WOODROW — Staten Island's Community Board 3 voted unanimously to reject the mayor's zoning proposals at its meeting on Tuesday night.
The first board in the borough to vote on the plan joined dozens of advisory bodies citywide to reject the proposed zoning changes aimed at creating and preserving 200,000 units of affordable housing, citing the fear it would add too much density to neighborhoods along with other issues.
On both the Mandatory Inclusionary Housing and Zoning for Quality and Affordability amendments, board members voted 42-0 to reject the plans saying that the housing created is meant for temporary residents, according to the board's resolution.
The board also felt schools in the neighborhoods were already overcrowded and couldn't support more housing and existing public transportation options weren't good enough.
The Zoning for Quality and Affordability, which aims to create more affordable senior housing and care facilities in the city, and the Mandatory Inclusionary Housing, which would require future developments to build affordable units, have been overwhelming rejected by Community Boards around the city.
While other boards have voted on them, Staten Island boards delayed their votes at the request of Borough President James Oddo until he had a chance to fully scrutinize them.
The board's role is merely advisory and Mayor Bill de Blasio vowed to continue to push the controversial plans forward despite the other group's objections.
"They don't have a perfect vantage point on their communities. No one has a perfect vantage point on the whole of a community, but they bring a lot of valuable insight," de Blasio said on Tuesday.
"Community Boards are appointed to give input. They give input. The folks that are elected by all the people, the councilmembers and the mayor, have to make the final decision."
