On May 20, 2026, the Mamdani administration announced its first comprehensive neighborhood plans intended to increase housing production along three major transit corridors in Brooklyn and the Bronx. The plans will analyze potential rezonings of certain Brooklyn areas south of Prospect Park along McDonald and Coney Island Avenues and certain areas along White Plains Road in the Bronx.
The South of Prospect Neighborhood Plan will consider opportunities in and around the McDonald and Coney Island Avenue commercial corridors to increase development of market-rate and affordable housing near transit, including the proposed Interborough Express (IBX) light rail project, and to invest in the public realm and local economic growth.
The White Plains Road Neighborhood Plan, which began during the administration of Mamdani’s predecessor, Mayor Eric Adams, will look at opportunities for housing development and to deliver neighborhood investments along the portion of White Plains Road coterminous with the MTA’s 2 and 5 subway lines in the Bronx.
“Along major transit corridors in the Bronx and Brooklyn, we have an opportunity to build more homes, create permanently affordable housing, support small businesses and invest in public spaces and infrastructure that communities deserve,” said Mayor Zohran Mamdani in a press release. “And we are going to do it with New Yorkers leading the process every step of the way.”
Both plans are centered around transit-rich corridors that are constrained by outdated and restrictive zoning rules. Zoning changes during the 1980’s and 1990’s, such as downzonings and the mapping of historic districts in the neighborhoods south of Prospect Park, limited new construction and affordable housing production in that area. Several rezonings between 2005 and 2011 also limited housing production across lower-density areas around White Plains Road. Both plans are part of the Mamdani administration’s goal to spur housing development throughout the city, as reflected in the recently released “SPEED” report.
“Transit-rich areas saddled by outdated zoning, [like] White Plains Road and the neighborhoods south of Prospect Park are exactly the kinds of places where thoughtful planning can deliver more affordable homes, stronger commercial corridors, and public investments to address community needs,” said Department of City Planning (DCP) Director and City Planning Commission Chair Sideya Sherman.
The South of Prospect Neighborhood Plan is now in community engagement, beginning with a survey for people who live and work in the neighborhoods being considered for rezoning, including Kensington, Prospect Park South, Ditmas Park, Borough Park and Midwood. In-person community engagement events and visioning sessions led by DCP, local council members and other city agencies for both neighborhood plans will begin this summer, with zoning concept maps to be released for White Plains Road later in 2026 and for South of Prospect in 2027.
We will monitor the South of Prospect and White Plains Road Neighborhood Plans as they develop over the coming months.