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OPENPUBLICA · PUBLIC MEETING RECORD

Record of Proceedings

New York City Council Zoning Subcommittee Hears Three Rezoning and Concession Proposals on July 21, 2026

City Council — Tuesday, July 21, 2026

BodyNew York City, New York

SessionCity Council

DateTuesday, July 21, 2026

StatusFILED

Video Record

0:00 / 1:14:24

Transcript — VerbatimClick a timed line to jump · ⧉ to share it

0:14

Good morning.

0:15

Welcome to today's New York City Council Subcommittee on Zoning and Franchises.

0:20

At this time, please silence all phones.

0:23

If you wish to speak in today's hearing, please fill out an appearance card with one of the sergeants.

0:28

Moving forward, no one is to approach the day.

0:32

Chair, you may begin.

0:35

Good morning and welcome to a meeting of the subcommittee on zoning and franchises.

0:40

I am council member Farah Lewis, Chair of the Subcommittee.

0:43

This morning I'm joined by Council members Felder and Canacion, Jay Sanchez, Epstein, and Remote, I believe it's Fadieth.

0:54

Not yet.

0:55

Okay.

0:57

Today we are holding three hearings on the following proposals.

1:01

200 Kent Avenue Mixed Use Residential Rezoning and Council Member Wrestlers District, 47-03 108 Street, Mixed Use Residential Zoning and Council Member Thomas Henry's District, and the Flat Iron Nomad Major Concession Application regarding portions of Broadway and Fifth Avenue and Councilmember William Wilson and Epstein's district.

1:24

One additional note about today's agenda.

1:26

Although the proposal known as the St.

1:29

Augustine was listed in the city record for today, this item is not has not been called up for council review and will not be heard.

1:39

This meeting is being held in hybrid format.

1:42

Members of the public who wish to testify may testify in person or via Zoom.

1:46

Members of the public wishing to testify remotely may register by visiting the New York City Council website at www.council.nyc dot g-ov backslash land use to sign up, or for those of you here in person, please see one of the sergeant at arms to prepare a uh to prepare and submit a subject card.

2:08

Members of the public may also view a live stream broadcast of the meeting at the council's website.

2:14

When you are called to testify before the subcommittee, if you are joining us remotely, you will remain muted until recognized by myself to speak.

2:21

When you are recognized, your microphone will be unmuted.

2:24

We will limit public testimony to two minutes per witness.

2:28

If you have additional testimony that you would like the subcommittee to consider, or if you have written testimony that you would like to submit instead of appearing in person, please email it to LANU's testimony at council.nyc dot gov.

2:41

Written testimony may be submitted up to three days after the hearing is closed.

2:45

Please indicate the LU number and or project name in the subject line of your email.

2:50

We request the witnesses joining us remotely remain in the meeting until you are excused as council members may have questions.

2:57

Lastly, for everyone attending the meeting today, this is a government proceeding and decorum must be observed at all times.

3:04

Members of the public are asked to not speak during the meeting unless you are testifying.

3:10

The witness table is reserved for people who are called to testify, and no video recording or photography is allowed from the witness table.

3:18

Further, members of the public may not present audio or video recordings as testimony, but may submit transcripts of such recordings to the sergeant at arms for inclusion to the record.

3:28

We've also been joined by council members Thomas Henry and Councilmember Wilson.

3:32

I will now open the first public hearing on LU 117 regarding the flat iron nomad major concessions application for portions of Broadway and Fifth Avenue and Councilmember William Wilson's and Epstein's districts.

3:46

Over the past few years, there have been temporary initiatives to re-envision this corridor between 19th Street and West 31st into a more engaging and safer public realm for pedestrians.

4:00

This application would allow for long-term programming, which would be maintained by the flat iron slash nomad partnership.

4:08

For anyone wishing to testify regarding this proposal remotely, if you have not already done so, please sub please you must register online by visiting the council's website at council.nyc dot gov backslash land use.

4:22

For anyone with us today, please see one of the sergeant at arms in the back to submit a speaker card.

4:28

If you would prefer to submit written testimony, you can always do so by emailing it to Lanyus Testimony at Council.nyc dot G-O-V.

4:35

I now recognize Councilmembers Wilson and Epstein for remarks.

4:41

And we've also been joined by Councilmember Fadias Online.

4:46

Thank you, Chair.

4:47

Um, and thank you to our applicant today.

4:50

I I'm excited to to hear this uh uh major concession uh at uh for a big part of my district in the flat iron as you as the chair mentioned.

5:01

This is a really great opportunity to continue how we are re-envisioning this corridor and offers a great opportunity to how we're thinking about how we're using public space.

5:13

And we have a really great partner in the business improvement district here, and it's going to be, in my view, if done correctly, and I think we're on the way to doing that, an opportunity for us to really think about how we are leveraging uh public space as well as how it integrates with the the commercial use, which in many ways lifts up the neighborhood.

5:36

It makes for a lively and safer street, um, but it also gives us an opportunity to think about how we're using public space too for things like our waste removal and um and and who gets to use the the public realm and and for and for what purposes.

5:54

But I think we're we're working really hard to strike a strong balance here that is reasonable that gives everybody the tools that they need to make sure that this continues to be a world-class public space and how it's going to further integrate into the capital redesign of this corridor.

6:08

So I look forward to this hearing, and I'm looking forward to continuing to advance uh what I think is going to be a significant and positive change for uh for this corridor.

6:18

I want to thank my colleague uh councilmember Epstein who held down the fort while there was no council member uh for a few months.

6:27

And I also want to thank uh DOT for their partnership and our land use team, particularly Dana and Chelsea for all of the work that they've done on this, and also uh the bid, who I have been great stewards of this part of town, and I know we'll continue to do that once we get this over the finish line.

6:47

So thank you all very much for being here, and I'm looking forward to to the to the hearing today.

6:52

Uh I want to you know thank the chair for uh uh allowing us to move forward on this hearing.

6:58

I want to thank Councilmember Wilson to, you know, from day one when he started was a real partner in this uh in this project and to DOT to listening to our concerns and thoughts around how we improve this neighborhood and to make sure that what we're doing reflects our community values, our environmental values, our public values are about publicly facing space and making sure that people in this community could have access to a location that we think will be a vital card in our shared uh districts.

7:27

And finally, to the bid, um we're asking a lot of you, and I we appreciate you taking this on to a lot of responsibility to serve our neighborhood a lot of responsibility to have this space be open and available to the public.

7:39

And I think this partnership will you know continue to grow as we continue to have this conversation.

7:44

Thank you.

7:46

Thank you.

7:47

And I'll call the applicant panel for this proposal, which consists of Emily Weidenhoff.

7:53

Oh, yes, and uh Kyle Gorman.

8:02

Thank you.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting

Public Space Management██████████████████████22%

Affordable Housing██████████████████████22%

Transportation Safety████████████12%

Procedural███████████11%

Engineering And Infrastructure███████████11%

Community Engagement████████8%

Environmental Protection█████5%

Public Safety█████5%

Public Engagement██2%

Summary of Proceedings

Subcommittee on Zoning and Franchises - July 21, 2026

The New York City Council Subcommittee on Zoning and Franchises, chaired by Council Member Farah N. Louis, held hearings on three land use applications on Tuesday, July 21, 2026, at 11:00 AM. All hearings were held and the items were laid over without a vote. No members of the public testified on any of the proposals.

Discussion Items

Flatiron NoMad Major Concessions (LU 117)

The New York City Department of Transportation (DOT), along with the Flatiron Nomad Partnership, presented a proposal to expand the existing major concession area from 38,500 square feet to 162,345 square feet along Broadway and Fifth Avenue between 19th and 31st Streets in Manhattan. The expansion would allow the Business Improvement District to manage and maintain an expanded public realm, including plazas, shared streets, and pedestrian spaces, as part of the broader Broadway Vision effort.
Council Members Epstein and Wilson expressed strong support, noting the importance of public space activation, safety, and collaboration with the BID. They asked about oversight, environmental practices, public seating, and capital improvements. DOT committed to quarterly reporting, environmental compliance, and integration of public restrooms and water fountains in future capital phases.
DOT detailed the types of concessions: commercial events, sponsorships, subconcessions for kiosks and markets, and concession seating (up to 50% of plaza area under the major concession). The capital redesign includes physical separation of bike lanes, planting, and tactile surfaces.
Council Member Felder raised questions about City Bike usage and helmet requirements. DOT offered to provide data on bike usage and connect with helmet giveaway programs.
The hearing was closed, and the application was laid over.

47-03 108th Street Rezoning (LUs 118 & 119)

The applicant, 108 Realty Group Inc., proposes to rezone a site on 108th Street in Corona, Queens, from R6B to R7X with a C2-4 commercial overlay, and establish a Mandatory Inclusionary Housing (MIH) area. The plan includes a 13-story mixed-use building with approximately 119 apartments, of which 30 would be affordable under MIH Option One (25% of residential floor area at a weighted average of 60% AMI, with 10% at 40% AMI).
Council Member Thomas Henry, in whose district the project falls, noted that the building would be the tallest in the area, twice the height of surrounding structures. She questioned the unit mix, community engagement, and potential use of MIH Option Three for deeper affordability. The applicant expressed openness to design changes, collaboration with other developers on the corridor, and investing in local parks.
The applicant confirmed an all-electric building with sustainability features and willingness to incorporate bioswales and rain gardens. Community Board 4 had not supported the project, and direct community engagement outside the ULURP process was limited.
The borough president's conditions (30% MWBE goal, local hiring, reporting) were accepted. The applicant is considering tenants for community facility space.
The hearing was closed, and the items were laid over.

200 Kent Avenue Rezoning (LUs 115 & 116)

The applicant, 206 Kent LLC and Kent Investor LLC, seeks to rezone a property on Kent Avenue in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, from M1-4 to M1-4A/R7X with a Special Mixed Use District (MX-8) and map an MIH area. The project involves converting an existing commercial office building and enlarging it to create approximately 143 apartments, with 29 to 43 permanently affordable units under MIH Options One or Two.
The existing building, largely vacant, houses a Trader Joe's at the basement level, which will remain open during construction. The building was structurally designed to support an overbuild, allowing for a shorter construction timeline (estimated 12-15 months). Construction is expected to begin in 2027.
Questions focused on the absence of manufacturing uses in the proposal, bike parking improvements, and the applicant's commitment to identify light manufacturing tenants. The applicant committed to working with local organizations (Evergreen, North Brooklyn Business Exchange, Greenpoint Manufacturing and Design Center) and to best efforts to reconfigure bike parking with Trader Joe's. The use of the 485X tax abatement program remains undecided.
Community Board 1 and the Brooklyn Borough President voted favorably with conditions. The City Planning Commission approved unanimously. Council Member Restler (district representative) was not present but had submitted questions.
The hearing was closed, and the items were laid over.

Key Outcomes

All three public hearings (Flatiron NoMad Major Concessions, 47-03 108th Street Rezoning, and 200 Kent Avenue Rezoning) were held by the subcommittee and then laid over, meaning no vote was taken. The subcommittee will consider these items at a future meeting.
No public testimony was offered on any of the proposals.
The St. Augustine proposal, although listed, was not called up for council review and was not heard.

Meeting Transcript

Good morning. Welcome to today's New York City Council Subcommittee on Zoning and Franchises. At this time, please silence all phones. If you wish to speak in today's hearing, please fill out an appearance card with one of the sergeants. Moving forward, no one is to approach the day. Chair, you may begin. Good morning and welcome to a meeting of the subcommittee on zoning and franchises. I am council member Farah Lewis, Chair of the Subcommittee. This morning I'm joined by Council members Felder and Canacion, Jay Sanchez, Epstein, and Remote, I believe it's Fadieth. Not yet. Okay. Today we are holding three hearings on the following proposals. 200 Kent Avenue Mixed Use Residential Rezoning and Council Member Wrestlers District, 47-03 108 Street, Mixed Use Residential Zoning and Council Member Thomas Henry's District, and the Flat Iron Nomad Major Concession Application regarding portions of Broadway and Fifth Avenue and Councilmember William Wilson and Epstein's district. One additional note about today's agenda. Although the proposal known as the St. Augustine was listed in the city record for today, this item is not has not been called up for council review and will not be heard. This meeting is being held in hybrid format. Members of the public who wish to testify may testify in person or via Zoom. Members of the public wishing to testify remotely may register by visiting the New York City Council website at www.council.nyc dot g-ov backslash land use to sign up, or for those of you here in person, please see one of the sergeant at arms to prepare a uh to prepare and submit a subject card. Members of the public may also view a live stream broadcast of the meeting at the council's website. When you are called to testify before the subcommittee, if you are joining us remotely, you will remain muted until recognized by myself to speak. When you are recognized, your microphone will be unmuted. We will limit public testimony to two minutes per witness. If you have additional testimony that you would like the subcommittee to consider, or if you have written testimony that you would like to submit instead of appearing in person, please email it to LANU's testimony at council.nyc dot gov. Written testimony may be submitted up to three days after the hearing is closed. Please indicate the LU number and or project name in the subject line of your email. We request the witnesses joining us remotely remain in the meeting until you are excused as council members may have questions. Lastly, for everyone attending the meeting today, this is a government proceeding and decorum must be observed at all times. Members of the public are asked to not speak during the meeting unless you are testifying. The witness table is reserved for people who are called to testify, and no video recording or photography is allowed from the witness table. Further, members of the public may not present audio or video recordings as testimony, but may submit transcripts of such recordings to the sergeant at arms for inclusion to the record. We've also been joined by council members Thomas Henry and Councilmember Wilson. I will now open the first public hearing on LU 117 regarding the flat iron nomad major concessions application for portions of Broadway and Fifth Avenue and Councilmember William Wilson's and Epstein's districts. Over the past few years, there have been temporary initiatives to re-envision this corridor between 19th Street and West 31st into a more engaging and safer public realm for pedestrians. This application would allow for long-term programming, which would be maintained by the flat iron slash nomad partnership. For anyone wishing to testify regarding this proposal remotely, if you have not already done so, please sub please you must register online by visiting the council's website at council.nyc dot gov backslash land use. For anyone with us today, please see one of the sergeant at arms in the back to submit a speaker card. If you would prefer to submit written testimony, you can always do so by emailing it to Lanyus Testimony at Council.nyc dot G-O-V. I now recognize Councilmembers Wilson and Epstein for remarks. And we've also been joined by Councilmember Fadias Online. Thank you, Chair. Um, and thank you to our applicant today. I I'm excited to to hear this uh uh major concession uh at uh for a big part of my district in the flat iron as you as the chair mentioned. This is a really great opportunity to continue how we are re-envisioning this corridor and offers a great opportunity to how we're thinking about how we're using public space. And we have a really great partner in the business improvement district here, and it's going to be, in my view, if done correctly, and I think we're on the way to doing that, an opportunity for us to really think about how we are leveraging uh public space as well as how it integrates with the the commercial use, which in many ways lifts up the neighborhood. It makes for a lively and safer street, um, but it also gives us an opportunity to think about how we're using public space too for things like our waste removal and um and and who gets to use the the public realm and and for and for what purposes. But I think we're we're working really hard to strike a strong balance here that is reasonable that gives everybody the tools that they need to make sure that this continues to be a world-class public space and how it's going to further integrate into the capital redesign of this corridor. So I look forward to this hearing, and I'm looking forward to continuing to advance uh what I think is going to be a significant and positive change for uh for this corridor. I want to thank my colleague uh councilmember Epstein who held down the fort while there was no council member uh for a few months. And I also want to thank uh DOT for their partnership and our land use team, particularly Dana and Chelsea for all of the work that they've done on this, and also uh the bid, who I have been great stewards of this part of town, and I know we'll continue to do that once we get this over the finish line.

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