Webster Rezoning Okayed, Setting Up Makeover

(Editor's Note: this article was first published in the Norwood News, out now)

A plan to rezone Webster Avenue between East Gun Hill and Fordham roads was officially approved by the City Council at the end of March, the culmination of years of planning by local leaders and elected officials to help transform the 1.75-mile corridor.

“We worked very diligently over a five-year period to craft this proposal,” said Community Board 7 member Ozzie Brown, who said the plan lays the groundwork for a more vibrant and pedestrian-friendly Webster Avenue.

“We were able to set the context for what might happen in this region for the next 10, 15 years or so,” Brown said.

The Remaking of Webster Avenue (and a whole bunch of other stuff)

For more than a year, Community Board 7 has been working with the city's Department of City Planning to rezone a section of Webster Avenue as well as several other surrounding neighborhoods. City Planning, with input from Board 7 and a few other local stakeholders (mostly the so-called Four Bronx Institutions: the New York Botanical Garden, Fordham University, Montefiore Medical Center and the Bronx Zoo) recently completed its rezoning plan.

The next stage before these zoning changes are approved is the completion of a Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS), or, in other words, a study that is supposed to say how the neighborhoods being rezoned will be affected by the changes.

There will be a public meeting about the plans (and what the scope of the study will be) on May 19, starting at 4 p.m. (and ending whenever people stop testifying), at the Bedford Park Senior Center, 243 E. 204th St. You can check out the plan by clicking here. (Warning: it's huge and pretty technical.) 

News Roundup

In the news …

From yesterday’s Daily News, a story on a proposed rezoning in Norwood and plans for a homeless facility operated by the Doe Fund.

The Mayor and Speaker announced a new proposal for a bill limiting campaign donations, intended to rein in “pay for play” contributions . The Post explains that the bill would limit contributions for people with city contracts, franchises or grants worth more than $100,000 - as well as registered lobbyists - to $400 for candidates for citywide offices, a sharp decrease from the $4,950 previously allowed. The Times covered it, too.

In today's Daily News, Carrie Melago reports on the crisis caused by more stringent rules for admission to the city’s homeless shelters. Because families are shuffled between boroughs, kids are unable to attend school consistently.