Gowanus Rezone To Be 'Opposite Of Gentrification,' Officials Say

GOWANUS, BROOKLYN — Proponents of the Gowanus Rezoning are warning that recent calls to hold off on the plan will delay much-needed change it could bring to the neighborhood.

An opinion piece written this week by Council Member Brad Lander, Fifth Avenue Committee Director Michelle de la Uz and Association for Neighborhood Housing and Development Director Barika Williams argues that the upcoming rezoning of Gowanus could be a chance to promote racial equity in the neighborhood.

The rezoning, which is likely to start the review process this year, proposes changing zoning rules in an 80-block radius to spur a "Gowanus mix" of development.

It would be the first city-led neighborhood rezoning in a whiter, wealthier community, rather than in a working-class community of color, the officials say.

"Rather than fuel displacement and gentrification in a low income, working class neighborhood, the rezoning would be a force for racial and economic integration in a wealthy, white one," they write in the City Limits piece. "That’s the opposite of gentrification."

Opponents of the rezoning have argued just the opposite. They say the rezoning's 22-story buildings and 20,000 new people will speed up gentrification and exacerbate environmental problems imminent at the polluted Gowanus Canal.

They have most recently called for the city to hold off on pushing the plan through its review process, which was on pause during the coronavirus crisis but is set to restart this fall.

But Lander, de la Uz and Williams say moving ahead is the only way to bring the benefits of the rezoning, mainly affordable housing.

The Gowanus Rezoning aims to bring 8,200 new units of housing to the neighborhood. Of those, 3,000, or 37 percent, would be affordable, according to the officials.

"...Let’s recognize calls to 'wait' for what they too often are: an effort—whether intentional or not—to delay steps forward towards environmental, social, and racial justice in NYC," the officials write.

They add that the rezoning is still in need of some work to reach its full potential to drive racial equity. They call on the Department of City Planning to release the Environmental Impact Statement data for the plan, add funding for local New York City Housing Authority residents and come up with an "emergency preparedness" plan given the coronavirus crisis.

Read the full City Limits piece here.