After six years, Laurelton is rezoned
Southeast Queens Press
by Sasha Austrie, Staff Reporter
Make no mistake, residents are delighted that the Laurelton Rezoning Plan finally emerged from the City Council with unanimous approval, but some contend that the hard fought battle was unnecessary.
Kim Francis, president of the Concerned Citizens of Laurelton, said Councilman James Sanders (D-Laurelton), who represents the 31st City Council district, was against the rezoning effort. "We spent several years coming up with a plan for Laurelton and Councilman Sanders was not interested," she said.
Francis added that Sanders only backed the plan when he was facing re-election in 2005 three years after the rezoning effort was underway. "He was up' for re-election and popular in his district," she said. "He was being challenged by the Democratic party."
Francis said to support Sanders they told him to employ Consultant Paul Graziano to .aide with the rezoning effort. Sanders said he won his district by 65 percent. He said that he has never been known to shrink away from a fight."My office put in more than 30 calls to Amanda Burden [Department of City Planning Commissioner), and they were never returned," he said.
Graziano said the previous zoning, which hadn't changed since 1961, left communities vulnerable. Previously, the area was, zoned R2, which allowed single family detached residences and R3-2, slated as a general residence district, which allows for a variety of buildings including garden apartments. Existing zoning laws also had areas zoned as commercial districts. The rezoning plan targeted residential rezoning, commercial corridor rezoning, and commercial overlay modifications.
New zoning regulations created lower density or contextual zoning for almost all of or portions of 215 blocks.
Francis said they held about 100 meetings on the rezoning effort. She said Sanders didn't attend any of the meetings nor did he send a representative, but he went to City Planning and conceded to plans' the community didn't want. Sanders said he wasn't invited to the meetings. "There is nothing worse than a community that tries to snatch failure from the mouth of victory," Sanders said. "I commend everyone including my detractors for their hard work."
Richard Hellenbrecht, chairman of Community board 13, said that he can't lay blame on Sanders for the tedious process."It was a very, very difficult rezoning," he said. "There was a tremendous amount of back and forth."
Hellenbrecht said he attributes the delay to the Jamaica and Cambria Heights rezoning efforts and the community being adamant. "Had the community gone along it would have been done three or four years ago," he said. Hellenbrecht added he was "thrilled" the majority of the community's demands were met. The rezoning was passed by the City Council in September after almost six years of give and take. Francis said a celebratory meeting will be held on 10 a.m. Saturday, Oct. 4 at PS 156, 221-02 137th Ave. in Laurelton.
Francis argues that during the six years the integrity of some neighborhoods was destroyed because of rife new development."It is a bittersweet moment," she said. "I'm happy that it went through, but it is sad' and tragic that the community has changed so drastically."
Graziano agrees with Francis. He said from the time the plan was put forth to its inception, houses with historic merit were torn down and houses out of character with the neighborhood rose in their stead."This thing was ready to go over two years ago," Graziano said. "If it would have been' done the right way, a lot of this could have been avoided." Francis said the reason she helped push for the rezoning plan is because she saw other communities benefiting from rezoning.
"There was nothing protecting Southeast Queens,” she said. "We wanted to protect the integrity of the homes." Graziano and Francis said although he fought them all the way, Sanders is taking credit for their efforts. Jacques Leandre, vice president of Concerned Citizens of Laurelton and candidate for the 31st Council District said he grew up in the neighborhoods that benefited from the rezoning."I want the community to remain with the charm that it has," he said. "We have to have representatives in the city council with the best interest of the community. We have to put the community on the front burner."
