Dutch Kills residents rallying against the City’s rezoning of Sub Area C
Development in Dutch Kills, LIC
Dutch Kills rearing it’s head in the news again. Thanks to the ongoing struggle between the residents and the city, over the neighborhood’s residentially inclined rezoning proposal (aka Lochness Monster). Although, the city is yet again threatening to fulfill its promise very very soon. Who knows, maybe it’ll actually happen someday?
In a small subsection of Dutch Kills, known now as ‘Sub Area C’ to the city gov’t, and ‘Home’ to its residents, is being rezoned in the wrong direction, according to Chris Lundgren, who is organizing a neighborhood fight against the city’s rezoning proposal:
“The city is destroying us,” says Lundgren. “The difference between the 5B and 6A zoning is that in 6A you can build up to seven stories. With 5B you can’t exceed three stories. That means we will be dwarfed on all sides by structures 37 feet taller than us. My Manhattan view will be lost. When the pile drivers come in to build the seven-story structures all around us they will undermine the foundations of our homes. That already happened to one house on our block, 36-49, which has been condemned and derelict since the pile drivers were used to build a parking lot years ago.
If we’re reduced to dust and all we have left are empty lots, the value of the land will be worth far less without the same air rights as the buildings around us,” says Lundgren.
Dutch Kills neighbors together vs. Department of Planning [Daily News]
Re-zoning seems imminent for Dutch Kills [Queens Gazette]
No more hotels for Dutch Kills [Real Deal]
liQcity Dutch Kills archive:
Fight hard - don’t give in!!
Just curious, but has a city effort to change a neighborhood’s zoning ever been defeated in recent years?
hi,
that building on 21st is another hotel. i noticed the other day they had a “stop work order” posted and it looked like they actually did stop for a few days, but seems like they were working again this morning.
i live in dutch kills, i’m not rich. i live on 38th avenue and well…i have mixed feelings about all the hotels. they are out of place in the neighborhood and i do think it’s maybe too many now, but on the otherhand, the neighborhood could really use a cosmetic boost. at least the hotels will give a bit of freshness. i was actually pysched when they built that storage deluxe on 21st because it gave a little color to the area. at least it was something new!
i live in a house that was pretty run down when my husband bought it and it took us 7 months to get into pretty decent condition. i’m sure most of the houses nearby are in worse shape than ours when we bought it. i live next door to like 2 autobodys and a factory. our block and the ones nearby are littered with hookers. yes, hookers. in 2008. some might argue that’s it’s because we are pretty close to queensbridge, but honestly it’s because at night, when all of the autobody’s and factories are closed, the area is pretty drab and desolate.
i’m not saying hotels are the answer and will solve everything, but i would like to see a little more development in dutch kills. i just think a few newer buildings around will add a certainly vitality to the neighborhood. with new people coming into the area it might help get rid of the hoe problem. maybe i’m naive. i’m just stating my opinion.
Speaking of Dutch Kills/Ravenswood, does anyone know what that building going up on 21 St just north of Queensbridge is?
Some of these don’t come with fancy names and slogans and banner ads.