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BROOKLYN WEEKLY, JANUARY 26, 2020
INDUSTRY CITY
cation were routinely shouted
down by both their colleagues
on the board and protesters, according
to the board’s leader.
“I’ve heard of people feeling
shut down when they hinted
they were supportive of the project,”
said Cesar Zuniga, Chairman
of Community Board 7.
The added threat of harassing
phone calls only added to
the sense of anxiety surrounding
the vote, while spreading
fear that members’ personal information
had been made public,
Laufer said.
As a result, some board members
expressed deep concerns
that voting in favor of the proposal
could carry serious consequences,
according to the
board’s second-in-command.
“It’s been so divisive that
board members have been afraid
to vote,” said Patricia Ruiz, the
second vice chair.
At the meeting, board members
weighed in on all four articles
that make up Industry
City’s rezoning application:
The zoning map amendment,
which would change the site’s
designated zoning
The zoning text, which denotes
the approved uses of the
site
The special permit, which determines
the type of construction
allowed at the site
The de-mapping of 40th
Street, which would bring 40th
Street into Industry City’s private
ownership
Prior to the meeting, the
board’s land use committee had
created a four-page draft of recommendations
for the rezoning
scheme, following hourslong
committee meetings and a
rowdy public hearing in December.
The draft, which was voted
on during Wednesday night’s
meeting, called for “approval,
with conditions” of three of
the four articles — except for
the special permit, for which
it called for “disapproval, with
conditions.”
But at the meeting, several
members argued against the
wording of the drafted recommendations,
claiming that the
board should “disapprove” each
article “unless” developers
bend to their conditions, rather
than approve them if they stick
to the conditions. Proponents
conceded that the meaning
stayed the same, but believed
that an apparent disapproval
would give the board a stronger
stance. After several votes to
change the wording, the board
failed to come to a consensus,
and instead voted:
• No position on the zoning
map amendment (did not win a
majority)
• No position on the zoning
text (did not win a majority)
• Disapproval with conditions
on the special permit
• Disapproval with conditions
on the de-mapping of 40th
Street
In addition to the intense
pressure to oppose the rezoning,
members expressed confusion
over the board’s procedure.
Shortly after the vote, several
board members said they regretted
voting against the fi rst two
articles once they realized that
a ‘no’ vote didn’t allow the board
to change each article’s wording
— rather, it left the board position
less.
“I would’ve voted differently,”
said one board member
who didn’t give her name.
Zuniga regretted the confusion
about the voting procedure,
and expressed optimism that he
would be able to schedule a revote
in the next few days.
“It looks like the process
broke down and we weren’t able
to achieve what we wanted to
achieve,” Zuniga said.
Continued from page 1
Stalemate: During a four-hour meeting on Jan. 15, members of Community Board 7 failed to reach an agreement on their
stance on the Industry City rezoning. Photo by Rose Adams