NYC Council meetings, chaptered and linked by time.
Created by Uzair Qadir
Inspired by Vikram Oberoi's City Meetings
New York City Council
Zoning, 200 Kent Avenue Rezoning, Brooklyn (C 260149 ZMK)
Read summaries and jump into the video at the segment start.
Council staff gives housekeeping instructions. Chair Farah N. Louis introduces the Subcommittee on Zoning and Franchises, names attending council members, and lists the three hearings: 200 Kent Avenue rezoning, 47-03 108th Street rezoning, and Flatiron NoMad major concession. She notes the St. Augustine item will not be heard.
Chair Louis explains the hybrid meeting format, registration process for remote and in-person testimony, two-minute time limit per witness, written testimony submission via email, and decorum rules including no video recording from the witness table.
Chair Louis opens LU 117 regarding the Flatiron NoMad major concession application for portions of Broadway and Fifth Avenue in Council Members Wilson and Epstein's districts. She describes temporary initiatives to re-envision the corridor between 19th and 31st Streets into a safer pedestrian realm, with long-term programming to be maintained by the Flatiron NoMad Partnership.
Council Member Wilson expresses excitement about the major concession for the Flatiron corridor, highlighting the opportunity to re-envision public space, integrate commercial use, and improve street safety. He thanks Council Member Epstein, DOT, the land use team, and the BID for their partnership.
Council Member Epstein thanks the chair, Council Member Wilson, DOT, and the BID. He emphasizes community, environmental, and public values around publicly accessible space, and notes the significant responsibility the BID is taking on to maintain the space for the neighborhood.
The DOT applicant panel is sworn in. Emily Weidenhoff, Assistant Commissioner of Public Realm at DOT, presents the major concession ULURP application with the Flatiron NoMad Partnership. She explains the expansion from 38,500 square feet to 162,345 square feet, allowing the BID to fully maintain plazas, shared streets, and pedestrian spaces, with revenue cycling back into maintenance and operations.
Weidenhoff shows surrounding mixed-use land uses including Madison Square Park, notes the corridor is part of the Midtown South rezoning (MSMX), and explains the Broadway Vision effort to prioritize pedestrians and cyclists across five BID districts while respecting distinct neighborhoods along the corridor.
Weidenhoff walks through existing conditions from south to north: shared streets at 19th-20th, cycling facilities at 20th-21st, premier public spaces at 22nd-25th near the Flatiron Building with kiosks and art programming, pedestrianized blocks at 25th-28th with outdoor dining, and expanded pedestrian spaces at 28th-31st.
Weidenhoff describes the separate but interrelated capital street reconstruction: the southern portion (21st-27th) is in final design with community workshops planned for fall, featuring full reconstruction with utility connections. The northern portion (27th to Herald Square) is in scoping with DDC and will go through public engagement and Public Design Commission review.
Kyle Gorman from DOT's Public Realm team introduces concession types, explaining they promote active use of public spaces and create opportunities for small businesses including MWBEs. He describes the Plaza Concession Agreement allowing the BID to host commercial events, sponsorships, and sub-concessions, with agreements up to 20 years.
Gorman explains commercial events coordinated with SAPO, where entities like Nike or Netflix host single-day marketing events with fee schedules. He also describes limited sponsorship opportunities, clarifying these are not advertising but small branding callouts with specific parameters for logos and branding in the public realm.
Gorman covers kiosk structures for food and merchandise sales, noting Flatiron has operated a kiosk for years. He describes sub-concessions primarily as tent-and-table style markets for seasonal or year-round use, including farmer's markets, coordinated with multiple city agencies depending on the market type.
Gorman describes pairing concession opportunities with public benefits like programming alongside small business revenue. He introduces concession seating as DOT's form of outdoor dining on plazas, distinct from the Dining Out program, allowing up to 33% of plaza area for concession seating, or up to 50% through a major concession ULURP as proposed today.
Chair Louis asks three questions: who maintains the pedestrian features (Flatiron NoMad Partnership), how frequently DOT inspects the concession area (quarterly reports, audited financial statements, site visits for new installations and 311 requests), and whether DOT requires annual public reporting of revenues and expenditures (reviewed internally but not posted online).
Epstein asks about DOT's role in overseeing environmental agreements. Weidenhoff confirms the agreement will require partners and subconcessionaires to follow environmental laws, and DOT will promote recycling and composting. Epstein asks if the BID will report on environmental compliance; Weidenhoff says specifics will be in the agreement and ongoing conversations, with DOT as backup oversight entity.
Epstein asks about DOT's role in ensuring public seating remains available and visible. Weidenhoff says DOT reviews and approves proposals balancing public and concession seating, regularly checks that approved setups are in place, and ensures concession seating does not encroach into open public seating areas.
Epstein asks about DOT's commitment to long-term public improvements including water fountains and a public bathroom. Weidenhoff says DOT is working with DDC to integrate drinking fountains and water bottle filling stations into capital design, and is in conversations with sibling agencies about providing a public restroom, though technical constraints exist.
Wilson asks how the final capital design will physically protect pedestrians from the two-way bike lane, per Community Board 5's recommendation. Weidenhoff describes plantings between cycling and pedestrian space, tactile surfaces, tactile domes at crossings, and lowered cycling lanes in some blocks. Wilson follows up on whether the BID is consulted in design; Weidenhoff confirms active collaboration.
Wilson asks about Community Board 5's recommendation to relocate the Citi Bike station between 29th and 30th Streets. Weidenhoff says DOT is discussing layouts with bike share colleagues, with proposals for the southern portion coming to the public soon, and the northern portion in the next design phase.
Wilson asks for an update on the Midtown South mixed-use commitments for a kid-first district between 22nd and 25th Streets and two additional car-free blocks. Weidenhoff says DOT is exploring additional pedestrianization proposals for public workshops and is in planning stages for the kid-friendly proposal with BID colleagues.
Felder asks whether DOT regularly analyzes Citi Bike usage to remove underused bikes, observing unused bikes in his district and across the city. Weidenhoff notes her team is not responsible for Citi Bike but says there is data on every bike and dock, and offers to connect Felder with the relevant DOT team for more information.
Felder expresses frustration that the city does not mandate helmets for cyclists using city streets, comparing it to seatbelt laws. He asks DOT to follow up on why there is no helmet requirement. Weidenhoff notes DOT's commitment to safety and free helmet distribution programs. Felder clarifies he wants mandatory helmet use, not free helmets.
Chair Louis calls for public testimony three times; no members of the public sign up in person or online. The hearing on LU 117 is closed and items are laid over. The DOT panel is excused.
Chair Louis opens LUs 118 and 119 regarding the 47-03 108th Street mixed-use residential rezoning in Corona, Queens, in Council Member Thomas-Henry's district. The proposal involves a zoning map and MIH text amendment for approximately 119 apartments, with 30 permanently affordable under MIH Option 1.
The applicant panel is sworn in. Frank St. Jacques of Ackerman LLP presents the application to establish an R7X/C2-4 zoning district on 108th Street in Corona, facilitating a 13-story mixed-use development with approximately 119 apartments. He describes the site's R6B zoning from 1989, adjacency to R5 districts, and transit-oriented location near the 7 train.
St. Jacques shows the rezoning area occupied by non-conforming auto-related uses on 108th Street, with lower-density residential mid-blocks to the east. He explains the proposed R7X envelope as medium-density appropriate for the transit-oriented wide corridor block front, with C2-4 allowing local retail and service uses on the historically mixed-use stretch.
St. Jacques details the 13-story, 120,000-square-foot mixed-use building with 119 total apartments, 30 permanently affordable under MIH Option 1 (25% of residential floor area at 60% AMI weighted average, with 10% at 40% AMI). He notes Community District 4 has the sixth-highest rent burden in NYC at 54%, above Queens and citywide averages.
Louis asks why R7X was selected given a recent R7A approval three blocks south. St. Jacques explains the site is entirely on the 108th Street block front, closer to transit, with fewer lower-density homes within the block, making R7X more appropriate due to separation from lower-density context.
Louis asks for the unit breakdown including affordability levels and bedroom mix. St. Jacques says the building has approximately 60% one-bedroom and 40% two-bedroom units, with the same mix reflected in the MIH affordable units.
Thomas-Henry asks whether the applicant has considered three-bedroom units or more two-bedrooms; St. Jacques says they hadn't but are happy to look into it. She asks about using MIH Option 3 for lower AMI bands; St. Jacques notes Option 1 allows 25% affordable while Option 3 allows only 20%, resulting in fewer affordable units.
Thomas-Henry raises the borough president's recommendations including 30% MWBE hiring goal with quarterly reporting; St. Jacques has no objection. She asks about community facility and commercial space plans; St. Jacques says they've had initial discussions with Common Point but welcome council member input. She asks about investing in local parks; St. Jacobs says they're not opposed but need to understand the mechanism.
Thomas-Henry confirms the building is all-electric; St. Jacques notes sustainability and resiliency features and no objection to the borough president's conditions for pervious pavement, bioswales, and rain gardens. Thomas-Henry raises concerns about the building being twice the height of anything in the district; St. Jacques says they've explored design changes to lower the height and will share them.
Encarnación notes the building looks out of character and the community board was not in favor, asking about direct neighborhood engagement beyond community board meetings. St. Jacques says they only engaged through the ULURP process and community board hearings. Andrew Esposito adds he has independent relationships with CB4 members from prior projects and has had conversations about height concerns.
Thomas-Henry asks if the applicant is open to collaborating with other developers along the corridor on design and commercial space to preserve neighborhood character and avoid retail monopolization. St. Jacques confirms his office represented the nearby development and coordination is easy. Esposito adds they have a personal relationship with that developer and agree coordination on community facility uses would be smart.
Chair Louis calls for public testimony three times; no members of the public sign up in person or online. The hearing on LUs 118 and 119 is closed and items are laid over. The applicant panel is excused.
Chair Louis opens LUs 115 and 116 regarding the 200 Kent Avenue mixed-use residential rezoning along the Williamsburg waterfront in Council Member Ressler's district. The proposal involves a zoning map and MIH text amendment to enlarge an existing commercial building into approximately 143 apartments, with 36 permanently affordable under MIH Option 1.
The applicant panel is sworn in. Jeremy Cozen of Freedman LLP presents two actions: a zoning map amendment from M1-4 to M1-4A/R7X mixed-use district and establishing an MIH area, resulting in approximately 143 dwelling units with 29-43 affordable depending on MIH option. He notes Brooklyn CB1 and the Borough President approved with conditions, and City Planning Commission approved unanimously.
Cozen locates the site on the Williamsburg waterfront, one block from the waterfront on the west side of Kent Avenue, bounded by River Street, Metropolitan Avenue, and North 3rd Street. He notes proximity to the River Ring and Domino developments, describing the area as actively redeveloped.
Cozen shows the existing largely vacant commercial office building with ground floor retail, including a Trader Joe's located mostly below grade. He notes the second floor has metal cladding screening a former parking structure, and upper floors and remaining retail have remained vacant.
Cozen describes the site's M1-4 district, originally modified in the 2005 Greenpoint-Williamsburg rezoning. He explains the patchwork of private rezonings that have created MX-8 districts, and the area's transformation from industrial to a vibrant mixed-use district with maker spaces, retail, and residential uses. He notes the height transition from waterfront to inland.
Cozen shows the proposed development: a partial conversion and enlargement of the existing building, approximately 22,000 square feet of development area, 93,000 residential square feet, retaining 43 parking spaces for Trader Joe's, with commercial ground floor and second floor. A rendering shows the building in context with the future River Ring towers.
Julio Magarino of Hill West describes the facade treatment: retaining existing ground floor storefront glazing with brushed aluminum, re-cladding the second floor with curtain wall and metal panels, re-cladding floors 3-5 with window wall systems, and designing floors 6-14 with alternating floor plates to create facade articulation and a unique identity for the developing neighborhood.
Cozen wraps up the presentation, summarizing the M1-4A/R7X rezoning for mixed-use development with commercial ground floor and second floor, significant open space on the building's podium, and residential enlargement above. He emphasizes the project activates a mostly vacant commercial building and provides new market-rate and affordable housing.
Louis asks how the new addition will be constructed on the existing building and whether businesses will stay open. Cozen says Trader Joe's and other tenants will remain open during construction, staged across four frontages. He notes the building was structurally designed to support the proposed overbuild, making construction feasible with minimal disruption.
Louis asks when construction would start and how long it would take. Cozen estimates 2027 start assuming ULURP approval and DOB drawings, with architect Magarino estimating 12-15 months given the existing structure. Louis asks if the client intends to develop or resell; Cozen confirms the client fully intends to develop.
Louis asks why a mixed-use manufacturing and residential district was chosen when the proposal doesn't include manufacturing uses. Cozen explains the MX district provides flexibility for non-residential uses, matches the predominant zoning in the area, and the applicant is committed to reaching out to local organizations to encourage light manufacturing tenants.
Louis asks for the unit mix and affordability breakdown. Cozen says the building proposes up to 143 dwelling units with 29-43 affordable under MIH, with the applicant open to Options 1 and 2 and leaning toward Option 1 based on conversations with the council member.
Louis asks about the bedroom count. Cozen says the bedroom count hasn't been finalized as this is an illustrative building, but the racial equity report contains a standard studio/one/two/three-bedroom mix. He notes the community's desire for larger units and says the applicant would trend toward larger units, not all studios.
Louis relays Council Member Ressler's question about redesigning bike parking in the Trader Joe's parking lot for better and safer access, per the community board's request. Cozen says the applicant will use best efforts to work with Trader Joe's, noting the bike spaces are within Trader Joe's leased premises, and will incorporate community feedback.
Louis relays Ressler's question about identifying light manufacturing tenants by working with Evergreen, North Brooklyn Business Exchange, and Greenpoint Manufacturing and Design Center; Cozen confirms the commitment. Louis asks about 485X; Cozen says it remains an open question whether 485X will be pursued given the partial conversion and enlargement nature of the project.
Chair Louis calls for public testimony three times; no members of the public sign up in person or online. The hearing on LUs 115 and 116 is closed and items are laid over. The applicant panel is excused.
Chair Louis thanks the public, colleagues, subcommittee council, land use staff, and sergeant at arms. The meeting is adjourned.