“Both CB6 and the beep included the three core demands of the Gowanus Neighborhood Coalition for Justice, including the creation of an independent task force to monitor the city and developers to ensure they’re carrying out commitments made during the ULURP process.”
BROOKLYN PAPER, August 13, 2021
Adams Announces Support For Gowanus Rezoning, With NYCHA Repairs Paramount
““This is about investing in public housing,” Adams said. “Buildings cannot go up around NYCHA developments while residents see their futures go down.”
The beep made his announcement at the Gowanus Houses New York City Housing Authority development in Gowanus, alongside tenant leaders.
Adams’ advisory approval requires the rezoning plan to include full funding for capital improvements at both developments, with a ballpark estimate of $274 million in funding needed.”
Gowanus Neighborhood Plan: Racial Equity Report on Housing and Opportunity
Read Here: Racial Equity Report
In response to a groundswell of advocacy, Council Members Brad Lander and Steve Levin committed to supporting the release of an independent racial equity study on the Gowanus Neighborhood Plan. Fifth Avenue Committee (FAC) retained Professor Lance Freeman of Columbia University to work with Council Land Use division staff, whose role is to provide technical and policy development support to the City Council, to develop methodology and undertake the study. This report on the Gowanus proposal is a first attempt at complying with the spirit of the recently enacted Intro 1572-B which will require the Department of Housing Preservation and Development and the Department of City Planning to create an “Equitable Development Data Tool” with citywide, boroughwide, and community-level data on six categories. disaggregated by race/ethnicity where available.
CB6 Gowanus Resolution, June 23, 2021
Read Here: CB6 Full Board Gowanus Resolution
After years of consideration—through workshops, working groups, public meetings, and formal resolutions—and after careful review of both the proposal and public testimony, Brooklyn Community Board 6 (the “Board”) hereby recommends that the proposed Gowanus Neighborhood Rezoning (the “Rezoning”)1 be APPROVED, WITH CONDITIONS.
Our Board has a long record of advocating for affordable housing in our community, and in particular investment in the repair, maintenance, and operations of public housing. Unfortunately, despite a well-documented need for capital investment in Gowanus Houses and Wyckoff Gardens, years of neglect by government at all levels has led to substandard living conditions and threats to the health and safety of residents.
The Board’s conditions for approving the Rezoning, detailed below, are not organized in order of priority. The Board’s conditional approval reflects an expectation that the City will acknowledge and satisfy each demand. However, the Board wishes to emphasize its demand that the City fully fund the capital needs of local public housing. Without a firm commitment by the City to meet this condition, the Board cannot support the Rezoning.
CITY LIMITS September 2020
Opinion: How the Gowanus Rezoning Could Push NYC Forward on Racial Equity
Michelle de la Uz, City Council Member Brad Lander, and Barika Williams
“The proposed Gowanus Neighborhood Rezoning is the first city-sponsored neighborhood rezoning in a whiter, wealthier community. It asks those residents to absorb new growth in order to create new, permanent affordability in a high-opportunity neighborhood with strong transit access. It has far less risk of displacement. In contrast to prior rezonings, it would result in a higher percentage of affordable units in the neighborhood than exists today. For all these reasons, we have engaged in a community planning process for the last several years to try to get this rezoning right. ”
CURBED NY July 2019
After 14 years, NYCHA community center in Gowanus receives funds to reopen
“We have heard about announcements of funding in the past—at least three times in the past. What we are looking for now are start dates. We need to know when, where, and how. That’s the next step.”
CITY LIMITS October 2018
CityViews: NYCHA Must Fix Our Homes Before Developing New Ones
Monica Underwood, Beverly Corbin, Karen Blondel and Michael Higgins
CITY LIMITS April 2018
CityViews: Council Can Foster Clean Water, Healthy Residents With Vote on Gowanus Tank
Sabine Aronowsky, Michael Higgins, Andrea Parker and Sue Wolfe
CITY LIMITS January 2018
CityViews: Act Now to Prevent Heat Deaths and Build a Greener Gowanus
URBAN LAND INSTITUTENEW YORK RELEASES RECOMMENDATIONS FOR MITIGATINGURBANHEAT ISLAND EFFECT IN GOWANUS,BROOKLYN
Michelle de la Uz