Astoria is now only one step away from having nearly 240 blocks in the northwest Queens neighborhood rezoned.
That’s because on Tuesday, May 25, the New York City Council voted overwhelmingly to approve a rezoning plan that will create a number of different zoning districts as opposed to the two that currently exist in the neighborhood.
“Protecting the character of our residential neighborhoods while providing opportunities for mixed-income housing and new job growth have long been priorities of our administration,” said Mayor Michael Bloomberg, who is expected to sign the adoption into law shortly. “The rezoning of Astoria epitomizes both of these goals, strengthening one of our great neighborhoods.”
City Councilmember Peter Vallone Jr., who represents Astoria, was ecstatic that the Council passed the rezoning and said it was a long time coming.
“When I finally got City Planning to do a study they immediately realized that the character of Astoria was being assaulted by developers and they worked like gangbusters to get this done,” Vallone said.
After numerous meetings with the local community board and civic associations, City Planning came up with a proposal designed to preserve the existing scale and character of the area, while allowing for a modest increase in residential and commercial density in some locations through “spot zoning.”
This rezoning plan, which is the largest in Astoria’s history, comprises 248 blocks and is bounded by 20th Avenue on the north, Steinway Street on the east, Broadway on the south, and Vernon Boulevard, 8th Street, 14th Street, and the East River on the west.
It would protect neighborhood character from out-of-scale development by mapping contextual zoning districts that more closely reflect the scale and form of existing buildings and set firm building height limits.
“Each individual neighborhood in Astoria will be able to keep its character while development is pushed to areas where it can be supported,” Vallone said.
