Mamdani eyes sweeping housing plan for blocks south of Brooklyn's Prospect Park

A neighborhood-level housing plan is being developed for Brooklyn south of Prospect Park. The Department of City Planning is launching the “South of Prospect Plan” to rezone commercial corridors along McDonald and Coney Island avenues and nearby blocks. The goal is to enable taller buildings and more housing development in areas that currently include mostly single-story businesses, autobody shops, and low-rise homes. The neighborhood has multiple subway connections to Manhattan, and a future Interborough Express light rail line could improve access to Queens. The proposal is driven by proximity to public transit and uses a transit-oriented development approach. A neighborhood survey begins a monthslong engagement process, with a draft proposal planned for next year.

"The Department of City Planning is referring to its new initiative as the “South of Prospect Plan” and aims to rezone the commercial corridors of McDonald and Coney Island avenues, as well as surrounding blocks, for taller buildings and more housing development."

"Sherman said the Brooklyn rezoning plan would be the first neighborhood-level plan to take into account the planned IBX line, part of a push to build more housing near public transportation lines through a strategy called “transit-oriented development.”"

"“There's an opportunity to create potentially thousands of housing units for our city,” Sherman told Gothamist. “South of Prospect Park is a neighborhood that is transit-rich, and also potentially will intersect with the IBX, which is exciting.”"

"The blocks currently feature long stretches of single-story businesses, autobody shops and low-rise homes. Four subway lines connect the neighborhood to Manhattan, and in the coming years, a new light rail line could traverse the area, providing direct access to Queens, making the Brooklyn blocks prime real estate for new housing."

Read at Gothamist