WATCH: 57th Street Zoning Change Will Bring Rent, Parking and Traffic Woes, Residents Tell Brooklyn BP

BOROUGH Park (VINnews/Sandy Eller) – Citing issues including increased traffic, higher prices, parking problems and safety concerns, residents of Borough Park expressed their strong oppositions to Brooklyn Borough President Antonio Reynoso about a requested zoning change that would allow a proposed housing project on a residential side street that could reach a height of 100 feet.

The May 15th hearing at Brooklyn Borough Hall was one of several steps in the zoning process for the parcel of land on 57th Street between 12th and 13th avenues.

A previous meeting on the proposed zoning change had members of Community Board 12’s zoning committee unanimously rejecting the plan, with the full board voting against the proposal in an advisory capacity, as previously reported on VIN News.

More than 75 Borough Parkers attended the hearing, with several sharply criticizing a presentation made by attorney Richard Lobell on behalf of the unnamed developer.

While original plans for the site called for an eight story building with a ten foot bulkhead, Lobell showed drawings at the hearing for a scaled down project, measuring just five stories high. That change had the borough president questioning why Lobell hadn’t filed a text amendment to the plans for a more modest R6B zoning, which would suffice for the buildings shown, instead of continuing to ask for R6A zoning, which allows for larger buildings.

Addressing Reynoso, resident Abe Klein wondered aloud if the plans shown at the hearing accurately depicted the actual project the developer planned on constructing, should the R6A zoning change be approved.

“The utter refusal of the developer to do a text amendment to his current application should tell us all where he is heading with this,” noted Klein.

As the owner of several properties in the area, resident Yanky German said that he had been trying to buy the property in question, his plans falling through when the developer offered what he described as nearly double the amount he had offered.

“One single man’s greed does not have to disrupt our community,” said German, who alleged that the developer has said repeatedly that he has the connections to push the plans through, no matter how significant the opposition.

Resident David Steinberg addressed two other pain points– parking and traffic. Saying that the developer’s promise of 52 parking places under the project was of little help, Steinberg observed that it is impossible to guarantee that those living in the proposed project would park only in those spots and not on the street.

Steinberg also disagreed strongly with Lobell’s assertion that a report proved that the project would not negatively impact traffic in the area.

“I don’t know where the speaker gets his information,” said Steinberg. “I don’t believe he has been in the neighborhood from eight in the morning till 11 in the morning and from three to seven.”

Explaining that it can sometimes take 20 minutes to go five blocks by car in the area during peak hours, Steinberg continued, “I don’t know which neighborhood he got that report in.”

Echoing those thoughts was driving instructor Mark Hirschhorn, who spends eight hours daily driving local streets, mostly in Borough Park.

“It’s impossible as it is,” observed Hirschhorn. “Doesn’t there reach a saturation point? You just can’t, can’t, can’t keep building, okay? I invite you any time you want, unannounced, come to Borough Park from 8:30 in the morning till six o’clock at night and you’ll see what we’re talking about.”

Speaking to journalist Shimon Gifter after the hearing, project architect Nick Riveras explained that the developer considered the 57th Street parcel to be “not within Borough Park proper,” making it more suitable for higher density development. Rivera also agreed that traffic in the area is difficult.

“If you go during school hours, it’s a mess,” said Riveras. “Midday, it’s always a mess down there.”

While the building was designed with succah porches for every apartment, Rivera acknowledged that perhaps the developer, who has built large projects in Williamsburg, misjudged the demographics in Borough Park, where home ownership is a strong value.

“We thought it was one thing going in, and maybe we didn’t do enough research as to what these fine gray nuances are, the differences between the communities are,” said Riveras.

The plan presented to Reynoso includes 46 apartments but Lobell allowed that, if a compromise was needed, the project could evolve into a shorter building with either smaller or fewer apartments.

“It’s a process,” said Lobell. “We find ourselves in a challenging position. We still are not only open, but desirous of these community conversations, so we appreciate the process.”

Those words rang hollow for Klein, who said that not a single community member has been contacted by anyone representing the developer.

“He keeps on saying he’s looking to speak to the community, yet has not made a single attempt to reach out to anyone, although they took people’s numbers under the ‘auspices’ of wanting to reach out,” said Klein.

The borough president’s office will be accepting comments on the 57th Street project through May 19th after which time it will present its opinion in an advisory capacity.

The zoning change application will be heard next by the city planning commission, before heading to the City Council where a final determination will be made.