Rezoning Update

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Since the neighborhood that Crow Hill Community Association serves sits in the middle of the area covered by the Department of City Planning’s Crown Height’s West rezoning proposal, the Association chose to take a leadership role in bringing this issue to our community.

On April 16th we devoted our general meeting to two issues that could potential change the face of development in Crow Hill: CHCA’s proposal for Landmark’s designation  and the Crown Heights West rezoning proposal.  We created a poll that was distributed at the meeting and on line.  We had 29 poll responses returned from the meeting and 66 from the on-line version.  The response was basically 75% in favor of rezoning and 80% in favor of landmarking. (View poll results.)

On May 9th CHCA presented at the CB8 meeting held to address the re-zoning and based on community feedback, we gave our support to the plan.  We also felt it was important to speak to the comments and concerns that we heard voiced by the community, below is the full CHCA statement: Continue reading →

Town Hall Meeting: Part II

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CrowHill_TownHall_color-thumbTuesday, May 21, 7-9PM
Congregation Kol Israel
603 St. Johns Pl.

We want to build and expand on themes raised by the community during our first town hall meeting.

  • Fair housing
  • Livable neighborhood
  • Community engagement
  • Political engagement
  • Youth engagement

This is everyone’s community. Come let your voices be heard. Help shape our future!

More info: A summary of the first town hall meeting and CHCA’s landmarking and rezoning efforts.

Questions? Want to help get the word out? Email outreachchca@gmail.com.

Poll: Landmarking and Rezoning in Crown Heights

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We are conducting an informal poll to gain an understanding of how the community feels about the landmarking and rezoning. Please let us know how you feel about these important issues.

If you already filled out the poll and handed it in at the last meeting your opinion has been counted, please DO NOT take the poll again.

TAKE THE POLL

More information on landmarking and rezoning.

Results as of May 18, 2013
Screen shot 2013-05-18 at 2.31.50 PM

Comments submitted through the poll
Identifying information omitted.

Continue reading →

Crow Hill Historic District Landmarking Proposal

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Screen shot 2013-05-18 at 1.39.38 PMOver the years, Crow Hill Community Association has been working to educate the community on the many benefits landmark status can bring to a neighborhood.

We have urged interested community members to submit Requests for Evaluation on their own and over the years we have collected and submitted many requests as well. As our membership grows and our neighborhood flourishes, we have more resources to put towards achieving landmark status.

Below is our proposal submitted to the Landmarks and Preservation Commission highlighting buildings of note in our district.

Proposal to Landmarks and Preservation Commission for a Crow Hill HIstoric District
Part 1: Map of proposed district

Proposal to Landmarks and Preservation Commission for a Crow Hill Historic District
Part 2: Buildings of note

Landmarking and Rezoning Meeting

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Help guide the future of our community.

We will be presenting information on both the Crow Hill Community Association (CHCA) landmarks effort and City Planning’s proposed zoning changes.

Landmarking_Rezoning_postcardfrontThis meeting is being held for you to understand these issues, which affect our community.

Tuesday, April 16, 7 PM
St. Teresa Church basement
563 Sterling Pl. at Classon Ave.

In May, there will be a public meeting on the re-zoning proposal after which Community Board 8 will make their formal response to City Planning.

We will also be presenting a brief wrap-up of our March Town Hall at the beginning of this meeting; stay tuned for our second Town Hall in May.

We need volunteers

We’re in desperate need of volunteers to help us get the word out by posting signs on corners and handling out flyers to peple in the neighborhood. If you can spare 30 minutes of any day from April 11 – 15, email outreachch@gmail.com.

More information:

March 23 Town Hall Meeting Summary

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CrowHill_TownHall_color-thumb

On Saturday, March 23, 2013 both old and new residents gathered together for Crow Hill Community Association’s (CHCA) first town hall meeting in the auditorium of PS 22. Overall, the meeting drew approximately 220 people, surpassing organizers’ expectations and reflecting the current energy throughout the neighborhood.

Organizers also noted, however, that while there was diversity amongst the attendees, the meeting’s demographics in terms of race and length of residency did not truly reflect the neighborhood.  So more intense outreach to members of the community who were underrepresented on the 23rd will become an even higher priority for future meetings.

To open the meeting,  a photo montage played on the overhead projection screen showing Crow Hill (the Crown Heights neighborhood stretching from Eastern Parkway to Atlantic Avenue between Franklin and Bedford which has been at the center of conversations around gentrification) at the turn of the century to present day, and a local fiddler entertained the crowd.

CHCA members, Nick Juravich (of the ILoveFranklinAve blog) and local merchant Garnett Alcindor (co-owner of Taste Buds) welcomed the community explaining that the meeting had been called because business as usual was no longer working in Crow Hill and more people needed to get involved.  They explained that all types of issues could be discussed including the positive and negative aspects of gentrification. It was also emphasized that all parties were encouraged to speak openly and honestly.

Continue reading →

Crown Heights West Rezoning

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The Department of City Planning (DCP), at the request of Community Board 8, community residents and elected officials, proposes a zoning map and text amendment for an approximately 55-block area in the western part of the Crown Heights.

The rezoning area is generally bounded by Atlantic Avenue, Pacific, Dean and Bergen streets to the north; Nostrand Avenue to the east; Eastern Parkway to the south; and, Washington and Grand Avenues to the west.

The proposed zoning map amendment would replace the existing zoning, which does not reflect the predominant row-house and apartment building character of this area and which has resulted in the development of tall apartment buildings without height limitation, with new zoning districts that match the existing built character and have height limits.  Zoning text amendments would create a new Inclusionary Housing-designated area that would incentivize affordable housing development along commercial corridors and incorporate required setbacks along Eastern Parkway into the Zoning Resolution.

Crown Heights is a predominantly residential neighborhood in central Brooklyn well-known for its brownstones, row houses and apartment buildings rich in architectural beauty. This comprehensive zoning study was undertaken at the request of Community Board 8 and local elected officials in response to concerns that existing zoning allows out-of-scale development in the area. Recent development has included tall, multi-story apartment buildings on otherwise low-rise blocks that are inconsistent with the typical character of the Crown Heights neighborhood.

The proposed rezoning seeks to:

  • Maintain the existing scale and character of the neighborhood
  • Create incentives for the development of affordable housing
  • Match commercial zoning to reflect the existing retail character

Details and maps available here.

Neighborhood Blood Drive – February 24

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With the recent winter weather, over 1,000 scheduled blood donations in New York City were cancelled. Every day, patients in hospitals throughout our communities rely on these donations to save their lives – so please, join us, and help your fellow New Yorkers.

Assemblyman Walter Mosley and Councilman Ede Fox have worked together with the Church of St. Joseph, RC, to organize a blood drive this Sunday, February 24 – and people across the city are depending on you to donate. More info.

Sunday, February 24
10 am to 4 pm

Church of St Joseph, RC, in the Blue Room
856 Pacific St.
Brooklyn, NY

Town Hall Meeting on Community Vision for Crown Heights

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UPDATE: Read the summary of what took place at the Town Hall meeting.

CHCA is excited to be planning a community-wide town hall meeting in March. We see this as an opportunity to talk about the future of our community, and we want everyone’s voice to be heard.

Saturday, March 23, noon – 3pm
P.S. 22 Campus
443 St. Marks at Classon Ave.

Come to our regular CHCA meeting on Tuesday, February 19 to find out more.

Help get the word out

Download a flier (right click, choose “save as…”), print it out, and give it to the people in your building, school, place of worship — wherever!

You can also download a smaller, postcard-size flier.

Email chca@crowhillcommunity.org to volunteer on our community outreach team and/or to help run the event itself — preparing materials, serving food, providing daycare.