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At Inwood Rezoning Meeting, More Fears of Gentrification

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Dozens of residents packed into the gymnasium at Washington Heights Academy Monday night for the latest in a series of public meetings about the city’s plan to rezone Inwood—a proposal officials say will help spur the creation of new affordable housing, but which some critics fear will speed up gentrification and displacement in the neighborhood. The city’s Economic Development Corporation (EDC) is proposing the changes, which would rezone mostly industrial areas on and east of 10th street to allow for significant residential and commercial development. Busy commercial districts on Broadway, Dyckman and 207th streets would be rezoned to allow for greater density under the plan, with upzoned areas subject to the city’s mandatory inclusionary housing (MIH) policy, which requires a portion of new residential development be rent-restricted. The proposal would also “contextually rezone” several residential blocks, using height limits and other restrictions to preserve the area’s existing character. City officials say the plan is necessary to update Inwood’s outdated zoning—which hasn’t been changed in more than 50 years—and expect the proposal to generate up to 4,348 new apartments in the neighborhood, including 1,325 to 1,563 income-targeted units under the MIH requirement.