The North Flushing Rezoning Initiative is expected to be certified this month by the Department of City Planning. The proposed contextual rezoning plan covers a wide area roughly bordered by Union Street on the west, 25th and 26th avenues on the north, the Clearview Expressway and Francis Lewis Boulevard on the east and Long Island Rail Road tracks on the south. It covers many neighborhoods in Flushing, including North Flushing, Broadway−Flushing and sections of North Auburndale and Northwest Bayside.
After certification, a public hearing will be held as a first step in getting the plan approved and enacted. That hearing will be held by Community Boards 7 and 11 Jan. 29 at 7 p.m. at Holy Cross High School at 26−20 Francis Lewis Blvd.
At this meeting, the plan will be discussed and the public will have an opportunity to give its input. As a civic person, I have attended several meetings where the plan was explained by DCP officials. City Councilman Tony Avella (D−Bayside) hosted some of these meetings. Several civic associations in the affected areas, including mine, invited the DCP to their meetings to present the plan to association members.
The plan has overwhelming support because it will help curb overdevelopment and inappropriate neighborhood development. This will help protect our quality of life and maintain property values.
Many people wonder when South Auburndale, including the Station Road and Harding Heights neighborhoods, will be rezoned. DCP officials have assured us that that initiative is in the works and should be announced shortly. That plan will also include the communities of Hollis Hills and Oakland Gardens, two areas where rezoning had been started, but never completed.
It is time for the remaining neighborhoods not yet rezoned to have that process completed. Residents have waited for years for this positive step that will help preserve the character of our communities. Other surrounding communities have been successfully rezoned and it is only fair that the remaining areas not yet done be completed without delay.
I urge all residents who live in the North Flushing area to be rezoned to come to the meeting and support this plan.
Henry Euler
Bayside
