Council approves Flushing Waterfront rezoning

The City Council voted in favor of the Special Flushing Waterfront District rezoning application Thursday. Rendering courtesy of FWRA LLC

By Rachel Vick

The City Council on Thursday voted 39 to 5 in favor of an application to rezone a piece of the Flushing Creek waterfront for residential use, virtually ensuring that the contentious plan becomes a reality.

Councilmember Peter Koo, who represents the Special Flushing Waterfront District, backed the plan, which will allow a consortium of developers to create a mixed-use residential, hotel and retail complex on a 29-acre plot of land that includes the rezoned parcel.

“This vote comes after decades of planning and proposals,” Koo said in his opening remarks. “This kind of economic development can help New Yorkers get themselves back on their feet. This is a good compromise.”

The rezoning will allow three developers, organized as FWRA LLC, to build a 1,725-unit housing and 800-room hotel complex on the waterfront. The parcel included in the rezoning application makes up about a quarter of the proposed project, while the rest would be built on adjacent property where the developers — F&T Group, Young Nian Group and United Construction & Development Group — can already build as of right but did not have waterfront access.

The rezoning will compel the developers to reserve 30 percent of the units on the rezoned land — but not in the rest of the complex — for affordable housing.

The lack of affordable housing included in the proposal opened the rezoning application to intense criticism from progressive organizations and some councilmembers. Opponents also said the new luxury development would raise rents in the adjacent community, displacing predominantly Asian and Latino residents who have lived in the area for years.

But councilmembers who were skeptical of the rezoning earlier in the process said they were moved to support the plan after a last-minute agreement between FWRA, the 32BJ labor union and New York Hotel Trades Council. FWRA agreed to includes few more units of affordable housing on the rezoned lot.

Several councilmembers voted in favor of the plan despite noting its shortcomings. Councilmember Barry Grodenchik, for example, said there was “no perfect plan.”

The five councilmembers who voted no include three with ambitions for higher office. Councilmembers Costa Constantinides, Inez Barron, Jimmy Van Bramer, Brad Lander and Carlos Menchaca were the dissenters.

Menchaca is running for mayor, Van Bramer for Queens borough president, and Lander for city comptroller.

”At a time and place of extreme need, this body, City Council, will be continuing to approve developments that help the rich at the great expense of our working family,” Menchaca said, adding that the project was a “short-term win for some, while creating a long-term crisis for an existing community.”

“The promise of good jobs is important, yes, but it cannot be justified while threatening the homes of thousands of people barely hanging on to their community today,” he added.

Queens Councilmember Paul Vallone abstained from the vote. Three others, including Antonio Reynoso, a candidate for Brooklyn borough president, did not attend the meeting or left before the vote. 

The rezoning application next goes before Mayor Bill de Blasio.

In a statement, FWRA said it looked forward to developing the underused waterfront land.

“After decades of false starts and stops to activate the waterfront, we could not be more honored to be part of the solution,” FWRA said.

Correction: An earlier version of this story incorrectly stated that Councilmember Daniel Dromm voted against the project.