Case Study 17

Cypress Hills Worked Closely with City Planning to Rezone East New York

Background

Cypress Hills Local Development Corporation (CHLDC), which has worked with local residents to rebuild East New York for more than three decades, was awarded a state planning grant in 2011. To advance its planning, the organization worked closely with the Brooklyn office of the Department of City Planning (DCP) to identify development sites and areas to be upzoned to higher density residential and mixed-use to attract new residential development and other investment in the neighborhood. Working cooperatively with DCP allowed Cypress Hills to build upon existing DCP data, and informed the priorities of both parties in the areas of housing, commercial development, and job creation.

Shortly after Cypress Hills was awarded its state planning grant, DCP applied for and was awarded a federal grant under the New York - Connecticut Sustainable Communities Consortium in 2011 to focus on the same East New York neighborhood. The federal grant, administered collaboratively by three federal agencies (the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), the Department of Transportation and the Environmental Protection Agency), assisted DCP in creating a framework for growing East New York to achieve goals of new and diverse housing options, more retail services, local jobs, and a healthy and safe community.

Recognizing the common objectives of the two planning studies, particularly related to housing and job creation, Cypress Hills LDC and DCP decided to jointly pursue a third grant, which became the Sustainable Communities East New York planning initiative funded by HUD to support the development of livable communities and growth centers. This planning initiative laid the basis for the City’s recent proposal to rezone East New York, which passed the City Council in 2016.

Conclusion

By working together and sharing information, both the CBO and the government agency were able to move their projects forward and create a cohesive, community-based implementation plan. For the full Sustainable Communities East New York Report, click here.

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