Today, Mayor Zohran Kwame Mamdani and Department of City Planning (DCP) Director Sideya Sherman announced the City will advance neighborhood plans in the North Bronx and the communities south of Prospect Park in Brooklyn.
Centered on White Plains Road in the Bronx and Coney Island and McDonald avenues in Brooklyn - transit-rich corridors constrained by outdated zoning rules - the plans aim to create urgently needed housing, including permanently affordable housing, support job growth and deliver long-overdue neighborhood investments.
DCP will conduct community engagement in the coming months to help shape rezoning and investment proposals in partnership with City Council Land Use Chair Kevin Riley and Council Members Eric Dinowitz, Shahana Hanif, Rita Joseph, Farah Louis and Simcha Felder. The Mamdani administration will advance additional planning initiatives in the coming weeks.
"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," said Mayor Mamdani. "These plans are about changing that. Along major transit corridors in the Bronx and Brooklyn, we have an opportunity to build more homes, create permanently affordable housing, support small businesses and invest in public spaces and infrastructure that communities deserve. And we are going to do it with New Yorkers leading the process every step of the way."
"As we work to usher in a new era of housing across our city, neighborhood plans will be a powerful tool for working with communities to deliver housing, jobs, investments and neighborhood improvements. I'm looking forward to identifying priorities, developing these plans, and envisioning what's possible together with partners in the Bronx and Brooklyn," said Leila Bozorg, Deputy Mayor for Housing and Planning. "We'll continue looking for opportunities to deliver the housing New Yorkers need, whether through land use changes, direct investment or other policies."
"Transit-rich areas saddled by outdated zoning, White Plains Road and the neighborhoods south of Prospect Park are exactly the kinds of places where thoughtful planning can deliver more affordable homes, stronger commercial corridors, and public investments to address community needs," said DCP Director Sideya Sherman. "Working alongside local elected officials and the people who live, work, and spend time here, we are thrilled to begin a community-driven process to plan for equitable growth that supports more affordable and livable neighborhoods."
"Thoughtful, community-driven planning is essential to understanding how we can better meet the evolving needs of neighborhoods across our borough," said Bronx Borough President Vanessa L. Gibson. "As this process moves forward, it is important that community conversations remain focused on affordable housing, economic opportunity, infrastructure improvements, and the needs of Bronx residents. We look forward to robust community engagement efforts that ensure residents have a meaningful voice throughout the process, and I look forward to working with Councilmember Eric Dinowitz and Councilmember Kevin Riley, the NYC Department of City Planning, and community stakeholders to help shape proposals that reflect the needs and priorities of the North Bronx community."
"For a year, our office has worked closely with the Department of City Planning, Council Member Eric Dinowitz, community stakeholders, residents, and small business owners on the White Plains Road Neighborhood Plan to ensure this process reflects the voices and priorities of the people who live and work here every day," said Council Member Kevin C. Riley. "I want to thank Mayor Mamdani and his administration for prioritizing this important planning effort and recognizing the need for proactive, community-driven investment in the Northeast Bronx. White Plains Road has long served as a vital corridor and central hub for the Northeast Bronx, and this work is about building on the strength of the community by creating a more community-centered and accessible corridor, one that expands housing opportunities, strengthens small businesses and the local economy, improves public spaces and infrastructure, increases affordability, and creates a safer, higher quality of life for residents and future generations alike. I look forward to continuing this partnership alongside our communities as we move this vision forward, not only for the Bronx, but as part of the broader work needed to build a more affordable, accessible, and livable New York City for all."
"We know that White Plains Road needs more investment, but how we get there makes all the difference. This community-driven process must deliver truly affordable housing, protect the small businesses that are on this corridor, and ensure that longtime residents benefit from future development. I will be focused on making sure this plan gets that balance right," said Council Member Eric Dinowitz.
"Growing up in Kensington as the daughter of immigrants, I saw how neighborhoods like ours are built and sustained by working families, small businesses, and neighbors who look out for one another," said Council Member Shahana Hanif. "I also saw how rising costs and decades of disinvestment have made it harder for longtime residents to stay in the communities they helped build. I'm grateful to Mayor Mamdani and the DCP for advancing a neighborhood study spanning Kensington that centers community input and engagement from the very beginning. This planning process is an opportunity to hear directly from residents about how we can create permanently affordable housing, strengthen our commercial corridors, improve public space, and prepare for future transit investments like the IBX, while ensuring the people who call this part of Brooklyn home can continue to thrive here for generations to come."
"Planning for the future of our neighborhoods means making sure growth works for the people who already call these communities home. The South of Prospect Plan creates an opportunity to bring more affordable housing, good jobs, community resources, and thoughtful investments to areas that have long been shaped by outdated zoning policies. As we prepare for the future Interborough Express and strengthen transit-connected corridors, we have a responsibility to build communities that are more accessible, affordable, and equitable. I look forward to working alongside colleagues in government , city agencies, and most importantly residents, because the voices of those who live, work, and raise their families here must shape the future of this plan from the very beginning," said Council Member Rita Joseph.
"As the Flatbush and Midwood neighborhoods continue to experience rapid growth and increasing affordability pressures, it is critical that the City takes a proactive approach to land use and infrastructure planning, particularly with the future Interborough Express set to transform connectivity and development across this corridor," said Council Member Farah N. Louis. "I applaud the Administration for advancing the South of Prospect Plan, which represents an important opportunity to thoughtfully plan for affordable housing, infrastructure improvements, economic opportunity, and protections that ensure longtime residents and working families can continue to remain and thrive in the communities they call home."
White Plains Road Plan
The White Plains Road Plan will build on community planning work conducted in close partnership with Council Members Riley and Dinowitz. The plan focuses on a key, transit-accessible corridor in the North Bronx and intersecting commercial streets that are currently dominated by one- and two-story strictly commercial buildings and have seen little new housing development, particularly affordable housing.
The plan will build on recent community engagement efforts, including in-person events and the online Voice to Vision tool , where residents identified affordability concerns, public realm needs and economic challenges facing the corridor.
Over the next year, the City will work with residents to develop a community-driven proposal that updates zoning to encourage more housing, requires income-restricted affordable homes, supports small businesses and economic development, improves neighborhood infrastructure and enhances public spaces.
Community engagement will begin with a neighborhood "walkshop" in June, followed by the release of a zoning concept map later this year. The study area includes White Plains Road from Adee Avenue to the Bronx-Mount Vernon border, along with portions of Gun Hill Road and East 233rd Street.
South of Prospect Plan
The South of Prospect Plan is a new initiative focused on portions of Coney Island and McDonald avenues in neighborhoods south of Prospect Park, stretching roughly from Caton Avenue and Fort Hamilton Parkway to Avenue I.
Along these corridors, outdated single-use zoning has limited new housing and job growth, worsened affordability pressures and prioritized auto-oriented uses despite strong public transit access.
Announced in partnership with Council Members Joseph, Hanif, Louis and Felder, the South of Prospect Plan aims to support more transit-oriented, mixed-use development with permanent affordable housing, expand jobs and services and investments in the public realm.
The planning effort will also help the City and surrounding communities prepare for the MTA's future Interborough Express (IBX), which will serve the area.
The plan launches with a new online survey , and DCP will hold a series of public engagement events in coming months that will inform a zoning concept map scheduled for release next year.
