FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
PPEN Hosting Rally to Call for a Temporary Moratorium on High Rise
Construction--City Council Member M. Eugene To Be Featured Speaker
New York, New York—The Prospect Park East Network will host
a rally on June 6 on the steps of City Hall calling for an urgent temporary moratorium on
high rise construction along the east side of Prospect Park. City Council
Member Mathieu Eugene, whose constituency includes the affected blocks, will
speak in support of a halt on construction.
The moratorium addresses ongoing work at 626 Flatbush
Avenue, the site of a controversial project by developer Hudson Companies to
construct a 23-story luxury apartment building. Residents are calling for a temporary
halt on high-rise construction so that the zoning of the Community Board 9 area
can be investigated. The moratorium will allow time for the area to be rezoned
to match the height restrictions already in place along the other borders of
Prospect Park.
Neighborhood residents have been raising alarms that the
high rental prices projected for the tower will displace residents and
businesses by triggering rent spikes in the area. PPEN previously organized an
April 7 Town Hall Meeting with Borough President Eric Adams, which drew over 500 residents, while a petition from PPEN calling for contextual zoning has
received over 2000 signatures.
During a meeting with neighborhood residents at his office
on May 22, Council Member Eugene agreed to file legislation for a moratorium on
construction at 626 Flatbush Avenue. Eugene also promised to seek a coalition
with other City Council members in support of the measure.
About
Prospect Park East Network (PPEN) is a coalition of
concerned Brooklyn residents formed to address the development at 626 Flatbush and
the concerns it brings, including the urgent need for contextual zoning and
impact studies on such issues as low income and affordable housing, the
preservation of Prospect Park, and environmental damage.
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