A Queens lawmaker is calling on the City Planning Commission to revise the city’s zoning policies to prevent the “as-of-right” construction of high-rise buildings across Ridgewood.
As an outspoken opponent of the Ridgewood Tower and other out-of-character structures, Assemblywoman Catherine Nolan wants to see zoning changes, specifically in the Community Board 5 (CB 5) area, that would stop massive buildings from be erected with little to no community input or review process.
Back in May, Nolan wrote a letter to Mayor Bill de Blasio, outlining her concerns regarding the 17-story Ridgewood Tower that will be built at 54-27 Myrtle Ave., 336 and 350 St. Nicholas Ave., which will bring 129 luxury apartments consisting of 39 studio apartments, 51 one-bedroom apartments, 27 two-bedroom apartments, and 12 three-bedroom apartments, with 350 parking spaces, and commercial/retail space to the neighborhood.
In response, Marisa Lago, commissioner of the NYC Department of City Planning (DCP), reminded the Assemblywoman in a June letter that “the proposed building is allowable under the current C4-3 zoning, which was kept in place after a robust public engagement process for the comprehensive rezoning of Ridgewood that was adopted by the City Council in 2000.”
This spurred Nolan to call for zoning changes and to have DCP meet with her, her colleagues in government, CB 5, and local civic organizations “to create an updated zoning plan which truly reflects the needs of the community,” she wrote in a July 5 letter to Lago.
In her letter, Nolan notes that the current zoning regulations for the Ridgewood area are 17 years old and the level of development in the neighborhood has increased dramatically since the last time they were altered.
“Unchecked, the current zoning regulations will have a detrimental effect on the quality of life for all of Ridgewood and western Queens residents,” Nolan believes. “In addition, we must develop responsibly, so that our infrastructure is improved with regards to roads, hospitals and schools before new construction adds additional burdens to it. With the additional burden of the planned L and M service suspensions over the next few years, a revised downzoning policy is both appropriate and vital.”
