The New York City Council redistricting commission released its proposed new district lines on Tuesday, but the changes made to the previous lines are small.
The biggest change to the map in Queens is in the neighborhood of Richmond Hill, which is would be drawn into two districts instead of the previous four. The districts of Council members Eric Ulrich (R-Ozone Park) and Ruben Wills (D-South Jamaica) will split Richmond Hill with the border running down Lefferts Boulevard south of Atlantic Avenue and 111th Street north of it.
The two other districts that included Richmond Hill, those of Elizabeth Crowley (D-Middle Village) and Karen Koslowitz (D-Forest Hills), are drawn out of the neighborhood. Crowley’s district would include nearly all of Woodhaven, at the expense of Ulrich, and parts of Woodside and Maspeth now in Jimmy Van Bramer’s (D-Sunnyside) district. His district would be shrunk to account for the growing population in Long Island City. Koslowitz’s district would include a significant part of Elmhurst.
East of the Van Wyck Expressway, many of the districts would be the same. The only big change would be in Fresh Meadows, where the neighborhood was drawn entirely out of Councilman Jim Gennaro’s (D-Fresh Meadows) district and into the one represented by Mark Weprin (D-Oakland Gardens). Gennaro is term-limited in 2013.
Jamaica would remain split among three districts with the bulk of downtown remaining in Gennaro’s. The spur of Councilman Leroy Comrie’s (D-St. Albans) district that includes the area around Jamaica Center would remain and Wills’ district would still include all of Jamaica south of the LIRR.
Parts of Ridgewood would remain in the district of Councilwoman Diana Reyna (D-Brooklyn), one of a few that would cross borough lines.
The commission will now have at least one public hearing on the plan before Oct. 5, before submitting a plan to the City Council in November for final approval next spring in preparation for the 2013 elections.
