By Linda Collins
Brooklyn Daily Eagle

CARROLL GARDENS — The City Council passed a zoning proposal Wednesday that will protect 89 blocks in Carroll Gardens from being transformed by high-rise development.

The vote was 48-0, according to a council spokesperson.

Sponsored by Council Member Bill de Blasio, who represents Carroll Gardens, the proposal imposes height limits on buildings, capping them at 50 feet (70 feet in an area where buildings already exist at that height), in what had been a traditionally low-rise brownstone community with no height restrictions.

“Today’s victory would not have been possible without the many community organizations and activists who demanded that the voice of their neighborhood was heard,� said de Blasio, adding that extensive input came from Community Board 6, local residents/activists and other elected officials, including Council Member David Yassky. “For the past two years, we have been fighting to preserve the character and context of [this] unique Brooklyn neighborhood.�

According to Land Use Committee chair Melinda Katz, this large-scale contextual rezoning “strives to preserve and protect neighborhood character and scale� by implementing new height limits throughout the neighborhood and to support local retail corridors while protecting the residential character of nearby side streets.

“This contextual rezoning will preserve the area’s existing residential character, distinguished by the neighborhood’s historic brownstones, while supporting vibrant, local retail corridors on commercial thoroughfares,� she said.

Brooklyn Borough President Marty Markowitz, who applauded the City Council and the Department of City Planning, said, “With few exceptions, the resulting zoning change largely reflects the community’s desire for limiting building heights to 50 feet. The rezoning will go a long way in achieving the community’s objective to preserve the unique ambience and character of the neighborhood.�

The effort also received the support of the Historic Districts Council. Said Simeon Bankoff, executive director, “This rezoning is an important step in protecting the historic character and human scale of this wonderful neighborhood. Especially these days, when Downtown Brooklyn is increasingly at risk of becoming a forest of towering glass and steel, steps like this must be taken to preserve Brooklyn's historic, low-scale neighborhoods. These communities have been homes for New Yorkers for over 100 years and they deserve to be saved, so that they can continue to nurture future generations.�

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