Community Board Votes No on Contentious Arrow Linen Rezoning in Park Slope

Following a raucous pair of hearings in which locals clashed over a proposal to rezone a Park Slope property to allow 13- to 19-story apartment buildings, Community Board 7 rejected the plan last month. At issue is how to redevelop the site of longtime commercial laundry Arrow Linen at 467 Prospect Avenue on an otherwise residential stretch of three-story row houses.

Before the vote on Wednesday, September 18, Community Board 7 chair Julio Peña III noted the board had already received “well over 1,000 public comments” on the matter. Ten more members of the public spoke before the vote, with one in favor of the rezoning and nine against.

Many speakers echoed previous testimony, whether pro or con, and there was consensus that more housing, particularly affordable housing, is needed in the area. Housing costs in Windsor Terrace and South Slope have risen sharply in recent years, mirroring citywide trends and pricing out many — although the area remains slightly more affordable than prime Park Slope.

A member of the board read a statement from property owner Arrow Linen that said it had been engaging with the community for four years, an alternative proposal for 100 percent affordable housing on the site put forth by local group Housing Not Highrises is not feasible, and urged the board to vote yes.

“At no time was the height of the proposed building ever 19 stories, at no time did our team ever indicate that if City Yes was passed we would pursue 19-story buildings. Our proposal is for two 13-story buildings,” the statement read.

The full board voted 30 to 6 to disapprove Arrow Linen’s rezoning proposal with conditions. The conditions are that the developer withdraw the application and conduct planning and visioning meetings with area residents before submitting a reworked rezoning proposal.

If the rezoning does not pass, Arrow Linen can build two three-story buildings as of right. There would be no requirement to include affordable housing, whether condos or rentals.

Not far away, on the other side of the park in Crown Heights, last week developer Continuum unexpectedly threw in the towel on a rezoning after City Planning approved it with some slight tweaking to reduce shadows on the Brooklyn Botanic Garden. Instead of building a market-rate rental with some affordable units under Mandatory Inclusionary Housing, Continuum will instead build a market-rate luxury condo under the existing zoning, the firm said.

Following Community Board 7’s decision, now it’s Brooklyn Borough President Antonio Reynoso’s turn to weigh in. The borough president’s public hearing is set to take place Wednesday, October 9.

[Photos by Anna Bradley-Smith unless noted otherwise]

Related Stories

• Locals Clash Over Arrow Linen Site’s Future at Raucous Community Hearing
• Locals Call on Pol to Reduce Arrow Linen Rezoning, Back Fully Affordable Build
• Windsor Terrace Locals Want a Shorter, More Affordable Arrow Linen Project

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