Council Member Louis asks about IBX and planning for central Brooklyn
She asks how DCP is planning for communities affected by the Interborough Express; Garodnick says TOD is a cornerstone, South of Prospect plan intersects with IBX, and they are planning long-term.
Thank you, Chair Riley, and it's good to see you, Chair Sherman.
Three quick questions.
You mentioned in your testimony development of the Citywide Transit Oriented Development Initiative, and I wanted to ask you a question around Interborough Express.
Given that Interborough Express is still years away from operation, how is DCP planning for communities in central Brooklyn, including districts like mine, the 45th, that will be affected by the arrival of this new transit line?
Thank you for your question, Councilmember, and thank you for your partnership on the South of Prospect plan.
Transit-oriented development is certainly a cornerstone of block-by-block.
It offers a tremendous opportunity for us to focus on developing housing, developing affordable housing, and bringing New Yorkers closer to transit.
We have over 650 miles of transit in our city.
Believe it or not, some areas of our city, we still see outdated zoning, where the zoning is really not matching the potential that the transit offers.
So with respect to the IBX, one of our first neighborhood plans is South of Prospect, which we know will intersect with the future IBX line.
We have factored that into how we're planning in that community.
And by design, the IBX line, the nodes, right, connect to our existing transit system.
And so there's a lot of opportunity for us to think about as we plan for growth around our existing transit system, how that also can set the stage.
for future IBX as well as other lines.
In the last administration, there was planning around the future stations of the Bronx Metro North.
And we know that the timeline for that has shifted, but planning is for the long term.
And so, you know, we're looking at this work much, you know, very much in the long term and making sure that we're at least unlocking the zoning tools that we need to ensure that as those stations emerge, we've planned for the growth and neighborhood vitality that's needed, starting in South of Prospect.