By Bianca Fortis
Borough President Helen Marshall has given her stamp of approval to the city’s plan to rezone the neighborhood of Ozone Park.
The goal of the proposed rezoning is to help curb the surge in development affecting the area by reinforcing the residential character of the neighborhood, directing some residential and mixed-use development to areas where there is mass transit and preventing commercial businesses from encroaching into residential areas, according to the Department of City Planning.
The area to be rezoned is bounded by Rockaway Boulevard and Atlantic and 101st avenues to the north, the Van Wyck Expressway and Lefferts Boulevard to the east, the Belt Parkway to the south and the Brooklyn borough line to the west.
In her recommendation, Marshall wrote “this zoning was initiated in response to concerns raised by the two community boards, local civic organizations and local elected officials that the existing zoning, which dates back to 1961, does not reflect established building patterns or guide new development where appropriate.”
Her approval takes the plan one step closer to completion. Next, the City Planning Commission has 60 days to review the plan and then the City Council will have 50 days to give its final approval.
Ozone Park’s 530 blocks are currently divided into seven zoned districts. According to City Planning, recent building trends have led to detached one- and two-family houses being demolished and replaced with multi-family buildings.
The plan proposed dividing the neighborhood into nine individual districts that will reflect the existing character in them.
At the last Community Board 9 meeting, City Councilman Eric Ulrich (R-Ozone Park) said city planners studied the neighborhood block by block and corridor by corridor to ensure the new maps both accurately reflect the residential character of the community but also allow for growth and development along the commercial strips of Rockaway Boulevard and 101st and Liberty avenues.
Ulrich said he expects the new plan to be enacted by the end of this year.
He said he is proud of the new plan and the fact that it has almost been approved.
“It’s something that is meaningful to me as someone who was born and raised in Ozone Park,” he said. “It’s so important that we protect the character and integrity of the community.”
Reach reporter Bianca Fortis by email at bfortis@cnglocal.com or by phone at 718-260-4546.
