Applicant seeks rezoning at 535 Morgan Avenue to allow 20,265‑square‑foot supermarket

A developer asked the Brooklyn borough board at a June 11 public hearing to rezone a full block at 535 Morgan Avenue in East Williamsburg from an M1-1 manufacturing district to a C7-1 commercial district to allow a 20,265‑square‑foot supermarket to replace an existing Staples store.

The rezoning proposal would convert an existing one‑story retail building within a block bounded by Meeker Avenue, Morgan Avenue, Kingsland Avenue and Lombardi Street so a supermarket under the Aldi chain could occupy the former Staples space, Justin Jarbo, a Roth Group representative for the applicant, said at the hearing.

The change would remove current M1‑1 limitations that prevent retail stores larger than 10,000 square feet and would permit a supermarket tenancy in the existing 20,265‑square‑foot space, Jarbo said. “We are proposing to rezone the site from the current M1‑1 District to C7‑1 to facilitate the change in use of the existing Staples store,” he said.

Why it matters: the rezoning would allow a large-format grocery to locate in an area zoned for light manufacturing, potentially changing the mix of permitted retail uses along this block and enabling a new supermarket without new construction. The applicant said no new building is proposed; the action would facilitate a change of tenancy only.

Key details presented at the hearing: the site is an irregular parcel totaling over 100,000 square feet and is developed with two sections, including an easterly one‑story retail building housing AutoZone, Dollar Tree and Staples and off‑street parking. Jarbo described an off‑street parking area he said currently totals 110 spaces, later specifying the parking adjacent to the retail building as 94 spaces and accessory McDonald’s parking as 16 spaces. He said existing leases for McDonald’s, AutoZone and Dollar Tree have multiple years remaining.

Jarbo also described transit access, saying the site is about a half‑mile from G and L train stations and is served by the B24 and B64 bus routes. He said the C7‑1 district would increase the permitted floor‑area ratio for commercial uses from 1 to 2 and would reduce FAR for community facility uses from 2.4 to 2, but added that no new construction is planned at this time.

During questions, Spencer Williams, director of land use and topography for Brooklyn Borough President Antonio Reynoso, asked whether the applicant planned to participate in the Fresh Food Retail incentive program; Jarbo replied, “No. Not at this time.” Williams also asked about pedestrian safety and urban design feedback from Community Board 1; Jarbo said the applicant is available to discuss improvements with DOT and is open to making improvements as necessary.

There was no registered public testimony on the item at the hearing and the panel closed the item without taking a vote. The borough president’s office will review the application and submit recommendations to the City Planning Commission, which will hold its own public hearing at a later date.

Attribution: statements in this article come from meeting testimony by Justin Jarbo, Roth Group representative for the applicant, and questions from Spencer Williams, director of land use and topography for Brooklyn Borough President Antonio Reynoso.

The borough board did not take formal action at the June 11 hearing; community feedback and any formal votes will be recorded in subsequent hearings before the City Planning Commission or by Community Board 1 as those bodies consider the application.