Borough President Opposes City's Inwood Rezoning Plan

INWOOD, NY — Borough President Gale Brewer is officially opposing the city Economic Development Corportation's proposal to rezone a large portion of the Inwood neighborhood, Brewer announced Friday.

Brewer cited a lack of protections for Inwood's businesses and current tenants in the city's plan as a reason for her opposition. The borough president warned that Inwood is facing displacement with or without a rezoning, but the city's rezoning plan wouldn't counteract displacement.

"One test a rezoning plan must withstand is how much it does to counteract displacement," Brewer said in a statement. "A rezoning could add sorely-needed new housing with guaranteed, permanently affordable units, but it cannot work unless it includes stronger protections and support for existing local businesses and tenants."

Brewer's recommendation outlined four areas in which the city's plan needs to improve: Creating more housing that is affordable to Inwood's current residents, implementing programs and policies to ensure residents are not displaced, measures to protect Inwood's small businesses from displacement and creating opportunities for new businesses, job, and cultural resources to help preserve Inwood's character.

Some policies proposed by Brewer include the targeting underutilized of city-owned sites for affordable housing, investments in the New York City Housing Authority's Dyckman Houses, the push for deeper affordability under the city's Mandatory Inclusionary Housing law and removing or delaying the city's proposed "Commercial U" — which will upzone Inwood's main commercial corridors on Dyckman Street, Broadway and West 207th Street.

"Without such changes, the plan provides inadequate benefits to the current residents and businesses of Inwood," Brewer said in a statement. "These changes would move the plan significantly toward the goals expressed by the hundreds, if not thousands, of residents and business owners my office has heard from over the last two years."

The borough president's recommendation will be considered by the City Planning Commission during its review of the city's rezoning plan. Community Board 12, which represents Washington Heights and Inwood, also voted to oppose and modify the city's plan in a nuanced resolution passed in March.

In accordance with the city's Uniform Land Use Review Procedure (ULURP), the Community Board and Borough President recommendations are only advisory. The City Planning Commission and the City Council have the power to modify the city's rezoning plan.

Read more about the city's plan here.

Photo by NYC Economic Development Corportation