BedStuy rezoning up for review.

City Planning Director Amanda M. Burden announced the beginning of public review for the Department's proposed rezoning of over 200 blocks of Bedford-Stuyvesant in Brooklyn Community District 3.

The rezoning proposal was developed at the request of Community Board 3 to preserve the character of the neighborhood's noted brownstone areas while expanding opportunities and incentives for permanently affordable housing and medium density growth along Fulton Street and Atlantic Avenue.

The rezoning features two new zoning districts created specifically to produce modest-sized apartment buildings at a scale that would complement the character of these corridors. The City's Department of Housing Preservation and Development (HPD) will provide financing in conjunction with the proposed inclusionary zoning to facilitate the creation and preservation of affordable housing.

"Bedford-Stuyvesant is experiencing a renaissance of reinvestment but many new developments are out-of-scale with the neighborhood's character," said Director Burden.

"Responding to the community's request, our proposal balances between the need to preserve and protect the neighborhood's scale and character on historic side streets while catalyzing modest residential and commercial growth along Fulton Street and Atlantic Avenue. Working closely with HPD, the community and elected officials, we have crafted a proposal that will maximize the potential for permanently affordable housing at a scale that fits the neighborhood."

The rezoning area is generally bounded by Lafayette Avenue and Quincy Street to the north, Classon Avenue to the west, Saratoga Avenue and Broadway to the east, and Atlantic Avenue to the south.

The community board now has 60 days to review the proposal, after which it will go to the Borough President, the City Planning Commission and the City Council as part of the City's Uniform Land Use Review Procedure.