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Community boards report on demapping proposal, SUNY Downstate funding, and local housing and library projects
Summary
Community board chairs reported a rejected demapping application tied to a large Coney Island development, updates on SUNY Downstate hearings and $750 million in set-aside funds, and local land-use approvals including the Grace housing upzoning and a New Lots library remodel.
Several community board chairs and council members used the borough board meeting to report local land-use and institutional updates, including a controversial demapping application in Coney Island, a state review of SUNY Downstate funding, and land-use approvals in East New York.
Community Board 13 reported that it held three public meetings on a private demapping application connected to a proposed multiuse project in Coney Island that the presenter described in the meeting as "1,300,000.0" (the figure was not clarified during remarks). CB13 said the general board rejected the application at its January meeting by a vote the speaker described as "24 in favor, 11 opposed, 8 abstain, 0 recusals, and 3 relinquish their votes." The CB13 representative asked the borough president, the City Council and City Planning to "follow our lead."
Chairperson Momen and other chairs flagged SUNY Downstate as a borough-wide issue. Momen said the governor reversed a prior closure proposal and established a community advisory board to recommend how to spend $750,000,000 set aside for capital and expense improvements; hearings are scheduled in the coming weeks with the next on Feb. 27 at Medgar Evers College. "SUNY Downstate has a catchment of over 2,000,000 people," Momen said, urging chairs to share the hearing schedule with constituents.
Community Board 5 reported land-use actions on the Grace housing development in East New York, noting a zoning map amendment from R5B to R6A for a project described as 197,000 square feet total, including roughly 139,000 square feet of residential space and 68 parking spaces. CB5 said it requested larger minimum unit sizes for studios (from 350 sq ft to 400 sq ft) and for one-bedrooms and that the approval was deed‑specific to the project site rather than a district‑wide rezoning. CB5 also noted support for remodeling the New Lots Library at 665 New Lots Avenue and for a Citi Bike station installation at Vermont Place and Highland Boulevard.
Council member Darlene Meeley said her office continues to offer free immigration legal services on Mondays and free housing lawyers on Tuesdays; she also described an in‑office housing-support specialist to help applicants use Housing Connect and avoid sharing private-payment details on applications.
What was procedural vs. final The CB13 demapping item described above was presented as a private application and was rejected by CB13's general board. That rejection is the community board's advisory position; formal land-use approvals would occur through City Planning and City Council processes. The SUNY Downstate funding process is overseen by a governor-appointed advisory board; community testimony is being solicited at scheduled hearings.
Ending Several chairs urged colleagues to share grant and application deadlines, including a community board application deadline of Feb. 14, a capital application deadline of Feb. 20, and a culture grant application deadline listed as March 3 at 5 p.m. The borough board's next steps include distributing meeting materials and following up on community requests for posting minutes and videos to improve public access.
