Bushwick community leaders look to rezone, stop high-rise developments

The crush of new developments that are transforming Brooklyn’s industrial Bushwick into a bohemian paradise has neighborhood leaders pressing the city to stop the high-rises with new zoning rules, DNAInfo reported.

Member of Bushwick Community Board 4 are telling officials that rezoning is necessary “to preserve the unique character of Bushwick.” 

“To help manage the growth and rebirth of the Bushwick neighborhood we feel the time is right to begin rezoning,” the members wrote to City Council Member Diana Reyna and other officials. “We want to be able to decide and identify which areas of the district are suitable for higher density housing.”

The proposed zoning rules would include “down-zoning,” ensuring towers don’t pop up on residential streets. The zoning also would crack down on the profusion of bars and nightclubs that have become so ubiquitous.

“The last thing Bushwick needs is high rises. It needs affordable housing,” resident Rolando Guzman, who worked with the North Brooklyn non-profit St. Nick’s Alliance to rezone Williamsburg in 2005, said. “And there needs to be some rule to prevent the displacement of local businesses and residents.” [DNAInfo] —Christopher Cameron