City Planning Commissioner Amanda M. Burden yesterday announced the beginning of public review for a 130-block rezoning in the Sunnyside and Woodside neighborhoods in western Queens.

The proposed rezoning would protect the built fabric and character of these communities while directing moderate new development opportunities to a portion of Queens Boulevard, a major corridor well-served by mass transit.

The proposal also provides incentives for the creation and preservation of permanently affordable housing through the Inclusionary Housing Program, and would allow small sidewalk cafes to locate along Queens Boulevard between 39th and 48th Streets where they are currently prohibited.

Commissioner Burden said, "The Sunnyside and Woodside neighborhoods have seen their populations grow in recent years because of their proximity to mass transit, attractive and vibrant streetscapes and convenient commercial corridors. But we must ensure that these neighborhoods grow in the right places. This important rezoning proposal will set height limits on the low-density blocks lined with one- and two-family homes and small apartment buildings, channel growth opportunities to main corridors such as Queens Boulevard and support the creation and preservation of much needed affordable housing."

The proposal was developed in several civic organizations, including the United 40's Civic Association in Sunnyside, Woodside On The Move, the Sunnyside Chamber of Commerce and the Sunnyside Shines Business Improvement District; local elected officials, including Council Member Jimmy Van Bramer; and Community Board 2.

The rezoning area is generally bounded by 37th Avenue and the Sunnyside rail yard to the north; the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway, the New York Connecting Railroad and 72nd Street to the east; Woodside, Roosevelt and 47th Avenues to the south; and 39th Street to the west. The current zoning, according to the city's planning department, allows unpredictable building types without height limits, resulting in out-of character development.

Since the establishment of the current Zoning Resolution in 1961, the only update to the zoning in this area was the 1974 zoning designation of Sunnyside Gardens as one of several Special Planned Community Preservation Districts whose regulations were changed in 2009 in order to better coordinate with the designation of the area by the Landmarks Preservation Commission as a Historic District. The current rezoning proposal includes extending R4 zoning in two areas to ensure that the entire Sunnyside Gardens Special Planned Community Preservation District has the same underlying R4 designation, consistent with the zoning text changes adopted in 2009.

For many residential blocks in the rezoning area that are lined with one-, two- and three- family attached and semi-detached homes the existing zoning allows all buildings types to be constructed without height limits. To protect these blocks, R4-1, R5B and R5D designations are being proposed to prevent out-of-character development by establishing height limits of 33 to 40 feet where there currently are none, and limiting housing types in R4-1 districts to one- and two-family detached and semi-detached homes.

Along blocks with taller apartment buildings, R6A and R7A designations are being proposed with height limits of 70 to 80 feet to ensure that future development matches existing context.

In order to ensure that the growth of Sunnyside and Woodside includes permanently affordable housing, the rezoning would apply the Inclusionary Housing Program along portions of Queens Boulevard in proposed R7X and C4-5X districts. The Inclusionary Housing Program provides zoning incentives to create or preserve affordable housing in exchange for additional residential floor area, and enables property owners to take advantage of financial incentives provided by the City's Department of Housing Preservation and Development.