NYC Council Subcommittee on Zoning and Franchises Meeting – September 23, 2026

The Subcommittee on Zoning and Franchises of the New York City Council met on Wednesday, September 23, 2026, at 10:00 AM in Hearing Room 3, 250 Broadway. Chair Farah N. Louis presided. Members present were Carr, Encarnación, Farías, Felder, Salaam, Sanchez, and Thomas-Henry; Schulman was absent; Councilmember Ariola also attended. The committee took no final votes. Three scheduled votes were laid over/deferred, and two public hearings were held on preconsidered rezoning applications. No members of the public testified.

Laid-Over Votes and Deferrals

• The sidewalk café application LU 0141-2026 by Tedo de Esquina NYC Corp, doing business as Cali Tajadas Bakery & Restaurant, at 45-18 104th Street, Corona, Queens (Community District 4, Council District 21), was scheduled for a vote but laid over until the next day. Its public hearing had been held on September 22, 2026, and Chair Louis stated the hearing remained closed.
• LU 0123-2026 and LU 0124-2026 (158-06 Northern Boulevard Rezoning, Northern 158 Holdings LLC, Queens Community District 7, Council District 20) were laid over/deferred without a vote. The application would amend the Zoning Map to change areas from R2 and R5B to R7A, eliminate a C1-2 overlay, establish a C2-4 overlay, and create a Mandatory Inclusionary Housing (MIH) area.
• LU 0127-2026 and LU 0128-2026 (21-31 46th Avenue Rezoning, 21-31 Holdings LLC, Queens Community District 2, Council District 26) were laid over/deferred without a vote. The application would change an M1-4/R6B district to R7X, establish a C2-5 overlay, and create an MIH area.
• The minutes record these applications as deferred; Chair Louis described the votes as laid over until tomorrow.

Public Comments & Testimony

• No members of the public signed up to testify in person or remotely on either hearing topic. The Chair made final calls for testimony before closing both hearings. No members of the public addressed the sidewalk café application on September 23.
• Written testimony was accepted by email to land use testimony at council.nyc.gov up to three days after closure of the relevant hearing.

Hearing: 1455 Coney Island Avenue Rezoning (T2026-2576 / T2026-2577)

• This preconsidered application by Prospect Park Land LLC would rezone 1455 Coney Island Avenue, Brooklyn (Community District 14, Council District 44), from an R5 district with a C2-3 overlay to a C4-5D district, and would establish an MIH area. The applicant, represented by Eric Palatnik and architect Anthony Hadziwano, proposed a nine-story, 95-foot-tall, approximately 157,000-square-foot long-term care facility with 300 beds: 240 skilled-nursing beds and 60 assisted-living beds. The applicant cited a FAR of 5.56 and, at different points in the hearing, 28 or 38 parking spaces, plus 55 bicycle spaces.
• The site previously contained a long-term care facility in a repurposed bowling alley, which was demolished about five years ago; the lot is now vacant. The applicant said the height and density would be consistent with nearby R7A zoning and smaller than some as-of-right buildings on Coney Island Avenue, including a 148-foot-tall medical building nearby.
• The applicant acknowledged that the proposed nonprofit operator, Sephardic Nursing Home, had its contract terminated before Labor Day. The property owner, Centers Healthcare, a for-profit long-term care provider, would develop and operate the facility if negotiations to restore the contract fail. Councilmembers expressed concern about the owner's lack of direct participation, the difficulty of guaranteeing a nonprofit operator, the adequacy of parking, and the possibility that floors could be used for short-term rehabilitation rather than permanent long-term care. Councilmember Felder said Community Board 14 approved the project in good faith as a nonprofit and that the board was now concerned. The applicant said he had updated the district manager and that negotiations were continuing.
• The Chair asked about job creation; the applicant estimated roughly 100–150 construction jobs and said operations would hire entry-level staff, with a shuttle bus for employees, residents, and visitors.
• The public hearing was closed, and T2026-2576/T2026-2577 were laid over by the committee.

Hearing: 135-27 Sapphire Street Rezoning (T2026-2578 / T2026-2579)

• This preconsidered application by 135 Sapphire LLC would rezone 135-27 Sapphire Street, Queens (Community District 10, Council District 32), from R4 to R6A and would establish an MIH area. The applicant team, including Richard Lobel and Danielle Drake, proposed a six-story-plus-cellar residential building with roughly 186,000 square feet, 268 dwelling units, 118 parking spaces, and a total height of 65 feet. MIH Option 1 would provide 67 affordable units. The Chair's opening remarks said MIH would require up to 80 permanently affordable apartments; the applicant's presentation specified 67.
• The applicant said Queens Community Board 10 voted 29–1 in favor, and that the Queens Borough President and City Planning supported the application. The site is largely undeveloped under R4 zoning dating to 1961. The rezoning would extend an existing R6A district on the block, following a February 2026 rezoning nearby and the Linden Boulevard rezoning.
• The design includes a setback sixth floor, green buffers, and cellar-level parking and storage in a flood-prone area. The team said the building was coordinated with the Jewel Streets neighborhood plan and was designed to remain operational if DOT raises street grades by 2 to 10 feet, with a knockout panel and a permeable Gabion wall system. Preliminary sewer analysis submitted to DEP shows existing infrastructure can support the building, subject to a sewer extension along 149th Avenue; a catch basin the team recommended has already been installed.
• Councilmember Ariola expressed full support, praised the applicant's community engagement, and called the project a best practice.
• The public hearing was closed, and T2026-2578/T2026-2579 were laid over by the committee.

Key Outcomes

• No votes were taken on any application at this meeting.
• The sidewalk café, 158-06 Northern Boulevard, and 21-31 46th Avenue items were laid over/deferred until the next day.
• Both public hearings were held and closed, with no public testimony.
• The sidewalk café hearing remained closed from the prior day, with no additional testimony.
• Both preconsidered applications (1455 Coney Island Avenue and 135-27 Sapphire Street) were laid over by the committee.
• The 1455 Coney Island Avenue applicant said negotiations between Centers Healthcare and Sephardic Nursing Home would continue, with a goal of reporting a resolution before final council action; Councilmembers directed the applicant to re-engage Community Board 14.