Residents of Bay Ridge: As someone who loves and cares deeply about our neighborhood, I have concerning news to share about the future of development here. But I also have a plan.
I will start with the bad news. As a result of citywide ballot measures passed by voters last November, Bay Ridge will soon lose significant influence over new housing developments in our neighborhood.
In the past, when a developer wanted to build beyond what current zoning allows, they would negotiate with the local Council Member to shape a project that made sense for the neighborhood. That process has typically produced projects with things like more family-sized apartments, more units affordable to people at different income levels, and additional investments in the surrounding community.
Now, that negotiating power is being taken away from the local Council Member, and proposed housing will completely bypass the vote of the City Council, leaving the final decision with the City Planning Commission. In other words: people who do not live in Bay Ridge will ultimately determine what gets built here.
How did this happen? In response to a citywide housing crisis, voters took to the polls last November and decisively supported a measure that created a new “fast-track” process for building affordable housing. The new process targets the twelve Community Boards that have built the least affordable housing in the past five years. Although our community is home to thousands of existing rent-stabilized, often “affordable” apartments, for myriad reasons, there has been almost no new affordable housing built in recent years.
Furthermore, under these new measures, this will remain the new normal until we build enough affordable housing to move out of the bottom twelve districts, a ranking that will be recalculated every five years. In other words, the only way out is to build our way out — with a clear housing production goal that restores our local oversight and vote in the process.
Make no mistake: this is a deeply concerning change. But voters approved the ballot measures by double-digits, and are now the reality we must contend with.
But I have a plan that keeps the neighborhood in the driver’s seat. By deciding together where development makes sense, we can keep developers from running wild while securing real community benefits and the infrastructure investments needed to support that growth.
How do we do this? I propose that, together with our Community Board 10 and my colleagues in local government, we put forth a comprehensive, community-based rezoning of an area in Bay Ridge known as the “Bay Ridge Triangle.”
Think of this triangle as the area located from 86th Street to 95th Street, primarily between 4th and 5th Avenues. This area is lined with large car dealerships and body shops, gas stations, vacant lots, and medical offices. It’s one of the least walkable stretches in the neighborhood. And because the area is primarily zoned for industrial and automotive uses and does not currently allow new housing development, there is very little foot traffic. As a result, small businesses struggle to survive in these corridors, and we have underutilized lots that diminish our quality of life.
Bay Ridge faces a shift in how new housing developments are approved, with a new citywide fast-track process limiting local oversight and giving the City Planning Commission the final say on certain projects.Map courtesy of Council Member Kayla Santosuosso
By engaging in comprehensive community planning, we can decide together what the area really needs and work proactively with City Hall to make sure the necessary infrastructure and desired amenities are secured. This could mean more green space, safer streets, more landscaping, as well as more community facilities like recreation centers, and childcare facilities. By contrast, individual rezoning proposals do not provide the opportunity to explore these options or to consider the cumulative impact that multiple, separate development projects may have on the neighborhood over time.
Essentially, we have two options: do nothing and let developers shape Bay Ridge as they wish, or be proactive in planning and attracting projects in the areas where we’re open to them, while making it possible to secure more investments from the City through the process. Essentially: let’s organize around what we want, instead of feeling like we need to organize against what we’re trying to stop.
I ask for your support and participation in making sure this new system puts real money and investment back into our neighborhoods — not just into the pockets of developers. If we work together thoughtfully, we can improve our neighborhoods, add to our housing stock, and earn back our community’s voice.
There will be a launch event for this plan soon and it will be open to all. We will invite every resident, business owner, institution, and community organization to participate in this conversation. If you care about the future of Bay Ridge and bringing down the cost of living here, we need you to be a part of this. If we work together thoughtfully, we can improve our neighborhood while ensuring that future decisions reflect the needs and priorities of our community.
Kayla Santosuosso is the New York City Council Member representing District 47, which includes Bay Ridge. She previously served as chief counsel to her predecessor, Justin Brannan, and as deputy director of the Arab American Association of New York.