Pardon Me For Asking (PMFA) wants everyone to mark their calendars for the meeting at Long Island College Hospital on June 25th at 6 pm of The
Uniform Land Use Review Procedure (ULURP) for the contextual rezoning
of the Carroll Gardens/ Columbia Waterfront is starting on Thursday,
June 25th, at the Community Board 6 Land Use Committee.

Says PMFA: "This
is great news! This long-awaited rezoning will give this community the
protection it needs from out-of-scale development and will hopefully
preserve the unique character of our historic neighborhood."

The NYC Department of City Planning gave this overview on the re-zoning:

At
the request of Community Board 6, community and neighborhood groups,
and local elected officials, the Department of City Planning proposes
zoning map amendments for an approximately 86 block area of the Carroll
Gardens and Columbia Street neighborhoods within Community District 6
in Brooklyn.

The
rezoning area includes the neighborhoods of Carroll Gardens and
Columbia Street. The Carroll Gardens portion of the rezoning area is
generally bounded by Degraw Street, Warren Street and Douglass Street
to the north; Hoyt Street, Bond Street and Smith Street to the east;
3rd Street, 4th Street, 5th Street, Centre Street and Hamilton Avenue
to the south; and Hicks Street to the west. The Columbia Street portion
of the rezoning area consists of approximately 14 blocks bounded by
Warren Street to the north, a line between Columbia Street and Van
Brunt Street to the west, Hicks Street to the east and Woodhull Street
to the south. The areas proposed to be rezoned are zoned entirely R6.

The
rezoning proposal has been developed after extensive discussion with
the Community Board, elected officials, and neighborhood residents. The
rezoning responds to community concerns about recent out-of-scale
development permitted under the current zoning by mapping contextual
districts with height limits throughout the study area which would
preserve the existing built character while allowing for new
development and modest expansions where appropriate at a height and
scale that is in keeping with the existing context. The rezoning would
support and promote the local, vibrant retail corridors while
protecting the residential character of nearby side streets.

The
proposed rezoning builds upon the Department’s Carroll Gardens Narrow
Streets Text Amendment which was undertaken at the community’s request
and approved in 2008. That text amendment aimed to limit the size and
configuration of new buildings and enlargements on certain streets with
deep front courtyards which had been defined as wide streets under
existing zoning and therefore permitted a higher density that was out
of scale with the existing built context. The proposed rezoning of the
Carroll Gardens and Columbia Street neighborhoods fulfills the
Department’s commitment to return to the community with a more
comprehensive set of zoning recommendations for the larger area.

Landmarks/Land Use Committee Meeting
Public Hearing on Carroll Gardens/Columbia Street Contextual Rezoning plan (ULURP No. C 090462 ZMK)

Discussion
and formulation of a recommendation on an application submitted by the
Department of City Planning (ULURP No. C 090462 ZMK) to contextually
rezone Carroll Gardens and a significant portion of the Columbia Street
District neighborhoods to protect the existing built form environments.

Long Island College Hospital, 339 Hicks Street