Gowanus Rezoning Gets 1st Yes Votes In City Council After Deal

BROOKLYN, NY — The Gowanus Rezoning has gotten its first approvals in City Council after a long-awaited agreement between local leaders and City Hall on Wednesday.

The 21- page agreement — unveiled outside City Hall minutes before one of two committee-level council votes on the plan — meets three key demands put forth by the Gowanus Neighborhood Coalition for Justice, on which local council members Brad Lander and Stephen Levin have said their votes will depend.

The Subcommittee on Zoning and Franchises and Land Use Committee voted in favor of the rezoning shortly after the agreement was unveiled. The full City Council is slated to vote on Nov. 23.

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. City officials had said for years the rezoning would include NYCHA repairs without agreeing to fully fund the upgrades, as GNCJ demanded.

“Today’s agreement shows that community-led, inclusive, sustainable growth is possible," Lander said. "After nearly a decade of conversations among neighbors, and in partnership with the Department of City Planning and City Hall, this community has created one of the best models for inclusive growth anywhere, with strong attention to equity and affordability, and mindful of the environmental history and future of this area."

(Keep up with NYC events and news by subscribing to Park Slope Patch to receive daily newsletters and breaking news alerts.)

On top of NYCHA repairs, the agreement meets GNCJ's demand of ensuring accountability for city-led rezoning's promises by creating a Gowanus Rezoning Oversight Task Force.

It also expands on a demand that new development not increase pollution in the Gowanus Canal. GNCJ contended this demand was already partially met by a new stormwater rule, but the city agreed to further commit $174 million to upgrade sewer infrastructure along Fourth Avenue in the new agreement.

The down-to-the-wire agreement likely seals the fate of the Gowanus rezoning in City Council, which typically defers to local council members on land use matters.

Elected officials said the agreement also "reflects" recommendations made by Community Board 6, which oversees the majority of the 80 blocks the rezoning would transform. Community Board 6, who was involved in the City Hall negotiations, voted to approve the rezoning earlier this year with an extensive list of conditions.

The rezoning has also gotten the conditional support of Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams and the City Planning Commission.

City Council is the last stop for the rezoning before it heads to the mayor's desk. The mayor has the chance to veto ULURP applications, though his decision can face a City Council override.

The rezoning started the review process, known as ULURP, earlier this year after a months-long legal battle.

Long-standing opponents who spearheaded the legal challenge were unimpressed with the agreement Wednesday, pointing specifically to concerns the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has raised about canal pollution estimates.

"No matter what Council Member Brad Lander claims now, it's clear that he has run his full dog and pony show to distract from a host of problems with the Gowanus rezoning," the group, Voice of Gowanus, said in a statement. "...Any community group that goes along with this rezoning today is signaling hard that it does not care about our environment or the health and safety of New Yorkers."

Read a press release about the City Hall agreement here:

Read More:

• Gowanus Rezoning: 'Still Critical Work To Do,' Lander Says
• 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