Elizabeth Denys
2:18:52
My name is Elizabeth Denis, and I'm a Brooklyn resident who used to live in Prospect Heights.
2:18:55
I'm here today to support the aim of rezoning and to ask the council doesn't miss this generational opportunity to transform Atlantic Avenue and commit to a timeline and commit to funding to create a more equitable streetscape in the area.
2:19:07
First, I strongly support AIM UP's rezoning for additional housing opportunity, which could add 4,600 very needed homes, many permanently affordable under MIH.
2:19:15
Skyrocketing rents have created undue hardships for families and New Yorkers, and the city's housing crisis has pushed people out of their neighborhoods.
2:19:22
To get out of this housing crisis, we need to build more homes in every neighborhood, especially in areas like the AMA Plan area where current zoning is very limited.
2:19:30
I hope that council supports this rezoning and support and passes it and supports additional neighborhood rezoning processes throughout Brooklyn and the entire city until we can ensure that every New Yorker has secure housing they can afford.
2:19:41
Second, Atlantic Avenue is one of the most dangerous streets in the city and has needed serious improvements for some time.
2:19:46
Additionally, the AIM UP project area and its surrounds are overdue for street designs that prioritize the safety of people walking and bicycling and prioritize bus speeds and reliability.
2:19:55
It's even more critically important that these street improvements, can can you know, are going in to equitably support the thousands of new residents that the AIM UP rezoning will bring.
2:20:03
I urge council to commit to the following with a clear timeline as well as funding alongside the rezoning to create fast, reliable transit networks, create streets for people walking and bicycling, and reduce car dependency throughout the area.
2:20:15
We need to implement a road diet on Atlantic Avenue east Of Flatbush, implement pedestrian safety improvements throughout the project zone and nearby, install modular bus forwarding islands to improve accessibility, redesign Bergen And Dean as bike boulevards, create north south running protected bike lanes along Vanderbilt that would connect Prospect Park to the waterfront greenway, and build out the Underhill Bike Boulevard and Underhill Plaza with permanent materials.
2:20:36
These projects shouldn't be taking six to ten years.
2:20:40
We need to build council needs to build DOT's capacity and staffing to ensure that we can get these street safety projects done faster.
2:20:46
Thank you so much for the time.
