Gowanus Rezoning Heads To Final City Council Vote: How To Watch

BROOKLYN, NY — A city-led plan to transform Gowanus that has been in the works for a decade is slated to face its final vote in City Council this week.

The Gowanus Rezoning, which was approved by the Council's Land Use Committee earlier this month, is expected to face the full council during its Tuesday meeting, set to start at 1:30 p.m. at City Hall.

The meeting will be live streamed on the City Council website.

The vote comes after a 21- page agreement between lawmakers and Mayor Bill de Blasio's administration that secured the support of local council members Brad Lander and Stephen Levin. The deal likely paved the way for full City Council approval given the tradition of deferring to local council members on land use proposals.

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Perhaps the most significant part of the agreement is a $200-million commitment from City Hall 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 — argue that even with the deal, the plan's 8,000 new homes 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They point to an analysis from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency that found the city used outdated data when studying the rezoning's environmental impact.

Most recently, local opponents have also spoken out about a redevelopment of the Old American Can Factory included in the negotiations, which they worry will push out nearby tenants.

Supporters contend the rezoning's influx of affordable housing will bring the "opposite of gentrification" to the majority-white neighborhood. A racial equity report this year found that the proposal will "meaningfully reduce segregation" in Gowanus.

City Council is the last stop for the rezoning before it heads to the mayor, who has the option to veto proposals but has long-supported his administration's plan for Gowanus.

When asked last week, the mayor predicted the rezoning will pass given "tremendous support" in City Council.

"I feel very confident about that," he said.

The rezoning has already gotten the conditional support of Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams, the City Planning Commission and Community Board 6, which oversees most of the 80 blocks included the plan.

Read More:

• Gowanus Rezoning Gets 1st Yes Votes In City Council After Deal
• Gowanus Rezoning Gets Green Light From City Planning Commission
• 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