City Planning Commission greenlights LIC rezoning

The City Planning Commission greenlit the OneLIC development on Wednesday. Rendering via the Department of City Planning

By Ryan Schwach

The New York City Planning Commission overwhelmingly voted to approve the OneLIC neighborhood plan on Wednesday, sending the latest attempt to rezone the city’s fastest growing neighborhood to the City Council.

In a vote that was considered a foregone conclusion, the CPC voted 10 to one to greenlight the massive OneLIC plan, the rezoning of 54 blocks that essentially amounts to the creation of a new neighborhood.

The project, which is supported by most local elected officials and community boards, will now head to the City Council for final approval.

The plan rezones and retools a large portion of LIC, a neighborhood that has already seen a decade of development, by encouraging developers to bring 10,000 new units of housing and over 3 million square feet of commercial space alongside open space and other amenities.

For the most part, members of the community, as well as local Councilmember Julie Won and Borough President Donovan Richards, support the effort, but have also argued it needs to include more affordable housing and benefits for the existing community, like park space.

With the project now on to the Council, Won and her elected colleagues will be tasked with ironing out those aspects of the project.

“We need to make a change and bring forth the housing opportunities that New Yorkers deserve, and we can do so with the OneLIC plan,” said CPC Chair and Department of City Planning Commissioner Dan Garodnick at Wednesday's vote. “With its central location, access to multiple subway and bus lines, strong local economy and excellent amenities, Long Island City is exactly where the city should be adding more housing, and that's what this holistic plan will bring forth.”

Garodnick and the nine of his colleagues who voted to approve the project applauded the agency’s work on the plan, and the potential benefits it could bring for LIC.

“With this plan, we are unlocking a brighter future for Long Island City, one where more families can find an affordable place to live, where businesses can open and succeed, and where residents, workers and visitors alike can enjoy a flourishing green space in a more active, vibrant and welcoming community,” said Garodnick.

Only board member Juan Camilo Osorio voted against the project at the meeting on Wednesday, saying he was dismayed by the results of the environmental impact study done for the project, and its lack of affordability. The latter was also a major complaint for local community boards.

“I cannot support a proposal until there is a guarantee that if housing were to be developed here in public land, it would be 100 percent affordable,” Osorio said. “I really hope that these items can be addressed as the proposal moves forward, where I also want to encourage the department to strengthen flood resiliency strategies.”

Mayor Eric Adams also applauded the CPC’s approval on Wednesday.

“Our ‘OneLIC Plan’ will help Long Island City write the next great chapter in its history, making sure families can find an affordable place, businesses can find a good place to grow, and everyone can access and enjoy the waterfront throughout the neighborhood,” said Adams. “Whether its advancing five ambitious neighborhood plans like this one, passing the first citywide rezoning in six decades, or shattering affordable housing records year after year, our administration is using every tool we’ve got to create the homes New Yorkers need and make sure our city is the best place to raise a family.”

The Council’s hearing for the project is scheduled for Sept. 17.