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Agreement On Gowanus Rezoning Will Bring 8,000 New Apartments, Public Housing Investment
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Jake Offenhartz
Published Nov 10, 2021
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Nathan Kensinger / Gothamist
By
Jake Offenhartz
Published Nov 10, 2021
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Mayor Bill de Blasio’s controversial plan to rezone Gowanus is poised to move forward, fulfilling a decade-old ambition that aims to increase development and affordability in the fast-changing industrial enclave. The deal was approved by the City Council’s Land Use Committee on Wednesday, after the administration agreed to additional investments in public housing and sewer infrastructure.
The upzoning — the largest of the de Blasio era — will pave the way for 8,000 new apartments to be built over the next decade, with more than a third reserved for low-income tenants.
Much of the new construction will rise alongside the notoriously polluted Gowanus Canal, prompting concerns from some local residents about health and environmental impacts. As developers rush to snap up property along the putrid waterway, the appearance of luxury rentals has earned scorn from some residents.
Proponents of the plan, including mayor-elect Eric Adams, note that the rezoning is the first to mandate affordable housing in a wealthy, predominantly white neighborhood. A racial impact statement prepared by Columbia University Professor Lance Freeman found the rezoning would lead to an “unprecedented” increase in low-income housing that could “meaningfully reduce segregation.”
The council's Land Use Committee backed the proposal unanimously following last-minute negotiations between the mayor and the local council members, who traditionally determine whether a major land use project is approved.
In exchange for the backing of Council Members Brad Lander and Steve Levin, the city will invest $200 million to modernize the Gowanus Houses and Wyckoff Gardens — a sticking point among community activists.
Another $174 million will upgrade sewage infrastructure along the frequently-flooded Fourth Avenue, part of a commitment not to increase pollution in the Gowanus Canal as it undergoes a federal clean-up.
“This community has created one of the best models for inclusive growth anywhere, with strong attention to equity and affordability, and mindful of the environmental history and future of of this area,” Lander said on Wednesday.
The rezoning was first proposed more than a decade ago, but was mothballed after the polluted canal was designated a federal Superfund site in 2010. The Environmental Protection Agency has since launched a clean up of the canal — pulling up thick layers of the waterway’s noxious “black mayonnaise,” as well as sludge-covered vehicles.
Opponents of the plan say the looming construction could unleash long-buried toxins that would undermine both the dredging process and the city’s promises of racial equity.
They have zeroed in on a plan to build 950 units of affordable housing and a new public school on the Gowanus Green, the site of a former gas plant that is heavily contaminated with coal tar. EPA officials have warned that digging up the ground could unearth poisonous toxins if not properly handled.
“It’s reminiscent of Robert Moses’ over-reaching, giving away all of the public assets to real estate developers and putting low income families on a toxic site where they will develop cancer,” said Linda LaViolette, a longtime resident and member of the anti-rezoning coalition Voice of Gowanus.
The group has also warned that the plan will further burden an already overwhelmed sewer system known to eject human excrement into the canal during storms.
After the remnants of Hurricane Ida walloped the neighborhood in September, U.S. Rep. Nydia Velazquez called on the city to redo their environmental impact statements, arguing the calculations were based on outdated rainfall totals.
But city officials say their plan addresses the added waste from the rezoning — an estimated 1.25 million gallons of daily sewage —by requiring developers to install their own detention tanks. Upgrades to the sewer system will help prevent flooding, officials said.
The approval comes as de Blasio faces fierce community opposition to another rezoning effort in SoHo. The City Council is expected to formally approve the project later this month.
Tagged
Gowanus
rezoning
brooklyn
gowanus canal
real estate
Jake Offenhartz
Jake Offenhartz is a former Gothamist reporter.
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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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