Community Board knocks back Bed-Stuy rezoning plan

Riverside Developers USA wants to build 296 rental units on Flushing and Franklin avenues

Rose Castle
378 Flushing Avenue in Bedford-Stuyvesant

Brooklyn’s Community Board 3 rejected a rezoning proposal that would have paved the way for 296 new apartments on Franklin and Flushing Avenues in Bedford-Stuyvesant.

Riverside Developers USA Inc. wants to construct two new buildings at 376-378 Flushing Avenue and 43 Franklin Avenue, DNAinfo reported. The buildings are slated to include 296 rental apartments, 90 of which will be affordable. The area is currently zoned for manufacturing, and does not allow for residential use.

The developers are seeking the rezoning to allow for the eight-story and six-story buildings. Community board members narrowly rejected the project 18-17, DNAinfo reported.

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The board is concerned about issues about traffic, affordability levels and the building’s design, according to the publication.

The rezoning plan is the first to come before the community board since the implementation of the city’s Mandatory Inclusionary Housing policy. Under MIH, developers must include a portion of affordable housing in their development in exchange for zoning changes. The policy has been thwarted by developers and fellow politicians in recent months. Last week, the administration of Mayor Bill de Blasio received a shot in the arm when the City Council approved four residential developments that will increase low-and middle-income housing in East Harlem and the Bronx.

Riverside Developers USA, headed by Zelig Weiss, owns 25 properties in the area, according to DNAinfo. The company also developed the William Vale Hotel at 55 Wythe Avenue. Last year, Riverside filed plans to build a 140-key hotel at 27 Stewart Avenue in Bushwick. [DNAinfo]Miriam Hall