For Immediate Release
Release # 2007-104
New York City Council
City Hall, New York, NY 10007
(212) 788-7116

October 29h, 2007

COUNCIL VOTES TO LANDMARK HISTORIC SUNNYSIDE GARDENS
Also votes to rezone Bedford-Stuyvesant South, increasing affordable housing opportunities and preserving traditional brownstone neighborhoods

City Hall, October 29th, 2007 – At today’s Stated Council meeting, the City Council will vote to landmark the historic neighborhood of Sunnyside Gardens in Queens. One of the most significant planned communities in New York City, Sunnyside Gardens has achieved national and international recognition for its low-rise, low density housing arranged around landscaped open courtyards. The Council will also vote to rezone over 200 blocks in the southern half of Bedford-Stuyvesant in Brooklyn and to expand the FDNY Pension Medical Board to better expedite the retirement process for disabled firefighters.

SUNNYSIDE GARDENS LANDMARKING

The Council will vote to landmark Queens’ historic Sunnyside Gardens, one of America's first planned communities. As part of today’s vote, the 1920s Queens housing development recognized for its distinctive architecture, planning and social ideals, will be preserved and protected for years to come. It will also become the largest historic district in Queens and will maintain the residential development as significant housing enclave for middleclass New Yorkers.

Sunnyside Gardens was the first attempt by the Regional Planning Association of America (RPAA) to create a garden city. It aimed to provide a physical planning solution for congestion and large population density that pervaded many other areas of New York City. When it was completed, Sunnyside Gardens provided apartments, single and multi-family houses for purchase or rent for more than 1,200 families, as well 6 acres of common gardens and a 3 1/2-acre park, the largest privately held park in the City.

“Landmarking the neighborhood of Sunnyside Gardens is a fitting tribute both to the past and to the future of our city,” said Council Speaker Christine C. Quinn. “In an era when we are trying to make our city a greener place to live, we must do what we can to preserve a place that had such a revolutionary impact on our open space. I want to thank Council Members Lappin and Katz for their work on this issue.”

“Sunnyside Gardens was a model for innovative urban development when it was created a half century ago, and it deserves to be preserved,” said Landmarks, Public Siting and Maritime Uses Subcommittee Chair Jessica Lappin. “This beautiful community that celebrates green open space is a prime example of urban development at its best.”

“Everyone who visits or lives in the Gardens immediately realizes what a special place it is. With its treelined streets and beautiful open spaces, it is an oasis in the midst of the City. Like many, I’ve always loved this neighborhood, and am proud to call it home and to represent it on the City Council,” said Council Member Eric Gioia, who represents the area. “Working together, we have reached a decision that will help guarantee that Sunnyside Gardens retains its unique character and charm for generations to come.”

“I commend the Landmarks Preservation Commission for moving this Queens Historic District forward and for drafting rules particular to the Sunnyside Gardens Historic District,” said Land Use Committee Chair Melinda Katz. “This designation will preserve and protect this beautiful oasis for years to come.”

To alleviate any concerns that the community’s current residents might have regarding the new status of their neighborhood, the Landmarks Preservation Commission will issue the first ever homeowners guide explaining what the new status will entail. Upon its release, the guide will explain the different rules that come along with the new designation, including what level of review is necessary for different types of maintenance or renovation work to maintain neighborhood character.

The Sunnyside Gardens planning model features two and a half story brick row houses with front and rear gardens as well as landscaped central courtyards shared by the individual residential communities. This plan allows for denser residential development, while also providing generous open green spaces. Sunnyside Gardens is a unique example of a working-class neighborhood that embraces open space and green terrain.

BEDFORD-STUYVESANT SOUTH REZONING

The Council will vote to rezone approximately 206 blocks in the Southern portion of Bedford-Stuyvesant. The proposed rezoning will encourage responsible development by maintaining building opportunities for mid-rise apartments, preserving neighborhood scale and character, and allowing for residential growth with incentives for affordable housing along Fulton Street. The zoning would also protect residential character of historic brownstones on side streets next to retail areas, facilitate the development of vacant lots, and preserve existing commercial retail uses in the neighborhood. The Department of City Planning projects that over 400 units of affordable housing will be created as a result of this rezoning plan. The boundaries of the rezoning include: Lafayette Avenue and Quincy Street to the north, Classon Avenue to the west, Saratoga Avenue and Broadway to the east, and Atlantic Avenue to the south.

“This rezoning plan encourages responsible growth and preserves the traditional integrity of one of Brooklyn’s most virbrant neighborhoods,” said Speaker Quinn. “This community, in true partnership with local elected officials and the Department of City Planning, has created a balanced plan to spur economic development and increase the amount of affordable housing opportunities in Bedford-Stuyvesant South.”

“The intent and inspired leadership of Community Board 3, coupled with the dedication and expertise of the Coalition for the Improvement of Bedford-Stuyvesant, has produced a rezoning plan of Bedford-Stuyvesant South that will maintain the character of its housing stock, the vitality of its commercial strips and provide for growth through increased density while maintaining a balance,” said Council Member Al Vann, who represents the area. “The Brooklyn Office of City Planning worked extremely well with the Bedford- Stuyvesant community. I want to thank the Speaker and the City Council for approving the rezoning plan as it was recommended by the community and City Planning.”

“We are very happy with the Brooklyn rezoning effort,” said Council Member Darlene Mealy, who represents the area. “Both the history of Bed-Stuvesant and the need for affordable housing were addressed.”

EXPANSION OF FDNY PENSION MEDICAL BOARD

To address the substantial increase in the number of disability retirement applications for firefighters post 9/11, the Council will vote on legislation to expand the Fire Department’s Pension Medical Board. This bill would allow additional medical boards to be convened to expedite the disability retirement process for active disabled firefighters. In many cases, a retirement application for disabled firefighters takes over a year to process. Having only one medical board to process these retirement requests is not sufficient and has created extensive backlog in the system. This expansion will allow the board to process any outstanding applications and will more expediently process future applications for disability retirement. In 1999, the number of disability retirement applications was 404 and in 2003 the number of applications surged to 719. In the first four months of this year, the Board has received over 240 applications alone.

“I am hopeful that the expansion of the FDNY Pension Medical Board will help the current, future and retiring members of the FDNY and their families by proceeding a more efficient means to address the delay in processing disability retirement applications,” said Civil Service and Labor Committee Chair Joseph Addabbo.

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