Gowanus Rezoning Opponents Gear Up For End Of Coronavirus Delay

GOWANUS, BROOKLYN — Reopening New York City from its coronavirus lockdown will also mean reviving the battle over development plans like the city-led proposal to rezone Gowanus.

Advocates looking to stop or change the plan to transform the neighborhood are gearing up for a restart to the city's ULURP —Uniform Land Use Review Procedure — in September, after a pause on the process was put in place in March.

The restart means the Gowanus Rezoning proposal, originally set to face the review earlier this year, could be on the docket.

But also on the agenda will be renewed concerns from neighbors, both about the rezoning itself and the prospect that it could be pushed through now, particularly in a new virtual meeting set-up.

"How are people supposed to engage fully with this rezoning process when they are deeply — and rightly — more concerned about truly pressing issues like their jobs, their homes, and their health?" said Brad Vogel, a member of the Voice of Gowanus advocacy group.

To prepare for the restart of ULURP, the city has launched an online portal called NYC Engage, which is meant to give the public access to remote meetings and hearings.

The City Planning Commission restarted its meetings this week in part to prepare for the restart.

“...This new tool ensures that community members can make their voices heard as, together, we address pressing needs to rebuild and strengthen New York City’s many and diverse neighborhoods," a spokesperson for the Department of City Planning said.

But advocates contend the new virtual set-up risks leaving out voices they already contend are absent from the Gowanus proposal.

"We believe that virtual ULURPs are a terrible idea that is insufficient at best and at worst are designed to limit community input," said Talli Somekh, another Voice of Gowanus member.

Virtual hearings would mean hosts could mute or unmute attendees, that those without adequate technology can't participate and would make it more difficult for those participating to coordinate or to even see who is at the hearing, Vogel added.

City Planning — the department behind the Gowanus Rezoning — contends that the virtual hearings will actually increase access, by bringing in "seniors, caregivers and small business owners who often are not be able to attend in-person meetings." New Yorkers can attend online or by dialing in by phone.

In addition to concerns about the process, the coronavirus pandemic has also reignited advocates worries about the rezoning itself.

Voice of Gowanus recently created a campaign to ask for a racial impact study of the plan. Another group, The Gowanus Neighborhood Coalition for Justice, has begun re-sharing its petition to make changes to the proposal in the name of "social, economic, environmental, and racial justice."

"The events of the first half of 2020 have made it clear that racial justice must be a prominent factor in all decisions that affect the future of New York City," Voice of Gowanus writes. "From the horrific effects of the pandemic on low income and BIPOC communities to the Black Lives Matter protests, it is clear that inclusion, justice, and diversity are fundamental concerns to all New Yorkers."

Vogel added that the coronavirus also revealed the importance of manufacturing capacity the rezoning could erase. The plan was also developed based on "economic and financial assumptions that no longer holds true," he said.

Planning officials also point to the pandemic, but as an added reason for the new affordable housing and jobs that they say the rezoning will bring.

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 rezoning has not yet started its ULURP process. The next steps for the proposal will be shared on the City Planning website ahead of starting ULURP, according to the department.