EAST NEW YORK — City officials are planning a “cushion against gentrification” in East New York by reserving much of the area for up to 7,000 affordable housing units.
Also a key component of the plan is to turn Atlantic Avenue, from Conduit to Jamaica Avenue, into a "vibrant" growth corridor with buildings up to 12 stories and shopping and services, officials told residents gathered in the Cypress Hills Community School on Saturday.
A map of the proposed changes encompasses the northern area of East New York, from Pitkin Avenue to Fulton Street and a portion of Ocean Hill.
Under the Department of City Planning’s framework, the “character” of residential blocks will still be preserved on side streets with the allowance of low-scale duplexes and rowhouses, as first reported by New York YIMBY.
Up to 7,000 units could be built in the next 15 years, with many set as “protected” subsidized housing, officials said.
"Over the long haul the plan is a cushion against gentrification," a city official said, according to a source.
Also in the short term, the city doesn’t anticipate a demand for market-rate housing in East New York, an agency representative told DNAinfo New York.
The plan is sensitive to the income levels in the area, the representative added, and is part of Mayor Bill de Blasio's 10-year plan for community development, including case studies in East New York, Hunters Point and East Harlem.
The city and community proposed a new planted median along the avenue and plans to turn the corridor into a “vibrant” area with shopping and services.
Under East New York’s existing zoning, new developments are restricted to low density and no new residences are allowed along Atlantic, Broadway Junction and parts of Liberty Avenue. The current framework hasn’t changed in most of the neighborhood since 1961, according to the agency.
In addition to protecting existing low-cost housing and adding senior residences, locals voiced concerns over access to diverse jobs, entrepreneurial opportunities and more healthy food options.
The draft plan will be open to public feedback at a meeting on Feb. 18, though the location has not been announced. It will also be up for community review this summer.
