Gowanus Rezone On The Agenda At Brooklyn Community Board Meeting

GOWANUS, BROOKLYN — Brooklynites will get their first look at the Department of City Planning's new timeline for the controversial Gowanus Rezoning during a meeting next week.

Planning officials are slated to join Community Board 6's Landmark/Land Use Committee for their Oct. 22 meeting, the first public presentation about the rezoning plan since the city announced it will start the official certification process for the proposal in January.

The presentation will include an overview of the department's "pre-certification plans" and include a question-and-answer portion with the public, according to Community Board 6 District Manager Michael Racioppo.

"This is good news as we've been asking for pre-certification meetings long before the pandemic hit," Racioppo said in his daily newsletter. "However, what is presented, and not just the timeline, will ultimately determine our reaction."

The Gowanus Rezoning Plan, developed by the Department of City Planning over the last decade, aims to bring more affordable housing, climate-change protections and varied development to the once-industrial neighborhood, city officials have said.

Its critics have argued that the 22-story buildings and 20,000 new people it will bring will speed up gentrification and exacerbate environmental problems imminent at the polluted Gowanus Canal.

The Landmark/Land Use meeting will start at 6 p.m. on Thursday, Oct. 22 via zoom.