CB12 Zoning Committee Unanimously Votes Against Rezoning as Overflow Crowd Makes Voice Heard

by YS Gold

“Never in the history of Community Board 12 meetings have we seen such a crowd,” remarked a longtime participant on Community Board meetings’ turnout in opposition to the proposed rezoning of residential streets.

Hundreds of men, women, and even young adolescents packed the room as developers made their pitch to have their property on 57th Street between 12th and 13th Avenues rezoned to an “R6A zoning” which would enable them to develop it at nine stories—a move that has residents of the area fuming.

Harav Avrohom Chaim Steinwurtzel, shlit”a, rov of Khal Mateh Ephraim and a resident of the area spoke vociferously against the proposal. “Zoning laws were enacted for this very reason—to preserve the character of neighborhoods for the residents of the area, and for the entire neighborhood,” he said.

The developers were questioned by the committee as to their intentions. “They could not provide satisfactory answers for why it is appropriate to upzone residential streets,” said a member of the committee to BoroPark24. “While buildings on residential streets currently stand at a maximum of three floors, they want to dramatically alter that. This will change the character of the neighborhood, open the floodgates for this to happen throughout Boro Park, and drive property prices even higher,” he said.