530-Block Rezoning Starts Public Review

NEW YORK CITY-The public review process has gotten underway for a proposed 530-block rezoning of South Jamaica in Queens, the Department of City Planning said Monday. If approved by the City Council, it would be the Bloomberg administration’s largest rezoning to date and the first update of the neighborhood’s zoning since 1961.

The rezoning area is located in the southern and western portions of Queens Community District 12. According to the DCP, the goal would be to protect the area’s predominant lower-density character while providing new opportunities for housing and businesses.

In addition, it would seek to bring the Food Retail Expansion to Support Health program to South Jamaica. The FRESH program, intended to encourage development of neighborhood-scale supermarkets in lower-income and underserved areas, was enacted in 2009.

“Since 2002, we have rezoned more than 5,000 blocks in Queens,” City Planning Commissioner Amanda Burden says in a statement. "We have replaced antiquated zoning with fine-grained plans that are tailored to fit each unique neighborhood, and we are continuing this practice in South Jamaica, our largest rezoning.” The South Jamaica initiative follows earlier rezonings in Community District 12: Jamaica and St. Albans/Hollis, both adopted in 2007; and Springfield Gardens, adopted in 2005.

The first stop on the city’s Uniform Land Use Review Procedure route is the community board, followed by the Queens borough president, the City Planning Commission and finally the City Council. The ULURP process normally requires approximately seven months, and entails public input at each step along the way.