Gowanus Rezoning Passes City Council, Opponents Vow Lawsuit

BROOKLYN, NY — The largest rezoning during Mayor Bill de Blasio's eight years in office has officially been approved by City Council, paving the way for a transformation of the once-industrial Gowanus.

The rezoning, which has been in the works for a decade, was approved by the full City Council by a near-unanimous vote on Tuesday, two weeks after a 21- page agreement secured its support from local council members Brad Lander and Stephen Levin.

Its approval follows years of back-and-forth between advocates, city officials and staunch opponents of the plan, who led a months-long court battle earlier this year. Opponents vowed to take further legal action Tuesday.

Known as the Gowanus Neighborhood Plan, the rezoning is heralded by supporters as the "opposite of gentrification" given it is the first undertaken in a majority-white, wealthy neighborhood. It is estimated to bring 8,000 units of housing, 3,000 of which will be designated as affordable, to the 80 blocks surrounding the Gowanus Canal.

"...The plan to open up Gowanus to housing development that our city urgently needs comes along with real commitments to genuine affordability, to preserving the mixed-use creative character that makes it such a great neighborhood, the renovation of neighborhood public housing and serious investments in the sewer transit parks and school infrastructure that are needed to sustain growth," Lander said before his vote.

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Tuesday's council vote comes after a last-minute deal between lawmakers and City Hall that advocates and elected officials said cemented the last of their outstanding demands for the plan, including a $200-million commitment to renovate all 1,662 apartments in the two New York City Housing Authority complexes included in the rezoning area.

The deal also creates a task force to oversee the city's promises and expands on a plan officials say will prevent increased pollution in the Gowanus Canal.

But opponents of the rezoning — including those who led a lawsuit delaying its review — contended up to Monday's vote that even with the deal, the rezoning's impending development will exacerbate sewage and flooding problems in the neighborhood and interfere with an ongoing federal canal clean-up.

They point to an analysis from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency that found the city used outdated data when studying the rezoning's environmental impact. Tuesday, they vowed to take legal action specific to the environmental concerns, which were revamped after Hurricane Ida.

"As Brad Lander celebrates a massive violation of state and federal law today—one that endangers the safety of our community and the environment, and bends to the interests of big real estate—we note that a certain lady has not yet sung when it comes to the Gowanus rezoning," Voice of Gowanus said in a statement after the council vote. "See you in court."

The lone City Council vote against the plan on Tuesday came from Brooklyn Council Member Carlos Menchaca, who represents nearby Sunset Park.

The City Council vote is the last stage in the city's review process aside from a veto option from the mayor, who all but certainly will not turn down his own administration's plan for Gowanus.

"This is the biggest rezoning this administration has done over our eight years," de Blasio said Monday morning, calling the passage a "really, really big deal." "This is exactly the kind of thing we came here to do."

This is a breaking news story, refresh the page for updates.

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• Gowanus Rezoning Gets 1st Yes Votes In City Council After Deal
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• Ida Raises New Climate Concerns For Gowanus Rezoning: Lawmakers
• BK Borough President Approves Gowanus Rezoning, With Conditions
• Gowanus Rezoning Gets Yes Vote, 14-Page 'Road Map' For Changes
• Long-Awaited Gowanus Rezoning Hearing Brings 6 Hours Of Testimony
• Gowanus Rezoning Kicks Off After Judge Lifts Restraining Order
• Judge Stalls Controversial Gowanus Rezoning After Local Lawsuit