Gowanus Rezoning on the Horizon
Plans for the rezoning of Gowanus, which have been brewing for more than a year now, are about to make their official debut. Yesterday Purnima Kapur, director of City Planning’s Brooklyn Office, said that the draft rezoning plan for the Gowanus Canal Corridor will be unveiled next month. “What we’re planning to do is go…
Plans for the rezoning of Gowanus, which have been brewing for more than a year now, are about to make their official debut. Yesterday Purnima Kapur, director of City Planning’s Brooklyn Office, said that the draft rezoning plan for the Gowanus Canal Corridor will be unveiled next month. “What we’re planning to do is go out to the community and start a discussion about the rezoning,” says Kapur. The DCP official says that the rezoning plan will more or less adhere to the draft land-use framework released last January (as shown above), and that the department will propose rezoning about 25 blocks. “We studied 60 blocks,” says Kapur, “and we came to the conclusion that two-thirds should remain manufacturing.” Mixed-use zoning that allows for residential construction will mainly be proposed in the north section of the area under consideration, with the biggest chunk running from 3rd Street to Sackett between the canal and 4th Avenue. Per the draft framework, the rezoning will allow for the construction of building that are largely 6 to 8 stories with limited portions setback from the neighborhood allowed to rise between 12 and 14 stories next to the canal. Kapur says the department hopes to get community consensus on the draft proposal sometime over the summer and then begin working on an Environmental Impact Statement, which should take between 8 and 9 months to complete. If this timeframe is followed, the rezoning will be certified for ULURP sometime in early 2009, before there’s a change in the current city administration. Kapur says she’s excited about bringing the rezoning to fruition. “We were asked by the community board to look into the rezoning, which is how the whole process started,” she says. “Gowanus is a unique area between two thriving communities, and it provides a potential for new uses that could build on its unique character.”
Gowanus Rezoning: Complete Chaos [Brownstoner]
Gowanus Rezoning Proposal by Late Spring or Summer [GL]
Gowanus Canal Corridor Framework [nyc.gov]
“Per the draft framework, the rezoning will allow for the construction of building that … rise between 12 and 14 stories next to the canal.”
How does one “setback” their 14 story buildings “form the neighborhood” when they are building IN the neighborhood. She makes it sound like the 12-14 stories will happen somewhere else.
And how lovely might that be with 14 story buildings in the neighborhood? We may just find that what is there now is by far more lovely even with it’s existing problems.
Who are these city planners anyway? Who is telling them they must march to the drum of building 14 story buildings on a sick wetlands estuary. They must be falling for the story that this could be a river-walk like that in some other city; but how did these planners come to believe that the Gowanus is a river?
I am a resident of Gowanus and I love the idea of 3rd avenue coming alive with renewed vitality. Count on my vote.
Gee, and the proposed changes just happen to dovetail exactly with what Toll Brothers wants to do.
Gotta just be a coincidence.