Urges Developers To Allow Affordable Housing
The proposed rezoning of an industrial area of northern Ridgewood cleared another hurdle last week, when Queens Borough President Melinda Katz recommended the plan’s approval, it was announced on Tuesday, May 27.
The borough president signed off four days earlier on the proposal to rezone an area generally bounded by Flushing Avenue, Starr Street and Woodward and Onderdonk avenues-currently restricted to solely manufacturing purposes-into R5B and R6B residential zoning. If approved by the City Planning Commission and the City Council, the change would enable the owners of 176 Woodward Ave.-a longvacant lot currently used for storing construction vehicles and materials- to build a four-story apartment house with 88 units.
However, Katz’s recommendation came with the condition that the developers reserve a number of the units as designated affordable housing.
Last month, Community Board 5 recommended approval of the plan following weeks of debate on the matter. While some residents welcomed the rezoning plan as a way to improve the surrounding neighborhood, others were concerned the new construction would drive up rents and deprive the city of space to develop new businesses.
In her recommendation, Katz stated the plan “would be an improvement in this particular area of Ridgewood,” but expressed concern about affordability for the proposed apartment house. The owners of 176 Woodward Ave. said the building would be rent stabilized for a time since they would receive a state property tax abatement for 15 years.
Accordingly, rents would only increase based on a percentage agreed upon by the city’s Rent Stabilization Board.
“Rent stabilization does offer a more predictable rent and future increases,” Katz wrote last Friday. “However, even at rent stabilized rates, some of this housing will still be out of reach for current local residents of that part of Ridgewood.”
Katz requested that “some number of the apartments built as a result of this rezoning should be made available at a rate comparable to current area rents,” generally at 60 percent of the area median income.
“This would give area neighborhood [sic] residents a chance to afford to live in the apartments,” the borough president concluded.
She also requested that the City Planning Commission and City Council consider new commercial overlay zoning for the district to allow for greater business development.
The City Planning Commission and City Council could approve the rezoning plan within the next 120 days.
