East New York
By a 45-1 vote, the New York City Council in April 2016 approved a rezoning of a 190-block area of East New York and a 15-block area of neighboring Ocean Hill.
“Part of it is a little sad. I’m looking at all these statistics—the rates of rent-burdened residents, the poor housing conditions. When you see it in print, it makes it stand out and you see the severity of the situation,” one student said.
Photos
GKtramrunner
In East New York, rent burdening is an issue for about 84 percent of households making less than $35,000, but only four percent of moderate-income households.
William Alatriste for the New York City Council
Councilmember Rafael Espinal: 'East New York was a neighborhood that has been neglected for a very long time. ... Bushwick is like a flame or a fire that's out of control.'
Lisle Bruney
East 98th Street at Livonia Avenue in Brooklyn. Like its neighbor East New York, Brownsville combines good transit access, publicly owned development sites, a history of neglect and deep-rooted community organizations.
DCP/DanDoom515
A City Planning rendering of the future East New York and a snapshot of today's Pennsylvania Avenue.
William Alatriste for the New York City Council
Councilmember Rafael Espinal walks along Atlantic Avenue in his district, which includes areas to be rezoned under the administration's East New York plan.
Adi Talwar
Mary Ulloa serves lunch to seniors at the La Familia Adult Day Center on Fulton street. Its owner fears her rent could triple after the rezoning.
Abigail Savitch-Lew
Protesters at the hearing. The de Blasio administration says it will work to ensure that half the new housing created in East New York is affordable.
New housing in East New York has put housing ownership within reach for hundreds of working-class families.
Homes on created by the Nehemiah Program along Snediker Avenue in East New York. Nehemiah and other efforts aimed at and often led by low- and moderate-income residents helped stabilize the area. Now some wonder if gentrification will price those residents out.
News
Video: The de Blasio Rezonings, Revisited
Sadef Ali Kully and Bianca Clendenin
So far, the city has approved six of the 15 rezonings Mayor de Blasio thought he’d accomplish, with one remaining on the docket. Here’s a quick video tour through the communities that have been rezoned.
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Six Down, One to Go: Where de Blasio’s Rezonings Stand
Sadef Ali Kully
What impact have the mayor’s moves had on East New York, Downtown Far Rockaway, East Harlem, Jerome Avenue and Inwood?
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Worries About the Pace of Progress Four Years After East New York’s Rezoning
Sadef Ali Kully
Residents, community groups and the borough president’s office are voicing their concerns over whether benefits promised to the neighborhood are being delivered–and how the COVID-19 budget crunch might affect the city’s ability to make good on the rest of the to-do list.
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Which NYC Neighborhoods Face the Steepest Displacement Threat?
Sadef Ali Kully
According to a new report, many of the neighborhoods that show signs of deep vulnerability are where a rezoning has occurred or is in the offing. Is new density the cause or the cure of that pressure?
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