Read It: Study Finds Rezoning Can Make Gowanus More Diverse

BROOKLYN, NY — A long-awaited study of the Gowanus rezoning plan reveals that it would likely succeed in making the majority-white neighborhood more diverse, though there is still more to be done to fully bridge economic disparities in the area.

The Racial Equity Report — completed by a Columbia University professor and City Council staff — concluded that nearly 3,000 units of affordable housing promised in the Gowanus Neighborhood Plan would help in making the neighborhood better reflect the diversity of New York City.

The Gowanus area, now 62 percent white, has become one of the wealthiest and whitest in New York City over the last 15 years, fueling inequality, according to the study.

"...The Gowanus Neighborhood Plan as outlined in the rezoning proposal has the clear potential to be a net positive for racial equity, increasing racial integration and countering local exclusionary development trends," the researchers write.

The equity report, commissioned by the nonprofit Fifth Avenue Committee, is a "first attempt" at following a new law that will require racial equity reports for all future rezoning proposals. The law was passed by City Council this year and officially takes effect in June 2022.

It comes as the Gowanus rezoning, once delayed by a lengthy court battle, makes its way through the city's public review process.

“We hope this report can help change the conversation around the racial impact of rezonings as we work to overcome decades of segregated growth in New York City," said Columbia University Professor Lance Freeman, the author of the report.

The Gowanus rezoning seeks to transform the once-industrial neighborhood by changing zoning rules in an 80-block area surrounding the Gowanus Canal. Supporters have said it could bring the "opposite of gentrification" to the neighborhood.

Freeman, working with City Council staff, found that this is likely true in terms of housing disparities. The plan, unlike past city-led neighborhood rezonings, will bring an "unprecedented" amount of affordable housing to a high-cost neighborhood, the report states.

Nearly 3,000 units of the 8,495 new units of housing the rezoning is estimated to bring to Gowanus will be affordable for families making between $30,000 and $100,000, according to the city.

According to the study, 20 to 25 percent of those units will likely be rented by Black families, 25 to 37 percent by Latino families, 10 to 13 percent by Asian families and 25 to 42 percent by white families, creating an incoming population that will "meaningfully reduce segregation" for the neighborhood.

The researchers added, though, that the proposal could fall short in bringing about another facet of racial equity: economic development, or whether people of color will be included in economic opportunities brought on by the neighborhood changes.

"From an economic development standpoint unless we do more to support the jobs in the industrial sector and create very strong workforce development, adult education and bridge opportunities for the jobs that are created, we will not be directly tackling these staggering divides in income and economic opportunity that exist," they wrote.

The researchers suggest adding an "economic development plan" to the proposal and putting greater investments in workforce training, adult education, bridge programming, and job placement.

They also contends maintaining current affordable housing by investing in New York City Housing Authority developments is "extremely important" for the potential improvements to diversity.

Advocates have long pushed for the Gowanus rezoning to commit to fully funding public housing repairs. Both City Council Members Brad Lander and Stephen Levin have said their approval for the rezoning will hinge on that demand.

They reaffirmed this week that they will seek to make this and other changes to the rezoning during its review with City Council.

"As the report points out, preserving our existing NYCHA affordable housing is equally important and I will work with Council Member Lander to secure this investment and other policies to address racial equity as we move forward into the City Council review period," Levin said.

Read the full Racial Equity Report here: