New York Construction Report staff writer
New York City is advancing two neighbourhood planning initiatives aimed at increasing housing supply, expanding permanently affordable homes and supporting infrastructure and commercial corridor improvements in the North Bronx and Brooklyn.
Plans focus on White Plains Road in the Bronx and Coney Island and McDonald avenues in Brooklyn, areas city officials say are transit-rich but constrained by outdated zoning that has limited housing development and economic growth.
“Transit-rich areas saddled by outdated zoning, White Plains Road and the neighborhoods south of Prospect Park are exactly the kinds of places where thoughtful planning can deliver more affordable homes, stronger commercial corridors, and public investments to address community needs,” said Sideya Sherman, director of the Department of City Planning.
“Working alongside local elected officials and the people who live, work, and spend time here, we are thrilled to begin a community-driven process to plan for equitable growth that supports more affordable and livable neighborhoods,” Sherman said.
The city will conduct outreach in the coming months in partnership with City Council Land Use Chair Kevin Riley and council members Eric Dinowitz, Shahana Hanif, Rita Joseph, Farah Louis and Simcha Felder.
The initiatives are being advanced under the Mamdani administration, which says the effort is aimed at addressing housing shortages and affordability pressures in transit-accessible neighbourhoods.
“New Yorkers are being pushed out of the neighborhoods they built because our city has spent decades refusing to build enough housing where people actually want and need to live,” Mayor Zohran Mamdani said. “These plans are about changing that. Along major transit corridors in the Bronx and Brooklyn, we have an opportunity to build more homes, create permanently affordable housing, support small businesses and invest in public spaces and infrastructure that communities deserve.”
White Plains Road plan
The White Plains Road plan builds on earlier community work and focuses on a transit corridor in the North Bronx where low-rise commercial buildings currently dominate and new housing development has been limited.
Previous engagement, including in-person events and an online “Voice to Vision” tool, identified concerns about affordability, economic challenges and public realm improvements.
Over the next year, the city will develop a rezoning proposal intended to encourage additional housing, including income-restricted affordable units, while supporting small business growth and infrastructure upgrades.
Community engagement will begin with a neighbourhood “walkshop” in June, followed by the release of a zoning concept map later this year. The study area includes White Plains Road from Adee Avenue to the Bronx-Mount Vernon border, along with portions of Gun Hill Road and East 233rd Street.
South of Prospect plan
The South of Prospect plan focuses on corridors along Coney Island and McDonald avenues in Brooklyn, stretching from Caton Avenue and Fort Hamilton Parkway to Avenue I.
City officials said outdated single-use zoning has limited housing construction and job growth despite strong transit access, contributing to affordability pressures.
The plan also considers future transit improvements, including the proposed Interborough Express (IBX), which would serve the area.
The plan launches with a new online survey, and DCP will hold a series of public engagement events in coming months that will inform a zoning concept map scheduled for release next year.
