Council subcommittee slated to vote on East New York rezoning proposal

The New York City Council Subcommittee on Zoning and Franchises’ agenda shows it’s slated to take up the East New York rezoning proposal Thursday,  but the local councilman and the de Blasio administration were not prepared to discuss precisely what will be put before the subcommittee.

Mayor Bill de Blasio’s office declined to discuss details of how the initial proposal may have evolved during negotiations.

New York City Councilman Rafael Espinal Jr., who represents most of the area in question, did not respond to requests for comment before deadline.

The East New York plan is the first of several areas where de Blasio officials aim to implement a new zoning framework that mandates a portion of new residences contain permanently affordable housing, but it has proved controversial. Some Brooklynites fear the average income levels targeted in de Blasio’s plan would be too expensive for East New York residents and spur gentrification. Others have voiced concerns that the administration cannot guarantee the rezoning – and commitments made with it – will be upheld by future administrations.

On Wednesday afternoon, dozens of people blocked the entrance to Espinal’s district office to protest the councilman because he had “failed to come out against a plan that will gentrify the neighborhood” or negotiate a more favorable alternative, said Jonathan Westin, director of New York Communities for Change. Westin said he and about a dozen others were arrested and charged with disorderly conduct. Others who were cuffed included The Black Institute founder Bertha Lewis and Jesus Gonzalez, who unsuccessfully challenged Espinal when he was in the Assembly.

The de Blasio administration has pledged to use subsidies and other tools to ensure half of the housing created is affordable to East New York residents. The mayor’s team has also highlighted plans to build a 1,000-seat school, upgrade a park and use a $1 billion neighborhood development fund to support other initiatives in rezoned communities.