Headed for Approval: Rezoning for Affordable Housing in Far Rockaway

"The City Council’s land use committee unanimously approved a rezoning of Far Rockaway on Tuesday, clearing the way for a full Council vote on the plan to transform 23 blocks of the Queens neighborhood," reports Eddie Small. The full council is expected to vote on the rezoning in the next few weeks.

"The Far Rockaway rezoning plan covers 23 blocks and would bring more than 3,000 residential units to the neighborhood, according to the city’s Economic Development Corporation," explains Small. There's more detail on the envisioned goals of the plan:

This is the first rezoning to hit Far Rockaway since 1961, and the EDC estimates that, in addition to the more than 3,000 new residential units, it will also create approximately 250,000 square feet of commercial space, 86,000 square feet of community space and 30,000 square feet of open space. 

Planetizen first caught wind of the Far Rockaway rezoning as part of an investment plan to revitalize the neighborhood in the wake of Superstorm Sandy. If approved, the Far Rockaway rezoning would join other recent rezoning efforts like East New York and Midtown East. Next up on the list could be East Harlem.