City Council Gives The Death Sentence To Bill de Blasio's Inwood Rezoning

Mayor Bill de Blasio’s proposed rezoning of Inwood, which would’ve allowed developers to build a 15-story, 369k SF building with 50% affordable units, has been unanimously rejected by the City Council.

Standing in front of a crowd of residents and protestors, City Councilman Ydanis Rodriguez announced his opposition to the project Monday night, serving as the precursor to the official death knell in council chambers the following day, Crain's reports.

The project was the first private application under Bill de Blasio’s Mandatory Inclusionary Housing policy, which was approved in March and allows developers to build bigger buildings as long as at least one-fifth of the units are available below market value.

Now that the inclusionary zoning measure has failed, developers Washington Square Partners and Acadia Realty Trust—which had reached an agreement with the city to receive subsidies to make 355 affordable units—have said they’ll continue with plans for a 14-story building with no affordable units.

The community has been opposed to the project for a while due to its scale and fears of it being a precursor for gentrification.

Rodriguez had drawn out his position on the proposal for weeks, delaying a committee vote and even meeting with the de Blasio administration and the developers to discuss potential perks. Even his announcement of the announcement of his position (yes, you read that right) was delayed and met with much criticism, as reported by Politico. [Crain's]

Continue reading this story with a free account

Log in or register
Sign up for more articles like this
Subscribe to Bisnow's New York Newsletters
Related Stories

Mountain Developers Look To Mobile Homes, Deed Restrictions For Affordability Solutions

Bally's Lines Up $560M Loan For Bronx Casino: The N.Y. Deal Sheet

Data Center Spills 5,000 Gallons Of Fuel Into New Jersey River

Historic Brooklyn Hotel To Be Turned Into Ritz-Carlton-Branded Condos

Dublin BTR Had A €1B Summer

Taconic Partners Sheds Another NYC Life Sciences Property

Airbnb Launches $250M Fund To Invest In Affordable Housing

Oxford Properties' U.S. Investment Head On Why It's Buying Office Again — And Where

Ireland's Tallest Building Set To Be Centrepiece Of Dublin Residential Scheme

25 Years After 9/11, Lower Manhattan Is Finally Firing On All Cylinders

Tishman Speyer Seeks $92M Tax Break For Next Hudson Yards Office Tower

SL Green Selling SoHo Building For $226M