MEETING THURSDAY, APRIL 25
Well, neighbors, it has come to this. After over 3 years of so-called "community planning," Brad Lander & co. have come up with a plan for the Gowanus that is exactly like the plan we've seen everywhere else: Luxury towers, luxury towers, luxury towers. There will be a % of these units that are "affordable" -- but affordable for who?
This is going to be the biggest rezone of the De Blasio administration -- and everyone who has political ambitions (De Blasio may run for President; Brad Lander is going to run for NYC Comptroller) has his eye on it -- and not just because of the potential for political help from powerful developers. They also want to be able to say that this was a rezoning that was agreed upon by the community--but that isn't true.
PLEASE come to the "Draft Scoping Meeting" being held tomorrow so that you can make sure your concerns about this rezoning plan are being heard. This is where they are supposed to be gathering information from the community as to what sorts of impacts this development might have on the neighborhood. Do you have concerns about developing in a flood zone? On a superfund site before it has been cleaned? Concerned about schools, parking, and what sorts of stores can survive an upzoning with so many luxury units? Concerned about listening to pylons being driven into the Gowanus marshlands for the next 15 years??? Whatever it is, you should show up to this meeting and speak out.
The meeting is on:
THURSDAY, APRIL 25, 2019 at
MS 51 (SCHOOL),
350 Fifth Avenue, Brooklyn
(just past the Old Stone House park).
The meeting starts at 4pm but will go on through the evening.
Oh, and if you're wondering why a meeting about a Gowanus rezone plan is taking place in a Park Slope school, well, it may be because they are counting on you not to come. PROVE THEM WRONG! Tell your neighbors to come, too.
See you there!
visit thegowanusisdirty.com for more info and posters to distribute in your neighborhood
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A Few Facts About the Gowanus Rezone
THEY’LL BUILD, YOU’LL PAY
As part of the New York State’s brownfields program, developers who build apartment towers along the canal, on Bond and Nevins streets, will not only be reimbursed for the price to clean up the toxic land, but they’ll also be handed taxpayer dollars to cover at least 10% of their building costs, up to $35 million dollars each.
The developer of the luxury towers on Bond between Carroll and 1st streets has already been given over $7 million dollars of taxpayer funds. And because of NYC’s 421a, the developers themselves won’t have to pay any property tax for 10 years.
20,000 NEW NEIGHBORS, 22-STORY TOWERS
The rezoning plan will allow for at least 10 new residential towers to be built along Bond and Nevins St., each up to 22 stories high, with four times as many expensive luxury apartments as affordable ones. These towers will likely bring at least 20,000 new residents to our neighborhood, DOUBLING the population of Gowanus, destroying the liveable neighborhood we know and love forever.
WHATEVER DEVELOPERS WANT, DEVELOPERS GET
When the City first presented their Gowanus Rezoning plan, in June of 2018, the new residential towers along the canal were limited to being 14 stories high. But the developers wanted more—much, much more— and so they “lobbied” (gave money to) our electeds. And guess what? In February, a new plan was presented that allows for towers up to 22 stories high on almost all of the rezoned blocks around the canal. So who are our electeds working for, anyway?