Rezoning Will Render Gowanus Unrecognizable, Residents Fear

GOWANUS, NY — A plan to rezone Gowanus with bigger buildings to shape the neighborhood's skyline drew jeers from some longtime residents who feel it would render their neighborhood unrecognizable.

Residents, elected officials and stakeholders packed into the P.S. 32 gym on Wednesday night for an open house about the city's plan released earlier this month, the first public meeting on the framework. Attendees could learn about aspects of the proposal from city workers, share their feedback and even write suggestions on boards taped to the walls.

Despite the years of planning before the framework was released, some in the room hoped the city never got this far with the rezoning because they fear it would completely destroy what they love about the neighborhood.

"Our neighborhood is being stripped in front of our very eyes," said Linda Marino, founder of the Friends and Residents of Greater Gowanus and a resident since 1976.

"I don't trust that they have really and truly listened and understood what our community is all about."

The city released its study "Gowanus: A Framework for a Sustainable, Inclusive, Mixed-Use Neighborhood," earlier this month to serve as a "roadmap" for the planned rezoning of the area.

Fourth Avenue between Pacific and 15th streets will be rezoned under the plan to allow for buildings as high as 17-stories in some parts, as opposed to the 12-story max allowed in a 2006 rezoning, according to the plan and the Brooklyn Paper.

Some of the plan's goals include supporting the neighborhood's growing population, remediating industrial pollution, increasing affordable housing and more, according to the Department of City Planning.

It also wants to increase green space and design buildings more resilient in the future to help deal with potential future floods and sea level rise, the city said.

Residents worry that the proposed rezoning area that's allowed for residential use could push out many of the small businesses, which weren't in the framework.

"They see it as an eviction notice," said Owen Foote, treasure of the Gowanus Dredgers Canoe Club. "It can be quite fearful since there’s really no description of the community as it stands today."

Foote, a former city planner himself, couldn't understand why the city didn't describe the assets the neighborhood has in the framework like small businesses, artisans and recreational waterfront access

"One would think that framework about a revitalization of a neighborhood named after its waterfront would perhaps have a nod towards a waterway itself," Foote said.

Councilman Brad Lander, who was at Wednesday's open house, called the initial framework a "really strong, shared, foundation for the future of Gowanus" and understood some residents concerns.

"I get why people are anxious about development at heights taller than the surrounding brownstone communities," said Lander.

"On the other hand, If we want to actually have an inclusive neighborhood that would have some meaningful affordable we'll have to have some development at a scale that's bigger than our brownstones."

City Planning said the framework was developed after more than 100 hours of neighborhood meetings and events, but some residents in nearby public houses felt like their voices weren't heard enough in the process.

"We want to be recruited in the initial deliberations," said Mustafa El-Bey, a long time resident of the Gowanus Houses and part of the Gowanus Neighborhood Coalition for Justice. "We consist of the majority of the people here and the families in this Gowanus area."

Others members in El-Bey's group hoped the city would listen to their pleas to add more transportation options, community facilities and low-income housing for seniors in their future plans.

The city plans to release a draft rezoning plan for the neighborhood this winter then the proposal will go through the lengthy Uniform Land Use Review Procedure and be voted on by the local community board.

Image: Nicholas Rizzi/Patch