Woodhaven, Richmond Hill Plan Goes Public
The Department of City Planning (DCP) officially launched on Monday, Feb. 27, the public review process for a rezoning proposal designed to protect hundreds of single- and twofamily homes in Woodhaven and Richmond Hill while encouraging development along commercial strips.
Community Board 9 will be the first group to look at the plan, which changes the zoning for approximately 229 blocks in segments of both neighborhoods in an effort to preserve the character of both areas and stop overdevelopment. The advisory body has 60 days in which to hold a public hearing to solicit input from residents and make a formal recommendation for or against the plan.
A Board 9 spokesperson told the Times Newsweekly on Wednesday, Feb. 29 that the public hearing will be held at its next meeting, on Tuesday, Mar. 13 at 7:30 p.m. at the Woodhaven-Richmond Hill Volunteer Ambulance Corps, located at 78- 15 Jamaica Ave. in Woodhaven.
Following the hearing, the plan will be voted on by the board.
Once the board has made its opinion, the proposal will then be reviewed by Queens Borough President Helen Marshall, the City Planning Commission and the City Council. Barring any significant changes, the new zones could take effect once the review process is completed within five to seven months.
While instituting more restrictive contextual zoning codes along residential blocks to maintain one and family homes, the proposal also updates commercial zoning along segments of Jamaica and Atlantic avenues to encourage economic development without encroaching on residential side streets, the DCP noted.
The zoning study is a follow-up to a rezoning plan for other areas of Woodhaven and Richmond Hill enacted in 2005 and was generated by the DCP in response to concerns raised by Board 9 and local civic groups regarding out-of-character development in each community.
“The neighborhoods have seen their populations grow in recent years but, due to antiquated zoning, they are experiencing growth in the wrong places,” said City Planning Commissioner Amanda Burden. “Numerous homes have been demolished and replaced with out-of-character buildings, while major corridors that have access to transit and can accommodate growth have not seen development opportunities.”
Local lawmakers praised the DCP for their work and favored the plan for going a long way toward preserving the one- and two-family homes for which both Richmond Hill and Woodhaven are known.
City Council Member Elizabeth Crowley stated that the rezoning plan will “strengthen the neighborhood’s appearance by preserving its characteristic one and two family homes,” while her colleague, Eric Ulrich added that “the Woodhaven and Richmond Hill rezoning plan represents a balanced approach to city planning.”
While applauding the proposal, City Council Member Karen Koslowitz stressed the importance “that the rezoning allows for responsible growth and development of these areas,” while her fellow legislator, Ruben Wills, added that “in tandem, the new rezoning rules have made allowances for the rapid growth of these neighborhoods by encouraging development along the wider commercial corridor of Atlantic Avenue, where it can best be accommodated.”
Board 9 Chairperson Andrea Crawford stated that the advisory body “is delighted and thankful that the character of these two unique neighborhoods will be preserved for future generations,” adding that “by stabilizing the zoning that encompasses single and two-family homes, the current practice of tearing these homes down is decentivized.”
The Woodhaven area of the zoning study is generally bounded on the north by Park Lane South, on the east by the Rockaway Beach Branch of the Long Island Rail Road (LIRR), on the west by Eldert Lane and on the south by a zig-zag boundary of Jamaica Avenue, 88th Street, 91st Avenue, 89th Avenue, 96th Street, and 93rd Avenue.
Most of the homes in the study area are detached one- and two-family homes zoned under R3-1 and R5 regulations. The R3-1 zones allow for the creation of two-family, semi-detached dwellings, while R5 zoning permits the development of multifamily homes.
Under the rezoning proposal, most of the residential areas of Woodhaven would be rezoned under R3A or R3X regulations, which restrict the building type to one- and two-family, detached dwellings. The R3A code applies to homes on narrow lots, while the R3X applies the same rules to structures on larger plots of land.
In Richmond Hill, the study area is generally bounded on the south by 103rd Avenue, on the west by 102nd Street, on the east by the Van Wyck Expressway and Atlantic Avenue. It also includes a smaller portion bounded on the north by Jamaica Avenue, on the south by Atlantic Avenue, on the west by 112th Street and on the east by 121st Street.
Homes in Richmond Hill currently situated in R3-1 and R5 zoning areas will be downzoned to R4A status, limiting the housing stock to detached one- to two family homes on large lots. A four-block area of attached one- and two-family rowhouses will also be rezoned from R5 to R4B.
Both Jamaica Avenue between Eldert Lane and the Rockaway Beach branch and Atlantic Avenue between 104th Street and the Van Wyck Expressway will be upzoned to R6A zoning with a commercial overlay. Builders will be permitted to erect structures up to 70 feet in height while reducing the depth of the commercial usage of the building from 150 to 100 feet.
