East New York Rezoning Outreach Proposals Leave Residents Uneasy
(DNAINFO) Camille Bautista — Ongoing town halls and community dialogues on the city’s proposals to rezone East New York have done little to quell the fears and concerns of longtime residents, locals said.
Mayor Bill de Blasio’s plan to bring thousands of affordable units to the neighborhood left many residents dissatisfied with the city’s outreach attempts.
“I could only foresee the future, but I cannot change it,” homeowner Jose Lopez said at a Cypress Hills open house about the plan with community groups, elected officials and several city agencies. “Even with these talks they’re having with us, it feels like I have to just swallow it and live with whatever comes.”
East New York is the first neighborhood targeted by de Blasio’s administration for zoning changes that would create and help preserve 200,000 affordable units throughout the city.
More than 1,200 units are planned for the area over the next two years to serve “low and very low-income households,” according to Carl Weisbrod, director of the Department of City Planning.
The city’s Department of Housing Preservation and Development proposed that at least 50 percent of all the housing created in East New York would be affordable to local residents.