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On Thursday, Sept 12, the Board of Trustees of the Park Slope Civic Council adopted a resolution, concluding “that the upzoning request as currently proposed should be rejected and the parties
should negotiate an alternative that would create a significant number of new units of
affordable housing without creating an island of high-rise development completely out of
context with this historic Windsor Terrace neighborhood.”

We thank the Park Slope Civic Council for their efforts and their support of this issue that is so important to Windsor Terrace and South Slope, and which has immediate implications for all neighborhoods in Brooklyn and New York City.

We submitted this essay in response to They’re Starting a New York ‘Housing League.’ NIMBYs Not Allowed., Mihir Zaveri, 2/14/24. The New York Times declined to publish it, so we can publish it here.

In Windsor Terrace in Brooklyn, Housing Not High-Rises is a community organization of renters and homeowners fighting in favor of building housing that would preserve the existing stock of rent-stabilized and affordable housing in the neighborhood. We are working towards a solution that provides housing on the site Arrow Linen is preparing to sell, that does not displace current residents.  

We hope for the support of those we have elected to represent us in finding a more comprehensive, equitable and sustainable solution to the city’s housing crisis, rather than an illegal spot zoning designed to enrich an individual landowner. The Adams Administration is certifying City of Yes for Housing Opportunity, proposing to “create a little more housing in every neighborhood.”  Vishaan Chakrabarti has published a plan to house a million more New Yorkers “without radically changing the character of the city’s neighborhoods.”  These types of comprehensive, city-wide efforts can move the needle in this housing crisis.

Unfortunately, under the pressure of current circumstances, communities are now being railroaded into accepting board-clearing changes more than anytime since the era of Robert Moses’ top-down urban renewals. As we’re learning here in Windsor Terrace, without a collective voice, existing contextual zoning guidelines enacted less than 20 years ago are just temporary; place-holders until market conditions are ripe for a bountiful harvest. This money-making scheme is aided by the current political climate eager to score ‘progressive’ bona fides and abetted by organized real estate interests.  

In August 2023, Arrow Linen Supply Company in Brooklyn, a long-time neighborhood fixture,  filed a spot zoning application which would enable their property to be built to over four times the size allowed by current zoning.  Arrow Linen is not seeking to develop the property itself, but intends to sell it to a developer as they close this site and leave the neighborhood.  The community welcomes housing on this site, and would prefer affordable housing. Under the proposal, the small percentage of mandatory inclusionary housing required would neither be affordable for the workers at Arrow Linen, nor would they offset the loss of the 59 rent-stabilized and other affordable apartments that would be in jeopardy should this application be approved.

Approving this proposal as submitted would create a citywide precedent for speculators to purchase buildings, apply for spot zoning of their properties, and displace current tenants to build more luxury high-rises. 

As noted in New York State’s Zoning and the Comprehensive Plan, spot zoning is illegal when “the change is other than part of a well-considered and comprehensive plan calculated to serve the general welfare of the community.” Arrow Linen’s application clearly benefits an individual landowner who has already taken advantage of the community; operating a commercial enterprise in a residential zone with the continued support of the neighborhood, and participating in a PILOT (payment in lieu of taxes) program that has saved them millions of dollars in taxes over more than 20 years, which the rest of the city has paid for.

At a recent neighbor’s meeting on the block where Arrow Linen’s property is located, long-time tenants who had moved to this neighborhood from other parts of Brooklyn shared their concerns.  A former Greenpoint resident noted that when his neighborhood was rezoned in 2005, community members were concerned that luxury high-rises would be built and that existing residents would be displaced.  That is precisely what happened then, and is what the neighbors of Arrow Linen are concerned about now.

The City Planning Commission has scheduled a public hearing on the Arrow Linen rezoning for Wednesday, Nov 6 from10:00 AM – 12:00 PM (click here to add to calendar) at 120 Broadway in Manhattan in the City Planning Commission Room in the Lower Concourse. We need everyone who can to come and testify against the rezoning!

If you can’t make it in person, you can participate remotely – at 9:00 AM on Wednesday, Nov 6, instructions for how to participate will be posted on the NYC Engage page for the hearing. If there’s any way you can come to the meeting in person, that would be best!

As important as it is to show up to the City Planning Commission’s public hearing about Arrow Linen’s rezoning on Nov 6, it’s vitally important that you submit written testimony to the City Planning Commission!

Instructions:

• On this page, click the “Copy to Clipboard” button above any of the messages in the “Messages” section below that you want to submit, or the “Combined Message” section further down the page. This will copy the text of that message for you. You can also choose to write your own message if you prefer.
• Open the City Planning Comission Public Hearing Comments web page (this will open in a new tab)
• In the “Borough” field, select “Brooklyn“
• In the “Project” field, select “C 240280 ZMK – 441 & 467 Prospect Avenue Rezoning“
• Enter your Name and Zip Code
• Under “I represent”, select “myself“
• Under “I am”, select “opposed“
• In the “Comments” section, either hold down the Ctrl key and press V or right-click and select Paste. This will paste the message you copied on this page into the comments as your testimony.
• Click the “I’m not a robot” box
• Press the Submit button

Messages

Lack of Community Engagement:

This is a greedy move by Arrow Linen to massively profit from the facility they have owned for 40+ years, while operating off a 25-year tax abatement subsidized by city taxpayers. Arrow has spent thousands of dollars on lobbying elected officials, and did not spend any time or resources meeting with the community. Arrow stands to profit hundreds of millions of dollars from this application, and the community has had zero input on this transformational project. I ask the Commission listen to CB7’s findings and uphold DCP’s stated mission “Work with neighborhoods to develop sound ground-up frameworks for growth”.  I ask that you vote to disapprove this application so we can treat housing as a public good rather than a vehicle for massive profit. 

Environmental Impacts:   

Stormwater issues and flooding are frequent occurrences across the neighborhood. There will be thousands of new fixtures flowing into the ancient, combined sewer system. Our sewer systems are beyond capacity and this project will exacerbate unsanitary flooding. Arrow is also kicking the can down the road for environmental contamination impacts from the 113 years of dumping hazardous waste. There is no plan and no experienced entity to address remediation. I ask that you vote to disapprove this application.

Contextual Zoning and Neighborhood Character: 

I welcome more housing at this site; however, Arrow’s proposal will irreversibly alter the character of the neighborhood and undo prior DCP and community-led rezoning efforts. Arrow claims that up to 19-story towers on a midblock amongst 2 to 3-story surroundings buildings would “match the residential context and character of the neighborhood”. This is an objectively negligent and reckless assessment. Furthermore, the community has no clear idea how City of Yes would impact this rezoning and the resulting building size. I ask for a revised, contextual zoning district based on a rational land use framework.

Renter Displacement:  

The block around Arrow Linen has 59 units of rent-stabilized housing, and Prospect Avenue has the most affordable rents in the neighborhood. If Arrow is able to build 13-19 stories of luxury high-rises, this will encourage speculators to price out our neighbors. Arrow Linen is also proposing to rezone 11 privately-owned, multi-family buildings, and these owners have already been victims of predatory speculators.  These buildings are at great risk of acquisition and tenant displacement due to this application. I ask that you vote to disapprove this application so we can treat housing as a public good rather than a vehicle for massive profit. 

The Myth of Trickle-Down Affordable Housing:  

Developers and lobbyists would have us believe that the only way to pull ourselves out of our dire housing shortage is by building new construction. For-profit new construction is overwhelmingly geared toward the luxury market, which has the highest vacancy rates. But it’s lower-income households who face the most severe affordable housing shortfalls, and we have a crisis of affordability. I ask that you vote to disapprove this application so we can treat housing as a public good rather than a vehicle for massive profit. We have a non-profit ready and willing to acquire the site at market rate and build 100% affordable housing.

Combined Message – All Reasons

Please disapprove the application for the following reasons: 

Lack of Community Engagement:

This is a greedy move by Arrow Linen to massively profit from the facility they have owned for 40+ years, while operating off a 25-year tax abatement subsidized by city taxpayers. Arrow has spent thousands of dollars on lobbying elected officials, and did not spend any time or resources meeting with the community. Arrow stands to profit hundreds of millions of dollars from this application, and the community has had zero input on this transformational project. I ask the Commission listen to CB7’s findings and uphold DCP’s stated mission “Work with neighborhoods to develop sound ground-up frameworks for growth”.  

Environmental Impacts:   

Stormwater issues and flooding are frequent occurrences across the neighborhood. There will be thousands of new fixtures flowing into the ancient, combined sewer system. Our sewer systems are beyond capacity and this project will exacerbate unsanitary flooding. Arrow is also kicking the can down the road for environmental contamination impacts from the 113 years of dumping hazardous waste. There is no plan and no experienced entity to address remediation. 

Contextual Zoning and Neighborhood Character: 

I welcome more housing at this site; however, Arrow’s proposal will irreversibly alter the character of the neighborhood and undo prior DCP and community-led rezoning efforts. Arrow claims that up to 19-story towers on a midblock amongst 2 to 3-story surroundings buildings would “match the residential context and character of the neighborhood”. This is an objectively negligent and reckless assessment. Furthermore, the community has no clear idea how City of Yes would impact this rezoning and the resulting building size. I ask for a revised, contextual zoning district based on a rational land use framework.

Renter Displacement:  

The block around Arrow Linen has 59 units of rent-stabilized housing, and Prospect Avenue has the most affordable rents in the neighborhood. If Arrow is able to build 13-19 stories of luxury high-rises, this will encourage speculators to price out our neighbors. Arrow Linen is also proposing to rezone 11 privately-owned, multi-family buildings, and these owners have already been victims of predatory speculators.  These buildings are at great risk of acquisition and tenant displacement due to this application. Please vote to disapprove this application so we can treat housing as a public good rather than a vehicle for massive profit. 

The Myth of Trickle-Down Affordable Housing:  

Developers and lobbyists would have us believe that the only way to pull ourselves out of our dire housing shortage is by building new construction. For-profit new construction is overwhelmingly geared toward the luxury market, which has the highest vacancy rates. But it’s lower-income households who face the most severe affordable housing shortfalls, and we have a crisis of affordability. Please vote to disapprove this application so we can treat housing as a public good rather than a vehicle for massive profit. We have a non-profit ready and willing to acquire the site at market rate and build 100% affordable housing.

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