Existing Land Use View full size graphic.
	Land Use Framework View full size graphic.

Planning Framework:
• Background
• Existing Zoning
• Decline in Industrial Activity
• Residential Growth
• Land Use Framework

Based on an analysis of existing land use and recent trends in the Greenpoint-Williamsburg study area, the department developed a land use framework, which was first presented to the Brooklyn Community Board 1 Rezoning Task Force in August 2002. This framework, shown at right, identifies:

Residential areas: While none of the study area is currently zoned as a residential district, several sections exhibit a predominantly residential character, including areas on the edges of larger residential neighborhoods – near Grand Street; northeast of McCarren Park; and along the west side of Franklin Street in Greenpoint – as well as area near the Bedford Avenue station of the L subway line in Williamsburg. Land uses in these areas are mostly residential buildings and community facilities such as schools and houses of worship.

Mixed-use areas: These areas contain a mix of older residential buildings, converted loft buildings, and light industrial uses, as well as vacant and underused buildings and land. Mixed-use areas surround the residential core of Williamsburg, and, in Greenpoint, are found primarily between Franklin and West Streets.

Commercial corridors: Although commercial uses are scattered throughout the mixed-use areas, the two principal commercial corridors are Manhattan Avenue (in Greenpoint) and Bedford Avenue (in Williamsburg). Greenpoint Avenue and Grand Street, running east-west, were also developed originally as local retail streets. In addition, North 6th Street and Green Street, which contain storefronts and older commercial buildings and terminate in piers on the waterfront, are identified here as potential secondary commercial corridors.

Industrial areas: Based on land use surveys and analysis of employment data, three industrial areas are identified where manufacturing zoning should be maintained:

• The area roughly between McCarren Park and Kent Avenue/Franklin Street is almost exclusively industrial, and buildings are mostly low-rise and more modern than elsewhere in the study area. Activities include glass manufacturing, a brewery, plastic bag manufacturing, metal stamping, and a variety of construction-related activities.

• At the southwest edge of the study area, the area encompassing the Domino Sugar plant, Con Edison and New York Power Authority storage and power generation facilities is an industrial area. Zoning here should facilitate continuing and future industrial uses on these sites.

• The northernmost two blocks between Manhattan Avenue and McGuinness Boulevard, next to the Pulaski Bridge approach and across Manhattan Avenue from the Greenpoint Manufacturing and Design Center, remain predominantly industrial.

The waterfront: Approximately two miles of waterfront, extending from Manhattan Avenue southward to North 3rd Street, are analyzed as a contiguous whole offering singular opportunities for open space and residential development. Manufacturing zoning should be maintained only in the area of the Greenpoint Manufacturing and Design Center, an active industrial facility on Manhattan Avenue.