Jamaica Hill |
The Department of City Planning has proposed zoning map
changes for all or portions of 28 blocks in the Jamaica
Hill neighborhood in central Queens, Community District
8. Another of the Department’s lower-density rezoning
initiatives in Queens, the proposal aims to maintain
the neighborhood’s prevailing character
and ensure that new residential development fits the
context and scale of the area’s existing
housing mix. Although the area is typically developed
with, one- and two-family detached homes (84% of the
residential lots), the existing R3-2, R4 and R5 zoning
permits housing of all types, including multi-family
apartment buildings and attached row houses.
The Jamaica Hill rezoning area is located just south
of St. John’s University and the Grand Central
Parkway and immediately west of the Jamaica Estates
neighborhood. Its general boundaries are Grand Central
Parkway and 82nd Avenue to the north, Homelawn Street
to the east, Hillside Avenue to the south, and 168th
and 166th Streets to the west. Portions of blocks located
east of Jamaica High School and 168th Street are developed
with six-story pre-war apartment buildings. These parcels
will not be rezoned as part of this action.
The proposed zoning changes, the first in the area
since 1961, respond to community concerns about the
construction of multifamily apartment buildings and
attached housing replacing existing single-family detached
houses. Under the existing several three-story apartment
buildings and row houses have replaced older, detached
residences.
Proposed Zoning
DCP proposes to rezone the area from R3-2, R4 and R5
districts to contextual R3X and R4A districts. R3X
zoning would replace the entire R3-2 district in
the eastern portion of the neighborhood between Homelawn
and 169th streets. The R3X district would also replace
the existing R4 district on all or portions of four
blocks just west of 169th Street and north of Gothic
Drive and a portion of one block north of Grand Central
Parkway and west of 172nd Street. R4A zoning would
replace the existing R4 zoning district on a portion
of one block between 168th Street and 168th Place
and the R5 district on all or portions of nine blocks
between 166th and Homelawn streets.
The proposed R3X and R4A districts would limit new
residential development to one- and two-family detached
residences. The R3X zone would allow a maximum floor area ratio (FAR) of 0.6 and require new houses to have
a minimum lot width of 35 feet. The R4A zone would
allow a maximum FAR of 0.9 and require a minimum lot
width of 30 feet. These new zoning districts will more
closely reflect the one- and two-family character of
the neighborhood and will ensure that future development
will be consistent with the area’s development
patterns.
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