Subcommittee on Zoning and Franchises · Tuesday, February 3, 2026

The one where a Ravenswood lawyer admitted 6 rezonings since 2018 never broke ground, then asked for a 7th

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Subcommittee on Zoning and Franchises

Tuesday, February 3, 2026

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laid over

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Eight rezonings rolled through Chair Farrell Lewis's first meeting running the zoning subcommittee, and the sharpest moment came in Ravenswood, where Councilmember Tiffany Caban put the area's track record on the record: since 2018, six private rezonings have won approval allowing up to 1,192 new units, roughly 300 of them affordable, and not one project has broken ground. She asked the applicant's attorney, Richard Bass of Akerman, why. His answer named COVID, two rounds of the Trump administration, rising interest rates, and the death of both 421-a and 485x, then conceded his crystal ball was cloudy. The 33-01 11th Street site he was pitching, owned by Catholic Medical Mission and zoned R5 since 1961, would add 251 units with 63 permanently affordable, plus a 3,300 square foot office so the nonprofit can move its back-office staff off Wall Street. Caban won a switch to MIH Option 1 for deeper affordability and a commitment to prioritize childcare, health clinics, and groceries on the ground floor. The item was laid over.

In Far Rockaway, Councilmember Selvena Brooks-Powers pressed Richard Lobel of Sheldon Lobel on the thing she cares about most: homeownership. The 14-10 Beach Channel Drive plan, a seven-story building cut from 118 units to 98 after community board feedback, maps MIH Option 1 for about 25 affordable units and preserves an existing church on site, with a fresh-food supermarket planned at the corner. Brooks-Powers pointed to Ocean Crest and the Arverne East project as local proof that rental-and-ownership mixes can work, and Lobel said the developer was still studying whether financing allows it. The unit mix landed at 57 one-bedrooms, three two-bedrooms, and ten three-bedrooms with a single studio reserved for a super.

The day's cleanest deal came out of Sheepshead Bay, where Councilmember Inna Vernikov said the 1417 Avenue U project normally would not have her vote. Community Board 15 voted it down over parking. But the team committed in writing to 27 parking spaces for 76 units, close to one-to-one, half a block from the Avenue U Q station, and Vernikov flipped to support. Every hearing was held and laid over, leaving the votes for a later session and the real test, whether any of these buildings actually rise, for the years after that.

From the room

“developments with option two i'm sorry with option three deep affordability most specifically along atlantic avenue in Brooklyn”
— Richard Lobel

“The uh application as it was before the community board was a hundred and eighteen units. That's been reduced to ninety eight”
— Richard Lobel

“think there's seventeen thousand units. I think it's number one and number two for all the affordable housing in New York City”
— John Corey

“her promise made in public and on the record at the community aboard eleven meeting where she said she would vote against this project”
— Leo Maronello

The decisions

01LU 0028-2026C 240079 ZMQZoning MapLaid over

14-10 Beach Channel Drive

with 1 related matter · LU 0029-2026

Heard and laid over. Richard Lobel pitched a seven-story building at 14-10 Beach Channel Drive in Far Rockaway, cut from 118 to 98 units after community board feedback, mapping MIH Option 1 for about 25 affordable units with 81 parking spaces, a preserved house of worship, and a fresh-food supermarket at the corner. Councilmember Brooks-Powers pushed for affordable homeownership and more family-sized units; the mix landed at 57 one-beds, three twos, and ten threes.

The deal

Site

14-10 Beach Channel Drive

Affordable

District

District 31

Mandatory inclusionary housing

Option 1

25 affordable

Opposition & support

Concerns: cement-facility dust · lack of community benefit

Conditions

Member emphasizes expanding pathways to homeownership; wants homeownership models incorporated alongside rental housing
Applicant has worked with Council Member Brooks Powers in several conversations; made changes to the building design said to be more reflective of the area's context
Member notes long lead-time conversations with sponsor since she was first elected; still more work to be done before moving forward
Member conditions moving forward on stronger commitments important to the community (beyond the noted color-scheme/design change)
Member points to Astoria precedent (project with both rental and homeownership) as a model the applicant should look at
Member asks for more family-sized (two- and three-bedroom) units; appreciates the studio decrease

+3 more conditions

Land-use review

CB Community Board (Rockaway / Queens CB14) Disapprove

Properties14-10 Beach Channel Drive

Legislation →ULURP case →

02LU 0024-2026C 240145 ZMQZoning MapLaid over

78-08 Linden Boulevard

with 2 related matters · LU 0025-2026 · LU 0026-2026

Heard and laid over. The 78-08 Linden Boulevard mixed-use rezoning in Councilmember Ariola's district was opened for the public hearing; no testimony was recorded in the transcript.

The deal

Site

78-08 Linden Boulevard

District

District 32

Mandatory inclusionary housing

Conditions

modification of a 1976 restrictive declaration to allow as-of-right development
applicant revised design to include senior housing and shifted bulk away from two-story buildings on 79th Street; agreed to work with the community on the specific use of community facility space
set a minimum hiring and contracting goal of 30% MWBE firms, local residents, and locally based organizations
1976 restrictive declaration terms require no windows, doors, or advertising facing 79th Street; modification needed to proceed as-of-right under the proposed designation
30% MWBE / local resident / local org hiring & contracting goal
quarterly hiring reports + provide written CB10 commitments

Land-use review

Properties78-08 Linden Boulevard

Legislation →ULURP case →

03LU 0022-2026C 250268 ZMQZoning MapLaid over

63-12 Broadway

with 1 related matter · LU 0023-2026

Heard and laid over. The 63-12 Broadway residential rezoning in Councilmember Won's district was opened for hearing with no recorded public testimony.

The deal

Site

63-12 Broadway

Affordable

District

District 26

Mandatory inclusionary housing

22 affordable

Land-use review

CB Community Board 2 (Queens) Other

Properties63-12 Broadway

Where it standsCB Community Board 2 (Queens) ✓→Committee→Full Council

Legislation →ULURP case →

04LU 0020-2026C 240297 ZMQZoning MapLaid over

Bay Terrace

with 1 related matter · LU 0021-2026

Heard and laid over. The 217-14 24th Avenue rezoning in Councilmember Lee's district was opened for hearing with no recorded public testimony.

The deal

Site

Bay Terrace

Affordable

District

District 19

Mandatory inclusionary housing

55 affordable

Land-use review

CEQR: Other

CB Queens Community District 11

CB Queens CB11 Disapprove

CB Queens Community Board 11

PropertiesBay Terrace

Where it standsCB Queens Community District 11 ✓→Committee→Full Council

Legislation →ULURP case →

05LU 0030-2026Laid over

Ethyl's Alcohol & Food

Conditions

Speaker resolved outstanding issues between establishment and community board

Legislation →

06LU 0027-2026C 250252 ZMQZoning MapLaid over

south side of 90th Avenue near Commonwealth Boulevard

Heard and laid over. The Belrose rezoning in Councilmember Lee's district was opened for the public hearing with no recorded testimony.

The deal

Site

south side of 90th Avenue near Commonwealth Boulevard

District

District 23

Land-use review

Propertiessouth side of 90th Avenue near Commonwealth Boulevard

Legislation →ULURP case →

07LU 0033-2026C 240334 ZMQZoning MapLaid over

33-01 11 STREET

with 1 related matter · LU 0034-2026

Heard and laid over. Akerman's Richard Bass sought to rezone 33-01 11th Street in Ravenswood from R5 to MX R7A/M1 for 251 units, 63 permanently affordable, keeping Catholic Medical Mission's warehouse and adding a 3,300 square foot office. Councilmember Caban, noting six prior rezonings since 2018 had never broken ground, won a switch to MIH Option 1 and ground-floor priority for childcare, clinics, and groceries.

The deal

Site

33-01 11 STREET

District

District 22

Mandatory inclusionary housing

Land-use review

CB Queens Community Board One

CB Queens Community Board 1 Other

Properties33-01 11 STREET

Where it standsCB Queens Community Board One ✓→Committee→Full Council

Legislation →ULURP case →

08LU 0017-2026C 250332 ZMKZoning MapLaid over

1414 AVENUE U

with 2 related matters · LU 0019-2026 · LU 0018-2026

Heard and laid over. Akerman's Frank St. Jacques and Apex Development's Andrew Esposito proposed rezoning 1417 Avenue U in Sheepshead Bay from R5 to R7A for a seven-story, 76-unit building with 23 affordable units split eight at 60% AMI, seven at 80%, and eight at 100%. After Community Board 15 voted it down over parking, the team committed in writing to 27 spaces, and Councilmember Vernikov backed it.

The deal

Site

1414 AVENUE U

Affordable

District

District 48

Mandatory inclusionary housing

23 affordable

Conditions

~40% of 76 units to have dedicated parking (committed in letter); near one-to-one for car-owning residents
viable sanitation plan required given trash complaints on Avenue U commercial corridor; council will hold applicant to it
viable sanitation plan (Avenue U commercial corridor, trash complaints)
27 cellar parking spaces provided, committed in letter to council
27 parking spaces provided (higher ratio than zoning requires); committed in letter to council member

Land-use review

CEQR: Other

CB Brooklyn Community Board 15 Disapprove

Properties1414 AVENUE U

Where it standsCB Brooklyn Community Board 15 ✓→Committee→Full Council

Legislation →ULURP case →

Also in the record

Records not linked to a specific agenda item

Mandatory inclusionary housing

55 affordable

Conditions

modify to strike MIH Option 2 and add MIH Option 1

Land-use review

CEQR: Negative Declaration

CB CB10 Approve

CB Community Board 2 Approve

Where it standsCB CB10 ✓→Committee→Full Council

The people

On the dais · 9

Amanda C. Farías David M. Carr Elsie Encarnación Farah N. Louis Justin E. Sanchez Lynn C. Schulman Shanel Thomas-Henry Simcha Felder Yusef Salaam

Public testimony: 2 in favor · 7 opposed

Practitioners & applicants

Dolores Orr · Megan Rye · Walter Mugdan · Matthew Silverstein · Henry Euler · Paul Graziano · Phil Konigsberg · Inna Vernikov

The intelligence

Every parcel, owner, and applicant in this meeting, cross-referenced against Zonable’s NYC ownership, enforcement & legislative graph — the record behind the record.

Sign in for the full graph

Owner portfolios, open OATH/ECB violations, 311 & DOB permits across every parcel discussed, developer track records, and an “ask this meeting” chat. For this meeting: 882 oath/ecb hearings across the 7 sites discussed.

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Subcommittee on Zoning and Franchises · Tuesday, February 3, 2026

The one where a Ravenswood lawyer admitted 6 rezonings since 2018 never broke ground, then asked for a 7th

Contents & search

Subcommittee on Zoning and Franchises

Tuesday, February 3, 2026

Sort

Themes

items

laid over

land-use items

affordable

202

CEQR: Other

Try

From the room

“developments with option two i'm sorry with option three deep affordability most specifically along atlantic avenue in Brooklyn”
— Richard Lobel

“The uh application as it was before the community board was a hundred and eighteen units. That's been reduced to ninety eight”
— Richard Lobel

“think there's seventeen thousand units. I think it's number one and number two for all the affordable housing in New York City”
— John Corey

“her promise made in public and on the record at the community aboard eleven meeting where she said she would vote against this project”
— Leo Maronello

The decisions

01LU 0028-2026C 240079 ZMQZoning MapLaid over

14-10 Beach Channel Drive

with 1 related matter · LU 0029-2026

The deal

Site

14-10 Beach Channel Drive

Affordable

District

District 31

Mandatory inclusionary housing

Option 1

25 affordable

Opposition & support

Concerns: cement-facility dust · lack of community benefit

Conditions

Member emphasizes expanding pathways to homeownership; wants homeownership models incorporated alongside rental housing
Applicant has worked with Council Member Brooks Powers in several conversations; made changes to the building design said to be more reflective of the area's context
Member notes long lead-time conversations with sponsor since she was first elected; still more work to be done before moving forward
Member conditions moving forward on stronger commitments important to the community (beyond the noted color-scheme/design change)
Member points to Astoria precedent (project with both rental and homeownership) as a model the applicant should look at
Member asks for more family-sized (two- and three-bedroom) units; appreciates the studio decrease

+3 more conditions

Land-use review

CB Community Board (Rockaway / Queens CB14) Disapprove

Properties14-10 Beach Channel Drive

Legislation →ULURP case →

02LU 0024-2026C 240145 ZMQZoning MapLaid over

78-08 Linden Boulevard

with 2 related matters · LU 0025-2026 · LU 0026-2026

Heard and laid over. The 78-08 Linden Boulevard mixed-use rezoning in Councilmember Ariola's district was opened for the public hearing; no testimony was recorded in the transcript.

The deal

Site

78-08 Linden Boulevard

District

District 32

Mandatory inclusionary housing

Conditions

modification of a 1976 restrictive declaration to allow as-of-right development
applicant revised design to include senior housing and shifted bulk away from two-story buildings on 79th Street; agreed to work with the community on the specific use of community facility space
set a minimum hiring and contracting goal of 30% MWBE firms, local residents, and locally based organizations
1976 restrictive declaration terms require no windows, doors, or advertising facing 79th Street; modification needed to proceed as-of-right under the proposed designation
30% MWBE / local resident / local org hiring & contracting goal
quarterly hiring reports + provide written CB10 commitments

Land-use review

Properties78-08 Linden Boulevard

Legislation →ULURP case →

03LU 0022-2026C 250268 ZMQZoning MapLaid over

63-12 Broadway

with 1 related matter · LU 0023-2026

Heard and laid over. The 63-12 Broadway residential rezoning in Councilmember Won's district was opened for hearing with no recorded public testimony.

The deal

Site

63-12 Broadway

Affordable

District

District 26

Mandatory inclusionary housing

22 affordable

Land-use review

CB Community Board 2 (Queens) Other

Properties63-12 Broadway

Where it standsCB Community Board 2 (Queens) ✓→Committee→Full Council

Legislation →ULURP case →

04LU 0020-2026C 240297 ZMQZoning MapLaid over

Bay Terrace

with 1 related matter · LU 0021-2026

Heard and laid over. The 217-14 24th Avenue rezoning in Councilmember Lee's district was opened for hearing with no recorded public testimony.

The deal

Site

Bay Terrace

Affordable

District

District 19

Mandatory inclusionary housing

55 affordable

Land-use review

CEQR: Other

CB Queens Community District 11

CB Queens CB11 Disapprove

CB Queens Community Board 11

PropertiesBay Terrace

Where it standsCB Queens Community District 11 ✓→Committee→Full Council

Legislation →ULURP case →

05LU 0030-2026Laid over

Ethyl's Alcohol & Food

Conditions

Speaker resolved outstanding issues between establishment and community board

Legislation →

06LU 0027-2026C 250252 ZMQZoning MapLaid over

south side of 90th Avenue near Commonwealth Boulevard

Heard and laid over. The Belrose rezoning in Councilmember Lee's district was opened for the public hearing with no recorded testimony.

The deal

Site

south side of 90th Avenue near Commonwealth Boulevard

District

District 23

Land-use review

Propertiessouth side of 90th Avenue near Commonwealth Boulevard

Legislation →ULURP case →

07LU 0033-2026C 240334 ZMQZoning MapLaid over

33-01 11 STREET

with 1 related matter · LU 0034-2026

The deal

Site

33-01 11 STREET

District

District 22

Mandatory inclusionary housing

Land-use review

CB Queens Community Board One

CB Queens Community Board 1 Other

Properties33-01 11 STREET

Where it standsCB Queens Community Board One ✓→Committee→Full Council

Legislation →ULURP case →

08LU 0017-2026C 250332 ZMKZoning MapLaid over

1414 AVENUE U

with 2 related matters · LU 0019-2026 · LU 0018-2026

The deal

Site

1414 AVENUE U

Affordable

District

District 48

Mandatory inclusionary housing

23 affordable

Conditions

~40% of 76 units to have dedicated parking (committed in letter); near one-to-one for car-owning residents
viable sanitation plan required given trash complaints on Avenue U commercial corridor; council will hold applicant to it
viable sanitation plan (Avenue U commercial corridor, trash complaints)
27 cellar parking spaces provided, committed in letter to council
27 parking spaces provided (higher ratio than zoning requires); committed in letter to council member

Land-use review

CEQR: Other

CB Brooklyn Community Board 15 Disapprove

Properties1414 AVENUE U

Where it standsCB Brooklyn Community Board 15 ✓→Committee→Full Council

Legislation →ULURP case →

Also in the record

Records not linked to a specific agenda item

Mandatory inclusionary housing

55 affordable

Conditions

modify to strike MIH Option 2 and add MIH Option 1

Land-use review

CEQR: Negative Declaration

CB CB10 Approve

CB Community Board 2 Approve

Where it standsCB CB10 ✓→Committee→Full Council

The people

On the dais · 9

Amanda C. Farías David M. Carr Elsie Encarnación Farah N. Louis Justin E. Sanchez Lynn C. Schulman Shanel Thomas-Henry Simcha Felder Yusef Salaam

Public testimony: 2 in favor · 7 opposed

Practitioners & applicants

Dolores Orr · Megan Rye · Walter Mugdan · Matthew Silverstein · Henry Euler · Paul Graziano · Phil Konigsberg · Inna Vernikov

The intelligence

Every parcel, owner, and applicant in this meeting, cross-referenced against Zonable’s NYC ownership, enforcement & legislative graph — the record behind the record.

Sign in for the full graph

Ask about this meeting

Chat with AI about this meeting. Free account required.