Subcommittee on Zoning and Franchises meeting
April 14, 2026, 11:00 AM
The Subcommittee on Zoning and Franchises held hearings on nine land use applications, including two Brooklyn rezonings at 9201 4th Avenue and 46 Nelson Street, a commercial overlay for St. Francis Preparatory School in Queens, the 37-59 Hamilton Avenue rezoning in Staten Island, and sidewalk cafe applications for Sabrosura and Cicchetti BK. No votes were taken.
What was discussed
- Chair Louis convenes the subcommittee and outlines the day's agenda Council Member Farah Louis, Chair of the Subcommittee on Zoning and Franchises, gaveled in and laid out the day's business: five public hearings and three votes, covering sidewalk-cafe applications for Sabrosura and Cicchetti BK, rezonings at 46 Nelson Street and 9201 4th Avenue, a St. Francis Prep
- Sabrosura's owner presents the Castle Hill sidewalk-cafe application Introduced by Council Member Amanda Farías, who described coordinating with the community board, the 43rd Precinct, FDNY, and the Castle Hill BID, applicant Alejandro Wong testified for Sabrosura's sidewalk cafe (18 tables, 60 chairs) in Castle Hill; answering Farías, Wong said DOT had approved the
- Cicchetti BK's owner presents the Bed-Stuy sidewalk-cafe application Introduced by Council Member Darlene Mealy, applicant Emanuele De Biase testified for the Cicchetti BK sidewalk cafe (three tables, six chairs) in Bed-Stuy; asked by Mealy about a mahjong offering, De Biase said a group of mothers who reached out via Instagram plan to run tournaments at the venue.
- Majority Whip Hanks backs the 37-59 Hamilton Avenue rezoning in St. George Ahead of the vote, Majority Whip Kamillah Hanks spoke in support of the 37-59 Hamilton Avenue rezoning on Staten Island's North Shore in St. George, an R6-to-R7-3 map amendment with a C2-4 overlay and a mapped Mandatory Inclusionary Housing area enabling roughly 369 apartments, about 111 of them
- Subcommittee votes 8-0 to approve the two sidewalk cafes and the Hamilton Avenue rezoning The subcommittee voted 8-0 to approve the Sabrosura and Cicchetti sidewalk-cafe applications and the 37-59 Hamilton Avenue rezoning without modification, referring them to the Land Use Committee; Council Members Amanda Farías and Justin Sanchez explained their aye votes, both praising the Sabrosura
- Council Member Avilés introduces the 46 Nelson Street rezoning in Red Hook Council Member Alexa Avilés introduced the 46 Nelson Street rezoning in her Red Hook district, an M1-1 to M1-2A/R7A and R6A (MX5) mixed-use map amendment with mapped MIH, saying it would bring much-needed housing and affordable commercial and community space to a neighborhood short on basic
- Applicant team presents the 46 Nelson Street mixed-use rezoning Fayanne Betan of Sheldon Lobel PC, joined by owner Ariel Akkad, environmental consultant Kevin Williams (GZA), and project architect Victor Filletti, presented the 46 Nelson Street application: an eight-story, roughly 100,000-square-foot mixed-use building of about 108 apartments (with about 27
- 46 Nelson Street: how will the project handle safety, indoor air, and ground-floor community space? Answering Chair Louis and Council Member Avilés, the applicant team said the ground floor is being marketed for commercial or community-facility use across from a school, that a required environmental assessment (presented by Kevin Williams) addresses pedestrian safety, and that the building will
- Council Member Santosuosso's statement on the 9201 4th Avenue rezoning in Bay Ridge Council Member Kayla Santosuosso's statement, read into the record by Chair Louis and reiterated by Santosuosso live, supported the 9201 4th Avenue rezoning in Bay Ridge—an 11-story, roughly 96-to-97-unit mixed-use building with about 24 affordable units under MIH replacing a blighted commercial
- Applicant team presents the 9201 4th Avenue mixed-use rezoning Amanda Iannotti of Sheldon Lobel PC, with architect Jorge Fontan (Fontan Architecture) and Kevin Williams, presented the 9201 4th Avenue application: a C8-2 to C4-4D map amendment and MIH text amendment enabling an 11-story, roughly 129,000-square-foot (7.2 FAR) mixed-use building of about 97 units
- 9201 4th Avenue: why 11 stories, and what is the unit mix and demolition plan? Answering Chair Louis, including questions relayed for Council Member Santosuosso, architect Jorge Fontan said the building could be one or two stories taller but does not need to be, and Amanda Iannotti said the applicant would commit in writing to build at 11 stories; Fontan described a
- Voices of Bay Ridge opposes a national grocery store at 9201 4th Avenue Attorney Charles Weinstock, representing the community group Voices of Bay Ridge, testified that the group does not oppose the rezoning or the MIH map but strongly opposes the owner's apparent plan for a national grocery store on the ground floor, arguing the neighborhood is already saturated with
- St. Francis Prep seeks a commercial overlay to legalize its entrance sign Lea Vallone of Akerman, with colleague Steven Sinacori, presented St. Francis Prep's request to map a C1-2 commercial overlay in Fresh Meadows to legalize an existing illuminated, non-flashing double-sided sign at the school entrance; she said the site has been non-residential for over 60 years, no
- St. Francis Prep: how long has the sign been up and what prompted the application? Answering Chair Louis, Lea Vallone said the sign was installed in 2022 and drew a DOB violation shortly after, which informed the school it was in zoning non-compliance and prompted the overlay application; Council Member Shanel Thomas-Henry added a comment praising St. Francis Prep as a staple of
- SFP graduate Charles Vallone testifies the sign improves safety Charles Vallone, a 2025 St. Francis Prep graduate and former student body president, testified in support of the sign, saying it keeps families and the community informed of school events and, most importantly, illuminates the nearby bus stops and walkway in an otherwise dark area, making students
- Chair Louis closes the remaining hearings and adjourns With no further public testimony, Chair Louis closed the St. Francis Prep hearing and the day's remaining public hearings, laid the items over, thanked colleagues, staff, and the public, and adjourned the meeting.
Agenda
9 items
- LU 0055-2026 Application number N 250095 ZRK (46 Nelson Street Rezoning II) submitted by 46 Nelson LLC, pursuant to Section 201 of the New York City Charter, for an amendment of the Zoning Resolution of the City of New York, amending APPENDIX F for the purpose of establishing a Mandatory Inclusionary Housing Hearing on P-C Item by Comm
- LU 0054-2026 Application number C 250094 ZMK (46 Nelson Street Rezoning II) submitted by 46 Nelson LLC, pursuant to Sections 197-c and 201 of the New York City Charter for an amendment of the Zoning Map, Section No. 3c: changing from an M1-1 District to an M1-2A/R6A District; changing from an M1-1 District to an Hearing on P-C Item by Comm
- LU 0053-2026 Application number N 260049 ZRK (9201 4th Avenue Rezoning) submitted by 9201 LLC, pursuant to Section 201 of the New York City Charter, for an amendment of the Zoning Resolution of the City of New York, amending APPENDIX F for the purpose of establishing a Mandatory Inclusionary Housing area Hearing on P-C Item by Comm
- LU 0052-2026 Application number C 260048 ZMK (9201 4th Avenue Rezoning) submitted by 9201 LLC, pursuant to Sections 197-c and 201 of the New York City Charter for an amendment of the Zoning Map, Section No. 22b, changing from a C8-2 District to a C4-4D District, Borough of Brooklyn, Community District 10 Hearing on P-C Item by Comm
- LU 0051-2026 Application number C 250302 ZMQ (St. Francis Prep Commercial Overlay) submitted by St. Francis Preparatory School, pursuant to Sections 197-c and 201 of the New York City Charter for an amendment of the Zoning Map, Section No. 11b, establishing within an existing R4 District a C1-2 District, Borough Hearing on P-C Item by Comm
- LU 0045-2026 Application number C 250318 ZMR (37-59 Hamilton Avenue Rezoning) submitted by Hamilton Property Holdings LLC, pursuant to Sections 197-c and 201 of the New York City Charter for an amendment of the Zoning Map, Section No. 21c: eliminating a Special Hillsides Preservation District (HS); changing from Approved by Subcommittee
- LU 0046-2026 Application number N 250320 ZRR (37-59 Hamilton Avenue) submitted by Hamilton Property Holdings LLC, pursuant to Section 201 of the New York City Charter, for an amendment of the Zoning Resolution of the City of New York, amending the Appendix to Article XII, Chapter 8 (Special St. George District) Approved by Subcommittee
- LU 0049-2026 Application number D 2650051365 SWX (Sabrosura) pursuant to Section 19-160.2 of the Administrative Code of the City of New York, for a revocable consent to establish, maintain, and operate a sidewalk café located at 1200 Castle Hill Avenue, Bronx, NY 10462, Borough of the Bronx, Community District Approved by Subcommittee
- LU 0050-2026 Application number D 2650179761 SWK (Cicchetti BK) pursuant to Section 19-160.2 of the Administrative Code of the City of New York, for a revocable consent to establish, maintain, and operate a sidewalk café located at 185 Howard Avenue, Brooklyn, NY 11233, Borough of Brooklyn, Community District 3 Approved by Subcommittee