As a major Downtown Brooklyn rezoning plan wends its way though the city’s
land use review process, the community is invited to weigh in at a public
hearing this week.
The City Planing Commission is hosting a public hearing on the $100 million
Downtown Brooklyn Plan, which would require the condemnation of seven
acres of private property, including 130 residential units and 100 businesses.
The area covered by the Downtown Plan overlaps, but is separate from,
the Atlantic Yards site on which developer Bruce Ratner wants to erect,
on demaped mega-blocks, a professional basketball arena and high-rise
apartment and office buildings.
The Downtown Plan hearing is scheduled for Wednesday, March 24, at 10
am, at the New York City College of Technology’s Klitgord Auditorium,
at 285 Jay St.
The Downtown Brooklyn Plan would allow for the construction of nearly
7 million square feet of office space, 1 million square feet of retail,
1,000 units of housing and 2,500 parking spaces.
After lengthy debate, Community Board 2, the first stop on the Uniform
Land Use Reform Procedure (ULURP) failed to make a recommendation on the
plan before it moved on to Borough President Marty Markowitz.
A majority of board members who voted, however, expressed reservations
about the condemnation of private property.
Last week, Markowitz signed off on the proposal but attached a laundry
list of conditions ranging from traffic and transportation to preservation
concerns.
After the City Planning Commission vote, the application moves to the
City Council for a final vote and, if approved there, goes before Mayor
Michael Bloomberg, a staunch supporter of the plan.
The mayor appoints seven members to the 13-member City Planning Commission,
including the chair, who is also the director of City Planning, the lead
agency on the Downtown Plan application. Each borough president also appoints
one member, as does the public advocate appoints one.
For more information on the hearing contact the Department of City Panning
at (212) 720-3300.
