Gowanus Rezoning Uncertain After Coronavirus: Reports

GOWANUS, BROOKLYN — New York City's slow return to some semblance of normal after the coronavirus crisis could happen too slowly for a quick restart to the long-awaited Gowanus rezoning, according to reports.

A pair of recent stories — one in City Limits, followed by The Real Deal — put what was a Gowanus area hot topic in the pre-coronavirus era back into public attention.

The news, such as it is, was this: the rezoning process remains on hold with no timetable for a restart.

City Councilman Brad Lander, who represents Gowanus and Park Slope, also told City Limits that further delays could extend the wait until past 2021.

"If we don’t move forward on it, at some point in the next few months, it won’t be able to be achieved in this term," Lander told City Limits. "My term ends in a year and a half and the mayor’s does too. And so if we don’t move forward in the next couple of months that means this will not happen."

To keep up to date with coronavirus developments in the Park Slope area, sign up for Patch's news alerts and newsletter.

The Gowanus area has seen a boom in development and extensive cleanup efforts in its famously-polluted canal. The city rezoning carried the potential of more affordable housing and greater watershed protections, or an ever-more-wealthy zone that some feared could leave poor residents and environmental concerns behind.

Lander and a coalition of linked groups called the Gowanus Neighborhood Coalition For Justice sent the city a wishlist for the rezoning with three top demands: Upfront funding for the NYCHA Warren, Wykoff and Gowanus Houses; net zero combined sewage overflows; and the creation of an environmental justice district with local oversight.

Their announcement fell on Feb. 5, at which time the city remained mum on when the anticipated rezoning process would start. A month later, the coronavirus shut down the city bit-by-bit, including the city planning office that would begin the process.

Read the full City Limits story here.

Coronavirus In NYC: Latest Happenings And Guidance

Email PatchNYC@patch.com to reach a Patch reporter or fill out this anonymous form to share your coronavirus stories. All messages are confidential.