In Brooklyn Community Board 13’s March meeting, members of the New York City Department of City Planning met with the board to discuss the zoning amendment to the rezoning proposal presented in the previous month’s Community Board meeting.
The rezoning proposal, the Inclusionary Housing Program (IHP) Zoning Text Amendment, is directed to citywide development, which is not limited only to Community Board 13. This amendment claims to create permanently affordable home ownership; areas currently using the IHP are Coney Island and Brighton Beach. In aiming for the units to stay affordable for purchase, the IHP offers incentives to developers to develop the area, while trying to preserve the economic integration of the neighborhood. The majority of these affordable units are rental properties.
The speakers for the Department of City Planning assure the public that a percentage of affordable units will be reserved for the community residents in any buildings built in the area by the developers. However, the building bonuses offered by the IHP preservation programs to the developers to expand into other buildings within a half–a-mile radius of the original building raises the board’s question to the intent of the development.
Board member, Minister Eddie Brumfield stood up and noted. “Any building that goes up should have that 30% for affordable housing and should have 30% for women and minorities.” Minister Brumfield pointed out the “classism” in allowing these bonuses relocate the affordable housing into another building.
Another board member, Jeannette LoSciuto a 75-years-old woman and local resident for over 50 years, shares Minister Brumfield’s views. Her neighbors and fellow residents are worried about needing to move out of the area because current developments. “They don’t want to leave here. They don’t want to leave home. They grew up here,” said Ms. LoScuito.
Community Board 13 will vote on the amendment of the original proposal on March 30, 2009.
“We are different. We are a tight little community,” Ms. LoSciuto declared heatedly. “They have ducks. They have parks. We have a beach. We have an amusement park—if the government would keep their hands off—this is our community. Hands off!”