NYC rezonings don’t actually move slowly, City Planning director says

The city thinks that city rezonings are proceeding just fine, thank you very much.

City Planning director Marisa Lago said at a breakfast hosted by Crain’s on Thursday that criticisms about the city moving too slowly on rezonings were overblown, noting that plenty of people think the pace moves too quickly as well.

So far, Mayor Bill de Blasio’s administration has executed affordable housing rezonings for East New York and Far Rockaway and an office district rezoning for Midtown East. Next week, the City Council is expected to vote on an East Harlem rezoning, and Lago suggested her agency would soon tackle rezonings for Gowanus and Long Island City as well.

Rezonings have typically sparked protests from community groups who worry about gentrification and increased density, but Lago maintained that density was a good thing.

“With respect to more density, we’re growing. We need more housing, and density need not be a bad word,” Lago said, according to Crain’s. “With respect to neighborhood activism, when one affects people where they live, there’s a natural conservative reaction.” [Crain’s] – Eddie Small