The Public Can Weigh In On Gowanus Rezoning At Meeting This Week

GOWANUS, BROOKLYN — Residents will get the chance to share their thoughts about the Gowanus Rezoning plan as it enters its first step in the city's environmental review process.

A scoping meeting on the Gowanus Rezoning Plan, which was released in January by the Department of City Planning, will be held at M.S. 51 at 350 Fifth Ave. this Thursday. The public meeting will gauge the public's feedback to the recently-released Draft Scope of Work, a report begins the environmental analysis of the project.

As with other meetings over the last few months, the scoping meeting will likely draw a crowd of residents eager to give their thoughts about the plan, which could bring an estimated 8,200 new units of housing to the neighborhood.

The rezoning aims to bring more affordable housing, climate-change protections and varied development to the waterfront neighborhood, city officials have said.

But it has become controversial during its review process so far, as residents and local officials question the impact it could have on the arts, the neighborhood's affordability and its infrastructure.

The plan has faced Community Board 6's Landmarks and Land Use Committee and its Environmental Committee so far.

In the Landmarks and Land Use meeting, members contended that the plan does not have enough affordable housing or that the new development would create a spike in the rents of existing housing properties. The draft scope of work estimates that 3,000 of the new units, or 37 percent, will be affordable. The affordable units would be required to be available to those at or below 60 percent of the area median income.

Others spoke out, as many have since the proposal was released, about the increased density that will be allowed on some blocks and the towers as tall as 30 stories that will be permitted on others.

Thursday's meeting will start at 4 p.m. and run into the evening, planning officials said. Residents are encouraged to come when it is convenient for them and will be able to make public comments on the plans.

Written comments will also be accepted until 30 days after the scoping meeting.