Despite a rare level of community participation in a neighborhood planning project in Bushwick, a recently proposed draft neighborhood plan was met with criticism in an initial public hearing earlier this week.
Sadef Ali Kully reports from a public hearing on the proposed draft neighborhood plan for Bushwick, in New York City. According to Kully, dozens of Bushwick residents, Community Board 4 members, housing advocates, and elected officials were present at the meeting to hear about zoning changes proposed by staff at the New York City Department of City Planning. Protests interrupted the meeting as some residents expressed opposition to any zoning changes.
"The city’s draft proposal comes after some in the Bushwick community decided to craft their own rezoning itself after watching out-of-context development, rapid displacement and rising rent prices transform the area," according to Kully. Some at the meeting expressed concern that the city's proposal includes more density than the plan generated by the community. The community's plan also faced controversy, as documented by Planetizen in August 2018.
Kully reports the details of the neighborhood plan proposed by city staff, including tenant protection measures, support for community land trusts, and zoning changes for residential corridors, side streets, transit corridors, and industrial areas. "DCP also said the city’s Landmarks Preservation Commission plans on evaluating three historic districts and six individual buildings," reports Kully.
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