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<\/p>\nNEW YORK \u2013 Today, Mayor Zohran Kwame Mamdani and Department of City Planning (DCP) Director Sideya Sherman announced the City will advance neighborhood plans in the North Bronx and the communities south of Prospect Park in Brooklyn.\u00a0 \u00a0<\/p>\n
Centered on White Plains Road in the Bronx and Coney Island and McDonald avenues in Brooklyn \u2013 transit-rich corridors constrained by outdated zoning rules \u2013 the plans aim to create urgently needed housing, including permanently affordable housing, support job growth and deliver long-overdue neighborhood investments.\u00a0 \u00a0<\/p>\n
DCP will conduct community engagement in the coming months to help shape rezoning and investment proposals in partnership with City Council Land Use Chair Kevin Riley and Council Members Eric Dinowitz, Shahana Hanif, Rita Joseph, Farah Louis and Simcha Felder. The Mamdani administration will advance additional planning initiatives in the coming weeks.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cNew Yorkers are being pushed out of the neighborhoods they built because our city has spent decades refusing to build enough housing where people actually want and need to live,\u201d said Mayor Mamdani. \u201cThese plans are about changing that. Along major transit corridors in the Bronx and Brooklyn, we have an opportunity to build more homes, create permanently affordable housing, support small businesses and invest in public spaces and infrastructure that communities deserve. And we are going to do it with New Yorkers leading the process every step of the way.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cAs we work to usher in a new era of housing across our city, neighborhood plans will be a powerful tool for working with communities to deliver housing, jobs, investments and neighborhood improvements. I\u2019m looking forward to identifying priorities, developing these plans, and envisioning what’s possible together with partners in the Bronx and Brooklyn,\u201d said Leila Bozorg, Deputy Mayor for Housing and Planning. \u201cWe\u2019ll continue looking for opportunities to deliver the housing New Yorkers need, whether through land use changes, direct investment or other policies.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cTransit-rich areas saddled by outdated zoning, White Plains Road and the neighborhoods south of Prospect Park are exactly the kinds of places where thoughtful planning can deliver more affordable homes, stronger commercial corridors, and public investments to address community needs,\u201d said DCP Director Sideya Sherman. \u201cWorking alongside local elected officials and the people who live, work, and spend time here, we are thrilled to begin a community-driven process to plan for equitable growth that supports more affordable and livable neighborhoods.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cThoughtful, community-driven planning is essential to understanding how we can better meet the evolving needs of neighborhoods across our borough,\u201d said Bronx Borough President Vanessa L. Gibson. \u201cAs this process moves forward, it is important that community conversations remain focused on affordable housing, economic opportunity, infrastructure improvements, and the needs of Bronx residents. We look forward to robust community engagement efforts that ensure residents have a meaningful voice throughout the process, and I look forward to working \u00a0with Councilmember Eric Dinowitz and Councilmember Kevin Riley, the NYC Department of City Planning, and community stakeholders to help shape proposals that reflect the needs and priorities of the North Bronx community.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cFor a year, our office has worked closely with the Department of City Planning, Council Member Eric Dinowitz, community stakeholders, residents, and small business owners on the White Plains Road Neighborhood Plan to ensure this process reflects the voices and priorities of the people who live and work here every day,\u201d said Council Member Kevin C. Riley. \u201cI want to thank Mayor Mamdani and his administration for prioritizing this important planning effort and recognizing the need for proactive, community-driven investment in the Northeast Bronx. White Plains Road has long served as a vital corridor and central hub for the Northeast Bronx, and this work is about building on the strength of the community by creating a more community-centered and accessible corridor, one that expands housing opportunities, strengthens small businesses and the local economy, improves public spaces and infrastructure, increases affordability, and creates a safer, higher quality of life for residents and future generations alike. I look forward to continuing this partnership alongside our communities as we move this vision forward, not only for the Bronx, but as part of the broader work needed to build a more affordable, accessible, and livable New York City for all.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cWe know that White Plains Road needs more investment, but how we get there makes all the difference. This community-driven process must deliver truly affordable housing, protect the small businesses that are on this corridor, and ensure that longtime residents benefit from future development. I will be focused on making sure this plan gets that balance right,\u201d said Council Member Eric Dinowitz.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cGrowing up in Kensington as the daughter of immigrants, I saw how neighborhoods like ours are built and sustained by working families, small businesses, and neighbors who look out for one another,\u201d said Council Member Shahana Hanif. \u201cI also saw how rising costs and decades of disinvestment have made it harder for longtime residents to stay in the communities they helped build. I\u2019m grateful to Mayor Mamdani and the DCP for advancing a neighborhood study spanning Kensington that centers community input and engagement from the very beginning. This planning process is an opportunity to hear directly from residents about how we can create permanently affordable housing, strengthen our commercial corridors, improve public space, and prepare for future transit investments like the IBX, while ensuring the people who call this part of Brooklyn home can continue to thrive here for generations to come.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cPlanning for the future of our neighborhoods means making sure growth works for the people who already call these communities home. The South of Prospect Plan creates an opportunity to bring more affordable housing, good jobs, community resources, and thoughtful investments to areas that have long been shaped by outdated zoning policies. As we prepare for the future Interborough Express and strengthen transit-connected corridors, we have a responsibility to build communities that are more accessible, affordable, and equitable. I look forward to working alongside colleagues in government , city agencies, and most importantly residents, because the voices of those who live, work, and raise their families here must shape the future of this plan from the very beginning,\u201d said Council Member Rita Joseph.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cAs the Flatbush and Midwood neighborhoods continue to experience rapid growth and increasing affordability pressures, it is critical that the City takes a proactive approach to land use and infrastructure planning, particularly with the future Interborough Express set to transform connectivity and development across this corridor,\u201d said Council Member Farah N. Louis. \u201cI applaud the Administration for advancing the South of Prospect Plan, which represents an important opportunity to thoughtfully plan for affordable housing, infrastructure improvements, economic opportunity, and protections that ensure longtime residents and working families can continue to remain and thrive in the communities they call home.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
White Plains Road Plan\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
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The\u00a0White Plains Road Plan<\/a>\u00a0will build on community planning work conducted in close partnership with Council Members Riley and Dinowitz. The plan focuses on a key, transit-accessible corridor in the North Bronx and intersecting commercial streets that are currently dominated by one- and two-story strictly commercial buildings and have seen little new housing development, particularly affordable housing.\u00a0 \u00a0<\/p>\n
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