Marc Bussanich

EDC's Eleni Bourinaris responds to a board member's question about why the city wants to put housing in Far Rockaway.

Queens Community Board 14 voted on Wednesday night to approve with conditions the city’s proposed rezoning of downtown Far Rockaway by a vote of 26 to 2.

The vote followed a public hearing in which 10 people voiced concerns about an influx of apartments (more than 3,000 in the original proposal), the plan’s lack of a new school or new hospital to accommodate that increased population, and the difficulty of creating a safe evacuation plan for so many people in the event of another hurricane.

But another 11 people voiced support of the rezoning, with many repeating the comment that downtown Far Rockaway is currently an “eye-sore” long overdue for change.

You can watch video of the full hearing here, but below are three key exchanges:

EDC responds to a question about housing

An exchange of views on the merits of the plan

Storm safety and stores’ survival