Gowanus Rezoning Suit Dismissed; Opponents Still Eyeing Legal Options

BROOKLYN, NY — A lawsuit contending that the greenlit Gowanus Rezoning plan violates federal and state environmental laws was thrown out by the Brooklyn Supreme Court this week.

The suit — filed in February by longtime project opponents, including Voice of Gowanus and Friends and Residents of Greater Gowanus — argued that the city violated laws during its environmental review of the rezoning, a claim that a judge said wasn't supported by "any factual or legal arguments."

"[The City] reasonably concluded that the Rezoning would not result in any major adverse environmental impact based on its comprehensive and thorough review," wrote Brooklyn Supreme Court Judge Consuelo Mallafre Melendez in a court decision Monday.

When the suit was first filed, a Law Department spokesperson called it "meritless," pointing to a decade of environmental- and community-review processes.

Advocates, though, said the suit was thrown out before all the evidence was presented, and vowed to exploring other legal options.

"Our concerns did not get their full day in court," Martín Bisi, a group member and Gowanus small business owner, told Patch over email. "Voice of Gowanus continues to review its full range of legal options."

This is hardly the first time rezoning opponents vowed to take legal action against the controversial project.

Voice of Gowanus and Friends and Residents of Greater Gowanus staunchly opposed the rezoning throughout the decade-long effort, culminating in a months-long court battle surrounding meetings held in the city's review process last year.

As passed, the Gowanus Rezoning Plan 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 rezoning was heralded by supporters as the "opposite of gentrification" given it is the first undertaken in a majority-white, wealthy neighborhood.

While this latest court challenge against the rezoning has come to a close, some of the same opponents still have their eyes set on the city's Gowanus Canal cleanup efforts.

Last month, Voices of Gowanus sent a letter to U.S. EPA Inspector General Sean O'Donnell urging the agency to look into its claims that the city violated laws in its multi-million canal cleanup, Patch reported.

Patch editor Anna Quinn contributed to this report.

Related Articles:

• Gowanus Rezoning Faces Court Challenge Months After Approval
• City Violated Federal Law In Gowanus Cleanup, Rezoning Opponents Say