Carroll Gardens Zoning Text Amendment Hearing Tomorrow, Wednesday, May 7

Tomorrow is the public hearing for the Carroll Gardens Zoning Text amendment. The meeting is at 5:30 PM and will be located in the Community Room in Brooklyn Borough Hall at 209 Joralemon St, Brooklyn, NY.

As Gowanus Lounge reports, there are a number of fliers circulating, which manipulate the reality of the amendment and provide misleading information to a number of homeowners. Please spread the truth about the amendment and invite all friends and neighbors to Wednesday's meeting.

Here is a useful FAQ provided by CORD.

And from the Department of City Planning website:

In response to concerns about out-of-scale development from Community Board 6, local civic groups and elected officials, the Department of City Planning is proposing zoning text amendments to define certain streets in Carroll Gardens as narrow streets for zoning purposes. The text amendment would limit the size and configuration of new buildings and enlargements to more closely match the area's prevailing built character.

Certain streets in Carroll Gardens are mapped on the City Map with widths of 100 to 130 feet. On these streets in Carroll Gardens, the mapped street therefore includes the characteristic deep front yards of homes as well as the sidewalks and roadbeds. The Zoning Resolution has more liberal floor area and height and setback rules for streets that are mapped at widths of 75 feet or more ("wide streets").

The zoning text amendments would apply to the following streets:

•First Place, Second Place, Third Place and Fourth Place between Henry Street and Smith Street; and
•Second Street, Carroll Street and President Street between Smith Street and Hoyt Street

Although these streets have mapped widths that qualify them as wide streets, they look and function as narrow streets. The total width of sidewalks and roadways on these streets is approximately 50 feet.

The text amendment would limit the permitted heights and densities so that future developments would more closely match the existing low-scale context.

The proposal would amend sections of the Zoning Resolution that regulate height and setback, density and FAR. For those sections of the Zoning Resolution, 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 4th Places, and 2nd Street, Carroll Street and President Street between Smith Street and Hoyt Street would be considered 'narrow streets'. The mapped width of the streets on the City Map would be unchanged.

For buildings developed pursuant to Quality Housing, the proposed amendments would limit new development to and FAR of 2.2 and a maximum building height of 55 feet.

For buildings developed pursuant to R6 height factor regulations, the text change would increase the depth of the initial setback distance and produce a more shallow sky exposure plane ratio.