside and Maspeth, which would include the first “inclusionary housing” plan in Queens. The plan would allow affordable housing - high-density buildings and two-family homes - along Queens Boulevard and the Roosevelt Avenue Junction.
The proposal - both the rezoning and affordable housing provision - will also be reviewed by the City Council within the next 50 days, and if passed, it will be put before Borough President Helen Marshall.
“Inclusionary zoning harnesses the power of New York City’s strong real estate market by allowing developers to build bigger, but only in return for creating affordable housing,” said Department of Housing Preservation and Development (HPD) Commissioner Shaun Donovan.
By reserving at least 20 percent of new dwellings for affordable units, developers can build up to five times the area of their lots, whereas those who do not include low-cost units in the plans can only build 3.75 times the area of their lots. Under the affordable housing program, a developer can also provide new or rehabilitated affordable units off-site of the rezoned area in exchange for an increase in the maximum floor area.
In addition, the zoning change is projected to create the capacity for 301 more units than presently allowed, which could then result in about 60 affordable units for low-income households, for which income is capped at 80 percent of the area’s average.
The inclusionary housing zoning would go into effect between 50th Street and 57th Street on the north side of the Boulevard, between 64th Street and 73rd Street also on the north side, and between 61st Street and 73rd Street on the south side.
All new buildings on the Queens Boulevard stretchs would be restricted to 125 feet in height, and the area would be zoned to allow retailers to use the bottom floors.
The inclusionary housing provision was first discussed last month during a City Planning hearing about the area’s rezoning, during which Councilman Eric Gioia, community activists and the Pratt Center for Community Development all called for low-cost housing options to be included in the plans.
“By creating more affordable housing opportunities, we’re building a neighborhood where moderate and middle income families cannot only survive, but thrive,” Gioia said.
Several Community Board members have also spoken out in support of the plan.
“I believe that flexible up-zoning on the Queens Boulevard corridor while down-zoning cross-streets and side blocks to maintain the character of the Woodside community is the way to go,” said David Rosasco, a Woodside resident and member of Community Board 2.