Gowanus Lounge: Serving Brooklyn

Carroll Gardens Inches Closer to Having Narrow Streets

July 22nd, 2008 · 3 Comments

There was a unanimous 6-0 City Council committee vote yesterday on the Carroll Gardens narrow streets zoning text amendment that puts the crucial zoning change one step closer to an almost assured City Council approval on Wednesday. A special GL Correspondent reports that many supporters of the amendment, which would define very narrow streets in the neighborhood as “narrow” for the purpose of zoning and cut the potential height of new buildings or additions to existing ones, turned out to support the change. One husband-and-wife team, one of whom is a recent appointee to Community Board 6, turned out to speak against the amendment. It was also opposed by a lawyer speaking for 360 Smith (Oliver House) developer Billy Stein, who said the amendment was designed to thwart his client’s project, which had been “entirely resdesigned” after the developer “got rid of” controversial architect Robert Scarano. City Council Member Bill de Blasio spoke in favor of the amendment, noting that it is about the neighborhood and not any single development. Versions of the text amendment have existed for more than a decade. They put the narrow streets (defined by zoning as wide because of the “gardens” in front of the buildings) on the same footing as the rest of the neighborhood. The amendment has broad support and is expected to pass by a wide margin.

Tags: Carroll Gardens

3 responses so far ↓

  • 1 Anonymous // Jul 22, 2008 at 3:01 pm

    The headline “Carroll Gardens Inches Closer to Having Narrow Streets” is misleading. This vote was about reducing the allowed height of buildings on narrow streets, not narrowing the streets themselves.

  • 2 Laura // Jul 22, 2008 at 3:40 pm

    I am delighted to learn that the ammendment is likely to pass. As someone who has lovingly tended my front and backyard gardens for almost 30 years, I am relieved to know that no tall monstrosity will cast my plantings into shadow. I have a standard-size brownstone, and even under the new laws I could almost double it in size (I have no intention to). Isn’t that enough, aspiring builders? People want to live to Carroll Gardens because it is a friendly, garden-filled neighborhood — high-rise buildings would only destroy that.

  • 3 sebb // Jul 22, 2008 at 5:03 pm

    Great News Save CG. Now let’s landmark the Whole nabe.