BY KIRSTYN BRENDLEN
The hotly-contested Gowanus
rezoning reached a new
milestone on Wednesday, as a
City Council sub-committee
voted to approve the neighborhood
wide land use changes.
The vote brings the plan
one step closer to reality, and
comes after city planners
reached a long-awaited agreement
with local stakeholders
on the terms of the upzoning,
which would dramatically
change the makeup of the area
with thousands of new apartment
units.
Councilmembers Brad
Lander and Stephen Levin,
who represent the 82-block
chunk of Gowanus set to
be upzoned, announced on
Wednesday that they, along
with Community Board 6 and
other community groups, had
reached an agreement on the
terms of the rezoning with
Mayor Bill de Blasio.
“Debates about development
COURIER LIFE, N 4 OVEMBER 19-25, 2021
are not easy, but I am
truly proud of the way we’ve
engaged them here,” Lander
said in a statement. “Together,
we are setting the stage for a
more diverse, more sustainable,
thriving, creative neighborhood
that will welcome
new residents while improving
and preserving the ability
of public housing residents,
artists, small businesses,
and neighbors to continue to
thrive here for generations to
come.”
Last-minute negotiations
delayed the council’s Subcommittee
on Zoning and Franchises
vote by a day, but they
ultimately agreed to give the
green light after the so-called
“Points of Agreement” plan
was agreed upon.
The proposals, critically,
include parts of the three core
demands of the GNCJ, including
full upfront funding capital
for repairs at two local
NYCHA complexes, net zero
combined sewer overfl ow increase,
and the creation of an
independent oversight committee
to supervise the rezoning.
Both Levin and Lander
have said those conditions
needed to be included in the
project before they would vote
to approve it.
The city agreed to fully
fund renovations of all public
housing units at Gowanus
Houses and Wyckoff Gardens
— more than 1,600 apartments
in total, at an estimated cost of
about $200 million. It’s more
than the city was prepared to
offer last summer, but falls
short of the more than $274
million NYCHA estimates is
needed for the long-neglected
repairs.
City offi cials will meet regularly
with tenants throughout
construction, and formally
committed to reopening
the community centers at both
complexes.
Pirate recording studios on Sixth Street between Third and Fourth avenues
in the Gowanus IBZ. Photo by Kevin Duggan
“We’re grateful today for
everyone that had a part in
this, in helping us to get here,”
said Theresa Davis, vice president
of the Gowanus Houses
Tenants Association. “It’s not
everything we wanted, but
it’s that they did show up, that
they did stand out and help
us.”
In addition to apartment
renovations, which will include
replacements of kitchens,
bathrooms, plumbing and
electrical elements, the agreement
says the city will expand
the Mayor’s “Action Plan for
Neighborhood Safety” to Gowanus
and Wyckoff Gardens,
bringing an annual $2 million
in programming to reduce
crime through youth and social
services.
About $1 million per year
will be dedicated to workforce
development and job training
for the neighborhood, especially
for NYCHA tenants.
Since the committee voted
“approve with modifi cations”
on several of the rezoning actions,
the modifi ed proposal
will head back to the City Planning
Commission for review,
and will return to the council
for a full vote on Nov. 23.
You’ve got a deal!
Gowanus rezoning agreement reached just
ahead of council committee vote to approve
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