OUR DEMANDS
The coalition’s top demands for the Gowanus rezoning are the following:

UPFRONT FUNDING FOR FULL CAPITAL NEEDS AT WYCKOFF AND GOWANUS The City must dedicate enough upfront funding for full capital needs at Wyckoff Gardens and Gowanus Houses. All funding spent to improve Wyckoff Gardens and Gowanus Houses must adhere to HUD Section 3 hiring policies to ensure local NYCHA residents and low-income residents are hired to complete the work.

NET ZERO COMBINED SEWAGE OVERFLOW (CSO) Mandate net zero CSO from new construction created as a result of the rezoning, through the following actions: (1) Accurately model how increased density will increase CSO and impact local hydrology, (2) Require and enforce CSO mitigation in new development and (3) Ensure city investment in infrastructure to completely mitigate any negative hydrological impacts of rezoning.

SUPPORT AND FUND A GOWANUS ZONING COMMITMENT TASK FORCE The Task Force will monitor compliance with public and private commitments, adherence to zoning requirements, and implementation of the Rezoning. With representation from local organizations, City agencies, and stakeholders, the Task Force will receive quarterly updates from the City and other stakeholders on planning, implementation, and successful completion of commitments, and disseminate this information to the community in a transparent and accessible manner.

The below demands are priorities for the entire coalition:

GUARANTEE TIMELY REOPENING AND RENOVATION OF THE GOWANUS COMMUNITY CENTER WITH RESIDENT-LED PROCESS FOR DESIGN, ORGANIZATIONAL STRUCTURE, AND PROGRAMMING All funding spend to improve local NYCHA developments must adhere to HUD Section 3 hiring policies to ensure Wyckoff Gardens, Warren Street Houses, and Gowanus Houses (WWG) residents- especially lower income public housing residents- are hired to complete the work.

INVEST IN COMMUNITY HEALTH AND SOCIAL RESILIENCE Commit to a comprehensive package of funding to improve Social Resilience and Health outcomes for local public housing residents, by supporting an Environmental Justice and Racial Equity Assessment. Ensure all local residents are included in a Community Health Needs Assessment and Community Emergency Preparedness Plan to address local health disparities and disaster risks.

BUILD ECONOMIC EQUITY ENSURING LOCAL ACCESS TO SECTION 3 EMPLOYMENT Commit to HUD Section 3, HPD and NYC administrative code compliance and enforcement. Fund the promotion of local residents earning under 80% of Area Median Income applying for training, employment and economic opportunities through Section 3.

INVEST IN KNOW-YOUR-RIGHTS TRAININGS The City must provide funding for know-your-rights trainings, including Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing, civil rights compliance and other building and tenant related trainings and services to Warren, Wyckoff, and Gowanus residents.

100% AFFORDABILITY ON PUBLIC LAND Require 100% affordability on land owned by the City of New York. The City must provide the necessary subsidies to provide permanent and deeply affordable units for seniors and people with low incomes 0-60% of AMI.

ADDRESS LOCAL SKILLS GAP WITH TARGETED MULTI-YEAR WORKFORCE INVESTMENT Programming must include bridge programming for CD6 residents with barriers to living wage employment with focus on public housing residents and an industrial sector apprenticeship program. Implement through CBOs.

STUDY, IMPLEMENT, AND ENFORCE TRANSFER OF DEVELOPMENT RIGHTS TO FUND FULL CAPITAL REPAIRS AT WYCKOFF AND GOWANUS NYCHA DEVELOPMENTS The City must comprehensively and transparently examine and permit the purchase and transfer of development rights from Wyckoff and Gowanus to privately owned parcels within the larger Gowanus area-wide rezoning, not to exceed the density that the City has already proposed in the Draft Scope of Work. Strong and representative local oversight of the generated funds must include Wyckoff and Gowanus residents.

CREATE AN AFFORDABLE HOUSING LOTTERY PREFERENCE FOR LOCAL CD6 NYCHA RESIDENTS  The City, through HPD, must make the necessary regulatory and legislative changes to create affordable housing lottery preferences for local NYCHA residents, and an increased percentage for people with disabilities as well as ensure the creation of a significant number of affordable units for seniors. The City must also commit to a significant number of Section 8 vouchers for existing NYCHA residents so they can move to newly created affordable housing. The planned Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing (AFFH) pilot must be in Gowanus and start as soon as possible.

MAP THE MOST AFFORDABLE MIH OPTIONS The City must map ONLY the deepest mandatory inclusionary housing (MIH) options so low-income residents and the local public housing community can afford the new affordable housing. Use existing options: option 1 - 25% of units at 60% of AMI and option 3 - 20% of units at 40% of AMI. 

MANDATE DEEPER MIH LEVELS FOR PRIVATE DEVELOPERS Developments along the Gowanus Canal must commit to deeper affordability than MIH alone by providing 25% permanently affordable housing at an average of 50% of AMI with 10% at 30% of AMI.

FOLLOW THROUGH WITH IBZ COMMITMENT The City must commit to translating the recently released IBZ Vision Plan into a zoning framework that protects existing industrial businesses and helps them stay in the Gowanus IBZ and modernize and expand, while carefully managing competing uses that can impede industrial operations such as large scale entertainment, gyms, big-box retail, and stand-alone office. The City should consider lowering the parking requirements for industrial properties; allowing increased density for the creation of industrial space and production-based uses; maintaining the prohibition on new residential uses, and examining strategies to help businesses reduce emissions.

CREATE JOBS FOR LOW INCOME CD6 RESIDENTS TO MAINTAIN NEW BUILDINGS AND PUBLIC SPACE Leverage both private and public investment in buildings and public spaces to create jobs for low income local residents in new buildings and the public realm by requiring and committing to local CBO partnerships for recruitment, training and hiring.

PRESERVE INDUSTRY AND ART SPACES by implementing an incentive of .3 FAR for specific uses groups in Gowanus Mix that are limited to production, repair, and arts uses exclusively. Require public disclosure and transparency in leasing agreements of Gowanus MIx spaces.

INVEST IN LOCAL YOUTH EMPLOYMENT  Fund Summer Youth Employment Program slots to ensure access to youth from WWG communities.

INVEST IN PUBLIC SPACE Commit to investments and timelines for public realm improvements called out in the Gowanus Lowlands Master Plan and the North Canal Visioning Plan, including Thomas Greene Park, Head of Canal Park, The Salt Lot, NYCHA campuses, Greenspace on 4th Extension, MTA easements, streets, streets ends, and other city owned parcels. Develop all plans with continued public input.