Borough President Vanessa Gibson voted with conditional support for the City of Yes economic plan, which would overhaul the city’s zoning rules for the first time since 1961.
Photo courtesy Arlene Mukoko
The set of 18 rezoning policies known as City of Yes for Economic Opportunity passed a vote this week by the City Planning Commission and will now head to the City Council after receiving mixed support from community boards in the Bronx.
Now that all Bronx boards have voted, boards 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 and 9, along with Borough President Vanessa Gibson, voted to support the initiative with conditions. Boards 8, 10, 11 and 12 voted “no.”
CB1 voted but did not formally submit their recommendation, according to a DCP spokesperson.
Reflecting the diversity of experience and opinion in the Bronx, some boards voted unanimously in favor of the changes while others expressed unanimous opposition.
For instance, according to minutes from the January full board meeting of CB10, nine representatives from neighborhood civic organizations showed up to voice their opposition. It was put to a vote and unanimously rejected.
And while support was far from unanimous among the city’s 59 community boards, DCP said in a statement that most of the 18 proposals received majority support and some ideas were adjusted based on public concerns.
Among the boards that offered input on a proposal-by-proposal basis, 16 of the 18 received at least 50 percent support with conditions, the agency said in a statement.
And although the input of community boards is advisory only, Garodnick said in a Tuesday press briefing that several proposals were modified based on concerns heard by the agency.
For instance, the proposal to expand commercial use of upper floors now specifies that existing apartments cannot be converted to commercial, given the city’s housing crunch.
Also, the proposal to allow more types of in-home businesses was amended with a cap…
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