Astoria/LIC Ravenswood Rezoning Study

The Old Astoria Neighborhood Association requests that the City of New York authorize and fund the NYC Department of City Planning to conduct a rezoning of the area of CD1. This neighborhood has not been rezoned since 1961. Two areas of CD1 have been rezoned: Astoria North of Broadway, and the Dutch Kills Special Zoning District. We ask that the remaining areas, (also known as the Ravenswood Rezoning) continue the process of Contextual Zoning. The last rezoning took place over 58 years ago. Our neighborhood has undergone significant change since then.

This process, with the proper neighborhood input, will eliminate the spot rezoning that are now being voted upon without the benefit of a long-term plan that would make sure that they make sense in the larger scheme of development. Because of the Astoria Rezoning of 2010, there have been few rezoning requests north of Broadway. Almost all current requests are taking place in the area of the Ravenswood Rezoning.

Positives include:

1. The neighborhood rezoning process would allow the community to have input into what their neighborhood will look like in its entirety, insuring the quality of life they deserve, while allowing controlled growth and facilitating jobs and commercial development.
2. Developers would be able to forego the expensive and time consuming ULURP process. They would know immediately what type of building they will be able to put up, and make smart investments with certainty.
3. Homeowners and buyers would have clarity as to the nature of the neighborhood they are investing in.
4. The new zoning would reflect more accurately current uses and guide development in a positive fashion for the neighborhood.
5. It is almost impossible now for a spot zoning or variance to be properly accessed without an overall Community Approved plan to compare it to.

Lastly,  it is imperative that this rezoning take place asap, to make sure that the city has all the tools in place to control growth so that it does not negatively affect the quality of life of residents.

Richard Khuzami

Mr. Khuzami has been a member of Community Board 1 in Astoria, NY for the last 20 years. He sits on the Zoning and parks Committees and is on the Executive Board. Previously, he served as Parks and Culture chair of Community Board 1 for eleven years and also chaired Capital and Expense priority Committee. He is a member of the Queens General Assembly and had been a panelist for grant submissions for the Queens Council on the Arts (QCA). Richard also is an officer of The Eastern Mediterranean Business Culture Alliance (EMBCA) and President of OANA.