By Alex Davidson
Community Board 9 approved a recommendation Tuesday to allow for the rezoning of a nearly 27,000-square-foot abandoned knitting factory as a multilevel apartment complex, the district manager said.
The board voted at its monthly meeting to support the proposal for the conversion of the 100-05 92nd Ave. site to private housing. The current three-story structure has been vacant for several years, said Mary Ann Carey, CB 9 district manager.
“The building has no use at the current time,” Carey said. “It has been defunct for quite a while.” The building is 26,316 square feet.
The board recommended changing the zoning from industrial to residential R3-1.
Carey said the Land Use Committee met last month to consider the project and collect input from surrounding communities affected by the project, including Richmond Hill, Ozone Park, Woodhaven and Kew Gardens. She said several neighbors attended the hearing and expressed support for the project.
The residents also presented the board with a petition favoring the zoning variance change.
“The committee took all issues into consideration and decided to support it,” Carey said.
The former knitting factory is situated on 92nd Avenue, a dead-end street that ends adjacent to Long Island Rail Road property.
Conversions of former industrial sites to residential sites has become a more frequent occurrence within Community Board 9's jurisdiction.
Several months ago, the board approved a recommendation to change the zoning of a former lumber site at 125th Street and Jamaica Avenue to allow for a new apartment complex.
Carey said the builder of the proposed project will not seek public financing to offer low-income housing. Instead, developers plan to construct private housing at market rates.
Reach reporter Alex Davidson by e-mail at TimesLedger@aol.com or by phone at 718-229-0300, Ext. 156.
