Sunnyside-Woodside Rezoning Passes
Van Bramer and City Council Vote to Protect Neighborhood Character and
Strengthen Small Businesses
CITY HALL, NY – On July 28th, Council Member Jimmy Van Bramer and the New York City Council voted to pass the rezoning of Sunnyside and Woodside. The rezoning will prevent development that is out of character while protecting the low density nature of much of the area.
The Sunnyside –Woodside rezoning has been one of Van Bramer’s top priorities since taking office in January 2010. The Council Member hosted a town hall with over 100 in attendance last June and has collaborated with many entities, including community groups, City Planning, and the Community Board to push the plan to completion.
The 130 block rezoning works to preserve the character of local neighborhoods. The previous zoning, completed 50 years ago, all too frequently allowed smaller one and two family homes to be torn down in favor of unsightly and out of scale buildings that hurt the stability of these great neighborhoods.
In addition, the rezoning lifts the restrictions on sidewalk cafes along Queens Boulevard while also allowing for small, unenclosed cafes on portions of Skillman Avenue. This will aid small businesses along these thoroughfares by increasing the walkability of those streets, bringing added vibrancy to these commercial strips. The increased foot traffic will bring more people out to shop at surrounding stores, improving the local economy.
The population of Sunnyside and Woodside is growing in both number and diversity. The pace of development in Sunnyside and Woodside has increased in recent years for many reasons, including its attractive and well-kept streetscapes, bustling commercial corridors, and convenient mass transit to and from Manhattan.
“The Sunnyside-Woodside rezoning goes a long way towards preserving the character of our neighborhoods for generations to come. The rezoning will prevent development that is not in character with the neighborhood and will prevent these buildings from littering the landscape of the community. In Queens, we’ve all witnessed too many teardowns of one and two story homes only to be replaced by large, multi-unit dwellings that don’t fit the scale of surrounding homes. One of the most exciting aspects of this rezoning is the lifting of restrictions of sidewalk cafes along Queens Boulevard while also allowing for small, unenclosed cafes on portions of Skillman Avenue, which will be a great help to small businesses. I am grateful to Speaker Quinn, Council Members Comrie and Weprin, City Planning, CB 2 and the community for helping to make this a reality and preserve the low density nature of our neighborhoods,” said Council Member Jimmy Van Bramer.