Proposed Williamsburg waterfront apartment complex hits zoning roadblock

A proposal for a mixed-used Williamsburg waterfront apartment complex was overwhelmingly vetoed last night by Community Board 1. The developers, Abraham and Isack Rosenberg, did not allocate enough affordable housing for their 801-unit, three-building Rose Plaza on the River, CB1 members said, especially for a project that sought a zoning variance for the heights of the three 18-, 24- and 29-story towers. The site, between Division Avenue and the Schaefer Landing complex, currently sits in a manufacturing zone, which means the developers would otherwise need to work within a height limit of 185 feet. “I didn’t think the committee vote was ‘no way,’ we just want to see the project to become better,” CB1 Land Use Committee chairman Ward Dennis said at that hearing, noting that that board has “always pushed for 40-percent affordable housing for new projects.” In the Rosenbergs’ proposal, just 20 percent of the units were designated as affordable.

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