Build Boroughs Better
Develop Brooklyn to Greatness
Affordable housing is an ongoing problem in this country. Our project reflects rezoning that will incorporate affordable housing as well as the creation of an integrated community. Gowanus Neighborhood Rezoning asks a whiter, wealthier community to absorb new growth to create a more affordable, high-opportunity neighborhood with strong transit access. Exclusionary zoning, redlining, blockbusting, mortgage discrimination, urban renewal, and other policies have denied Black New Yorkers the right to live where they want.
This rezoning project in the Gowanus neighborhood of Brooklyn covers 80 blocks between Park Slope and Carroll Gardens. The Gowanus rezoning would introduce 8,200 new apartments, 700,000 sq ft of commercial space, and 251,000 sq ft of community facilities on industrial land.
The project was stalled as community groups sued the New York City Department of City Planning because public hearings were conducted over Zoom rather than in person, and they deemed this to be illegal and inequitable to residents with poor internet access. The Brooklyn Community Board, in a vote of 6 and 2, agreed to hold a joint hearing conducted at both a physical outdoor location and online. Community members were also concerned that the rezoning would introduce overpriced apartments near the heavily polluted Gowanus Canal – increasing the waterway’s contamination. The proposal included that 37.5% of the apartments be set aside for affordable housing; however, the existing public housing complex required upgrading in order for the city to approve this new zoning. The project would bring more affordable housing, jobs, new open space, greenery, and vibrancy to Brooklyn’s waterfront area. The Voice of Gowanus continues to demand transparency at the public hearings.
