Lawmaker Supports Dutch Kills Rezoning

In a letter last week to a fellow lawmaker, Assemblywoman Catherine Nolan announced her support for a proposal to rezone Dutch Kills.

According to a Nolan press release, Dutch Kills civic leaders, including the Dutch Kills Civic Association, have been working with the city to rezone the area bounded by 36th Avenue to the north, 41st Avenue to the south, 23rd Street to the west and Northern Boulevard on the east to a mixeduse residential and light-industrial business zone in an effort to reduce development.

"This rezoning proposal is greatly needed by the Dutch Kills neighborhood and will help preserve the unique character of this community," said Nolan in her letter to City council Member Eric Gioia, who represents the neighborhood. "In our current economic climate, where housing is at a premium, this action will increase stable residential housing and attract families with children into our community."

In 1961, the primarily residential community was first rezoned for light manufacturing, the release states. Over the next few decades, commercial business increased while residential construction declined. Even after the city amended the community's zoning in 1992, new home construction still required a special variance and remained prohibitively expensive.

In 2004, community leaders met with the city to share their concerns regarding overdevelopment and the need for affordable residential housing, ultimately initiating the current proposal. During the planning process, developers continued to purchase property and began pouring foundations, making them exempt from the new rezoning. As a result, tall buildings are being built mid-block next door to residential properties. Parking availability has also become an issue.