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OPENPUBLICA · PUBLIC MEETING RECORD

Record of Proceedings

NYC Council Subcommittee on Zoning and Franchises Meeting - October 20, 2026

City Council — Tuesday, October 20, 2026

BodyNew York City, New York

SessionCity Council

DateTuesday, October 20, 2026

StatusFILED

Video Record

0:00 / 31:24

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

Speaker numbers apply only to this recording. Names come from transcript evidence. “Possibly” marks uncertain attribution.

Speaker 1

0:07

Good morning and welcome to welcome to today's New York City Council vote for the subcommittee on zoning and franchises.

0:14

At this time, I would like to remind everyone to silence all electronic devices.

0:18

Also at this point going forward, no one is to approach the dais.

0:22

Chair, we're ready to begin.

Speaker 2

0:26

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

0:30

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

0:34

This morning we are joined by Councilmember Schulman, Salam Felder, Encanacion, Jay Sanchez, Thomas Henry, and Wilson.

0:42

Today we are voting on two proposals and holding one hearing.

0:46

Two proposals that we the two proposals that we will vote on are 1455 Coney Island Avenue, Community Facility Rezoning and Council Member Felder's District, 135-27, Sapphire Street, Residential Rezoning and Council Member Ariola's district.

1:03

We will then hold the hearing regarding studio 54 rehab rehabilitation and text amendment in Councilmember Wilson's district.

1:12

This meeting is being held in hybrid format.

1:14

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

1:18

Members of the public wishing to testify remotely may register by visiting the New York City Council website at www.council.nyc dot gov backslash land use to sign up or for those of you that are in the room today.

1:32

Please see one of the sergeant at arms to prepare and to and submit a speaker card.

1:37

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

1:42

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

1:52

When you are recognized, your microphone will be unmuted.

1:55

We will limit public testimony to two minutes per witness.

1:58

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 land use testimony at council.nyc dot g-ov.

2:11

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

2:16

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

2:21

We request that witnesses joining us remotely remain in the meeting until excused by the chair, as council members may have questions.

2:27

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

2:34

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

2:39

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

2:48

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 into the hearing record.

2:59

We will now proceed with the two votes.

3:11

Applicant is seeking to develop a nursing home with 300 beds in Midwood, Brooklyn.

3:16

The proposal involves two actions.

3:18

The first is a zoning map amendment to change the existing residential R5 district with a C2-3 commercial overlay to a commercial C4-5D.

3:29

The second action is a zoning tax amendment to map a mandatory inclusionary housing area because the rezoning would increase the allowable residential density.

3:38

The second vote concerns LU's 144 and 145 regarding the 135-27 Sapphire Boulevard rezoning proposal in Councilmember Ariola's district.

3:49

Applicant is proposing to build a residential project with 268 apartments, of which 67 would be permanently affordable.

3:57

The proposal involves two actions.

3:59

The first is a zoning map amendment to change the existing residential R4 district to a residential R6A district.

4:06

The second action is a zoning tax amendment to map a mandatory inclusionary housing area.

4:12

Councilmember Ariola supports this application.

4:16

Council, are there any members?

4:18

Are there any council members with questions or remarks at this

Unassigned speaker

4:22

time?

Speaker 2

4:23

No, Chair.

4:24

I now call for a vote to approve LU's 142 and 143 related to the 1455 Cornell Island Avenue and LU's 144 and 145 related to the 135-27 Sapphire Street.

4:37

Council, please call the roll.

Speaker 3

4:41

Chair Lewis.

4:46

Councilmember Shoman.

4:50

Councilmember Shalom.

4:54

Councilmember Felder.

4:57

Councilmember Incarnacion.

Carol Rosenthal · Speaker 4Inferred

5:00

Aye.

Speaker 3

5:01

Councilmember Sanchez.

5:04

Aye.

5:05

Councilmember Thomas Henry.

Speaker 2

5:07

Aye.

Speaker 3

5:09

My vote of seven in the affirmative, zero opposing and zero abstention.

5:13

The items are approved.

5:14

As

Unassigned speaker

5:15

council member.

Speaker 3

5:18

Let's add one more vote.

5:22

Councilmember Afarius.

5:23

I vote aye.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting

Arts And Culture█████████████████████████████████████████████67%

Zoning and Land Use████████████18%

Procedural█████7%

Affordable Housing███4%

Theater Workforce Development███4%

Summary of Proceedings

NYC Council Subcommittee on Zoning and Franchises Meeting - October 20, 2026

The New York City Council Subcommittee on Zoning and Franchises, chaired by Council Member Farah N. Louis, met on Tuesday, October 20, 2026, at 11:00 AM. The subcommittee voted to approve two rezoning proposals in Brooklyn and Queens, and held a public hearing on the rehabilitation of Studio 54 in Manhattan.

Discussion Items

1455 Coney Island Avenue Rezoning (LU 0142-2026 and LU 0143-2026): Chair Louis reported that the applicant, Prospect Park Land LLC, seeks to develop a nursing home with 300 beds in Midwood, Brooklyn. The proposal includes a zoning map amendment from an R5 residential district to a C4-5D commercial district and a text amendment to map a Mandatory Inclusionary Housing (MIH) area.
135-27 Sapphire Street Rezoning (LU 0144-2026 and LU 0145-2026): Chair Louis reported that the applicant, 135 Sapphire LLC, proposes a residential project with 268 apartments, of which 67 would be permanently affordable. The proposal includes a zoning map amendment from an R4 to an R6A residential district and a text amendment to map an MIH area. Council Member Ariola expressed support for this application.

Public Comments and Testimony

Studio 54 Public Hearing (LU 0153-2026 and LU 0154-2026):
- Council Member Wilson expressed strong support for Roundabout Theatre Company's application, stating that preserving iconic cultural spaces like Studio 54 is essential for New York City's arts and entertainment industry, which supports jobs and strengthens the local economy.
- Applicant Panel (Roundabout Theatre Company): Chris Knave (Chief Advancement Officer), Carol Rosenthal (Freed Frank), and Francil Lim (Eniad Architects) presented the proposal. Knave highlighted Roundabout's mission, its production of six to eight shows annually reaching 500,000 people, and its Theatrical Workforce Development Program which has trained 150 young New Yorkers (86% employed in performing arts). He noted a $26.6 million city commitment to the workforce program, one-third from City Council. The panel detailed the comprehensive rehabilitation needed for the century-old theater, including restoring the orchestra pit, re-raking the orchestra seating, rebuilding the balcony, improving ADA accessibility, and upgrading building systems. The text amendment would allow the transfer of development rights (TDR) generated by the rehabilitation bonus to other sites within the Theater Subdistrict, as the current zoning limits bonus use to the original lot. Carol Rosenthal noted the existing provision has only been used three times in 44 years.
- Public Testimony: Mitch Mattson read a statement on behalf of Megan Frazier, an alumna of Roundabout's Theatrical Workforce Development Program (TWDP) and a member of IATSE Local One. Frazier expressed full support for the application, stating that her training at Studio 54 set her on a career path that led her to become a highly licensed pyrotechnician working on Broadway shows. She argued the renovations will improve the skill-based curriculum for future technicians.

Key Outcomes

Approved (LU 0142-2026 through LU 0145-2026): The subcommittee approved the 1455 Coney Island Avenue rezoning and the 135-27 Sapphire Street rezoning. The vote was 9 in the affirmative, 0 opposing, 0 abstentions (Council Members Louis, Carr, Encarnación, Farías, Felder, Salaam, Sanchez, Schulman, and Thomas-Henry voting in favor). The items were referred to the full Land Use Committee.
Laid Over (LU 0153-2026 and LU 0154-2026): The subcommittee held a hearing on the Studio 54 rehabilitation and text amendment but laid the items over without a vote.

Meeting Transcript

Good morning and welcome to welcome to today's New York City Council vote for the subcommittee on zoning and franchises. At this time, I would like to remind everyone to silence all electronic devices. Also at this point going forward, no one is to approach the dais. Chair, we're ready to begin. Good morning and welcome to a meeting of the subcommittee on zoning and franchises. I am council member Farrell Lewis, Chair of the Subcommittee. This morning we are joined by Councilmember Schulman, Salam Felder, Encanacion, Jay Sanchez, Thomas Henry, and Wilson. Today we are voting on two proposals and holding one hearing. Two proposals that we the two proposals that we will vote on are 1455 Coney Island Avenue, Community Facility Rezoning and Council Member Felder's District, 135-27, Sapphire Street, Residential Rezoning and Council Member Ariola's district. We will then hold the hearing regarding studio 54 rehab rehabilitation and text amendment in Councilmember Wilson's district. 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 gov backslash land use to sign up or for those of you that are in the room today. Please see one of the sergeant at arms to prepare and to and submit a speaker 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 may remain you may 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 land use testimony at council.nyc dot g-ov. Written testimony may be submitted up to three days after the hearing is closed. Please indicate the LU number and project name in the subject line of your email. We request that witnesses joining us remotely remain in the meeting until excused by the chair, as council members may have questions. Lastly, for everyone attending today's meeting, this is a government proceeding and decorum must be observed at all times. Members of the public are asked not to 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 into the hearing record. We will now proceed with the two votes. Applicant is seeking to develop a nursing home with 300 beds in Midwood, Brooklyn. The proposal involves two actions. The first is a zoning map amendment to change the existing residential R5 district with a C2-3 commercial overlay to a commercial C4-5D. The second action is a zoning tax amendment to map a mandatory inclusionary housing area because the rezoning would increase the allowable residential density. The second vote concerns LU's 144 and 145 regarding the 135-27 Sapphire Boulevard rezoning proposal in Councilmember Ariola's district. Applicant is proposing to build a residential project with 268 apartments, of which 67 would be permanently affordable. The proposal involves two actions. The first is a zoning map amendment to change the existing residential R4 district to a residential R6A district. The second action is a zoning tax amendment to map a mandatory inclusionary housing area. Councilmember Ariola supports this application. Council, are there any members? Are there any council members with questions or remarks at this time? No, Chair. I now call for a vote to approve LU's 142 and 143 related to the 1455 Cornell Island Avenue and LU's 144 and 145 related to the 135-27 Sapphire Street. Council, please call the roll. Chair Lewis. Councilmember Shoman. Councilmember Shalom. Councilmember Felder. Councilmember Incarnacion. Aye. Councilmember Sanchez.

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