Fourth Avenue Zoning Up For a Very Modest Tweak

While some residents have been talking up a downzoning of the hot and upzoned Fourth Avenue corridor dividing Park Slope and Gowanus, a much more likely change turns out to be a move to include a (very) modest number of affordable units in future developments. Exactly how many buildings would be affected by the change is unclear since so many properties have already been sold and plans for buildings up to 12 stories tall have been approved. City Council Member Bill de Blasio told the Park Slope Civic Council about the hoped-for change at a meeting on Thursday night. Some 2,000 new units of housing could be built over the next 10-20 years along Fourth Avenue between Union Street and Fifteen Street. The zoning change could result in about 100 affordable apartments. "It's not ideal," de Blasio says, but adding 100 units "is all to the good." A dozen new condo and apartment buildings are currently either under construction or in the planning stage on that stretch of Fourth Avenue. Two highrises built by Leviev Boymelgreen and a boutique hotel are nearing completion.