Brooklyn Rezoning Push Targets Massive Housing Growth, Transit Expansion

BROOKLYN, NY— Mayor Zohran Mamdani and the Department of City Planning advanced two neighborhood rezoning plans targeting transit-rich corridors in South Brooklyn and the North Bronx.

The proposals focus on two study areas: streets including Coney Island Avenue and McDonald Avenue in neighborhoods south of Prospect Park, and White Plains Road in the Bronx.

City officials said outdated zoning has limited housing growth along corridors with strong subway and bus access.

Mamdani said the city must address long-standing constraints on housing production.

“New Yorkers are being pushed out of the neighborhoods they built because our city has spent decades refusing to build enough housing where people actually want and need to live,” Mamdani said. “These plans are about changing that.”

The Department of City Planning, led by Director Sideya Sherman, will launch community engagement in the coming months, including workshops, surveys and an online feedback tool.

Officials said residents will help shape zoning changes aimed at increasing housing supply, requiring income-restricted affordable units and supporting commercial corridors.

In Brooklyn, the South of Prospect plan spans areas from Caton Avenue and Fort Hamilton Parkway to Avenue I, with officials pointing to future transit changes, including the Interborough Express, as a catalyst for growth.

In the Bronx, the White Plains Road plan covers a corridor stretching from Adee Avenue to the Bronx–Mount Vernon border, including sections of Gun Hill Road and East 233rd Street. City planners said the area remains dominated by low-rise commercial buildings despite strong transit access.

City officials said both planning efforts begin with public engagement this summer, followed by zoning concept proposals expected next year.