Behold Landersville!: What Gowanus May Soon Look Like If The Neighborhood Rezoning Becomes Reality

3D image of Gowanus, 2019

photo creditL googlemaps

3D model of a fully built-out Gowanus after rezoning

by New York Institute of Technology (NYIT) students

Councilman Brad Lander at a Gowanus Planning meeting in 2014

The New York City Department of City Planning (DCP) returned to Community Board 6's Land Use Committee last night to respond to a list of questions that had been sent to the agency by the committee in regards to the Gowanus Draft Zoning Proposal.

We will let you watch the video of the meeting for yourself, since DCP threw a lot of figures around in regards to affordable housing, the area's median income and how many units and new residents the Gowanus upzoning will generate.
(Around 18,000 new residents, 8,200 new units 3,000 (or 37%) of which would be permanently affordable to low- and moderate-income families when it is all built out.)

At the meeting a 3D model of what the Gowanus Corridor could look like in just a few years if the rezoning goes through was distributed.  The model was developed by New York Institute of Technology (NYIT) students and though it may not be entirely accurate because it assumes that developers and land owners will take advantage of every allowable buildable square footage, it is a sobering look at what we may be facing.

We should suppose that the neighborhood will be fully built out in just a few years.  Pretending otherwise and not planning for that eventuality would just be delusional.

Councilman Brad Lander seems to fully back the plan, though he admits that much work still needs to be done. In a letter sent to his constituents just yesterday, he asks local residents to 'keep an open mind",  despite the fact that  "not too many people are excited about new buildings at heights taller than the surrounding brownstones." 

Lander does acknowledge the unique environmental issues in Gowanus. "We’ve got a special obligation to pay attention to environmental issues, around a Superfund site that flooded during Hurricane Sandy. That means buildings and a waterfront designed with long-term sea-level rise in mind, and that also reduce energy use, auto-dependence, and combined sewer overflows (CSO) into the canal."

However, the fact remains that our Councilman is pushing to:

- up-zone a FEMA Mandatory Evacuation Flood Zone A

-is willing to bring 18,000 more residents to Gowanus AHEAD of the EPA Superfund Clean-up of the toxic Gowanus Canal 

-and ahead of the City building ADEQUATE retention tanks to keep raw sewage of thousands of additional toilets out of the canal. 

For Lander, the creation of affordable housing seems to trump some of these issues:

"Gowanus would be the first “mandatory inclusionary housing” (MIH) neighborhood re-zoning proposed for a whiter, wealthier neighborhood, where there’s relatively little risk of displacement. So we have the opportunity to create a real model for an integrated neighborhood, with diverse schools, and a vibrant community life, right here in the middle of Brownstone Brooklyn."

Call us idealistic, but regardless of one's income and ability to pay rent, shouldn't the first concern be for the health of current and future residents? Neither Lander, nor NYC DCP, or even NYC DEP can currently assure us that living next to an open sewer or next to a Superfund site like the Goawnus Canal is currently safe.

Let's call this new vision for Gowanus "Landersville", since we should hold him ultimately responsible for what happens here next.

Below is a video of last night's CB6 Land Use Committee meeting.  The NYC DCP's portion begins at  1:07.   (Yours truly asks a question starts at 1:54:15)

Last night's CB6 Land Use Committee meeting.

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Gowanus Up-Zoning Watch: City Planning To Attend CB6's Land Use Committee For Q & A Tomorrow Evening

Pardon Me For Asking will try hard to keep the community informed on important meetings or hearings as the proposed Gowanus  neighborhood rezoning
I urge everyone to make every effort to attend, since the future of our neighborhood is at stake.

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The New York City Department of City Planning (DCP) will return to Community Board 6's Land Use Committee tomorrow night, this time to answer questions from committee members regarding the Gowanus Draft Zoning Proposal. You may remember that the previous CB6 Land Use meeting on March 1 was set aside so that the community got to voice their comments to DCP on this matter.

The Draft Zoning proposal is an upzoning of the area, which calls for 22 story buildings along the canal, and close to 30 stories on Public Place, the City-owned site along Smith Street near 5th Street.

The proposal almost doubles the density of what had been planned for the area in 2008. Despite the participation of local residents in Councilman Brad Lander's Bridging Gowanus visioning process, this re-zoning plan guarantees few of the things that the community really cared about: artists lofts, maker spaces and parks.

How exactly the area will accommodate thousands of new residents when our infrastructure is already at a breaking point remains unclear.
The plan offers no contract with the community that would truly guarantee us new schools, new investments in our sewers, or increased subway service.
It does guarantee years of construction and a radical change to Gowanus and surrounding neighborhoods like Park Slope and Carroll Gardens.

The Community Board will have a huge role in rezoning Gowanus, since its members will vote on supporting it or not.

The members represent all of us and we should remind them of that fact by attending CB6 meetings where the rezoning is discussed.

So please be there tomorrow.

CB6 Landmarks and Land Use Committee Meeting

6pm

P.S. 133 

610 Baltic Street (Between 4th& 5th Avenue)

Brooklyn NY 11219

Related reading:

Feel Betrayed By Councilman Brad Lander Yet Regarding The Proposed Gowanus Rezoning? We Do!

Same As It Ever Was In Gowanus: It Is Clear That New York City Plans To Allow New Housing First, Deal With Extra Sewage Later. 

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Same As It Ever Was In Gowanus: It Is Clear That New York City Plans To Allow New Housing First, Deal With Extra Sewage Later.

March 27 2019 meeting of the Gowanus Canal Community Advisory Group

Jonathan Keller, NYC Department of City Planning

Angela Licata, NYC DEP Deputy Commissioner

Proposed Gowanus upzoning  

Raw Sewage and toxic discharges floating past 363 and 365 Bond Street in Gowanus

A plume of sewage floating past 363-365 Bond Street

How can New York City envision  an up-zoning that would bring thousands of new residents to the Gowanus Canal area when it has not yet addressed the fact that it still releases significant amounts of raw sewage into the waterway  and will continue to do so for at least another ten years?

That is the question members of the Gowanus Canal Community Advisory Group asked  representatives of both New York City Department of City Planning (DCP) and NYC's Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) at the group's general meeting last night.

Either Jonathan Keller of NYC DCP or Angela Licata of NYC DEP were unprepared to give specific answers, but it became clear throughout the conversation that the City plans to allow new buildings to go up first, and then deal with the additional sewage afterwards

And that is all backwards.

How did we get here?

The City and developers have been itching to up-zone the Gowanus neighborhood to allow more residential developments. The proposal calls for buildings that may reach 22 to 30 stories along the heavily polluted canal, which the EPA declared a Superfund in 2010.

The rezoning is slated to move through the Uniform Land Use Review Procedure (ULURP) by the end of 2019. Since ULURP takes about 9 months to 12 months to complete, developers could potentially begin building their residential towers by the end of next year.

Everyone may also remember that EPA, as part of its Superfund clean-up, has mandated that NYC DEP must finally cease the practice of dumping raw sewage into the Gowanus Canal during heavy rain events. The Federal Government has ordered New York City to build two Combined Sewer Overflow tanks to remedy the situation and to protect its Superfund clean-up, once it is completed. The larger of the two tanks, is planned for the head of the Canal, next to the largest CSO outfall.

Instead of swiftly moving ahead with fulfilling its obligation in light of the City's rezoning efforts, DEP has managed to delay the completion date for the head of Canal tank, by first insisting on building it on land that needed to be taken by eminent domain instead of placing it under a City-owned park. Recently, the City has switched course entirely by proposing a tunnel under the canal, in place of the tank.

The community is looking at a scenario in which thousands more residents may be living next to an open sewer by 2020, while DEP is pushing the completion date for a CSO tunnel or tank  to 2030 and probably beyond.

Though Angela Licata last night told the Gowanus community that DEP had already invested significantly to reduce Combined Sewer Overflows (sewage) into the canal, with projects like a sponge park, rain gardens, high level storm sewers, investments on the Gowanus Pumping Station and controls of "floatables."

However, Licata revealed that even with the construction of the two EPA mandated CSO tanks, the City is dealing strictly with current CSO conditions, and is not addressing any additional measures to offset new development.

In other words, the current CSO remedy will be outdated the moment the up-zoning goes through and new high-rises get built.

Members of the CAG urged both DEP and City Planning to plan ahead and to think outside of the box. One of the  CAG suggestions was to write into the proposed rezoning that new buildings should be required to separate gray and black water to reduce the burden on our sewers.

Neither agencies seemed eager to push that idea forward.

In the absence of logical thinking by the City of New York, it is reassuring to know that the EPA, at least is planning for the future. The 2013 Gowanus Canal Superfund Record of Decision, the legal blueprint for the clean-up of the polluted canal, specifically requires that "the capacity of the retention tanks will need to accommodate the projected additional loads  to the combined sewer system as a result of current and future residential development, including future rainfall increases that may result from climate change."

DEP and DCP better figure out what more housing, more residents, and more poop would mean to a neighborhood that has literally been dumped on for decades.

Otherwise, we as a community, have a right to tell the City that no rezoning should be allowed to go forward before adequately sized CSO tanks are completed.

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NYC Planning And DEP To Jointly Attend Gowanus Community Advisory Group Meeting Tonight

Raw sewage and toxic discharges floating on the serface of the Gowanus Canal, past 363 Bond Street and 365 Bond Street apartment buildings along the Gowanus Canal on March 19, 2019.

Tonight's Gowanus Canal Community Advisory Group's general meeting should be an interesting one, and since it is open to the public, I encourage local residents to attend.

On the agenda tonight are the New York City Department of City Planning (DCP) and NYC's Department of Environmental Protection (DEP). The two agencies have been invited by the CAG to "provide information on how the tunnel proposal and land use changes in the neighborhood will impact the Superfund process and remedy."

Here is why having both agencies in one room is important.
Everyone is hopefully aware by now of the upcoming upzoning of the Gowanus neighborhood. The rezoning will allow more residential developments along the Gowanus Canal, which the EPA declared a Superfund in 2010.
The proposal calls for buildings that may reach 22 to 30 stories along the heavily polluted waterway

The rezoning is slated to move through the Uniform Land Use Review Procedure (ULURP) by the end of 2019.  Since ULURP takes about 9 months to 12 months to complete, developers could potentially begin building their residential towers by the end of next year.

Everyone may also remember that EPA, as part of its Superfund clean-up, has mandated that NYC DEP must finally cease  the practice of dumping raw sewage into the Gowanus Canal during heavy rain events.  The Federal Government has ordered New York City to build two Combined Sewer Overflow tanks to remedy the situation. The larger of the two tanks, which will have an 8 million gallon capacity, is planned for the head of the Canal.

Instead of swiftly moving ahead with fulfilling its obligation in light of the City's rezoning efforts, DEP has managed to delay a completion date for the tank, by first insisting on building it on land that needed to be taken by eminent domain instead of placing it under a City-owned park,  and then to switch course entirely, by proposing a tunnel under the canal, instead of the tank.

So now, the community is looking at a scenario in which thousands of new residents may be living next to an open sewer by 2020, while DEP is still talking about a CSO tunnel/tank completion date of 2030.

Tonight's CAG meeting will therefore give the community an opportunity to ask these conflicting timelines. I hope you will take time to attend.

Full CAG Meeting

Tuesday, March 26, 2019

6:30pm

Mary Star of the Sea Senior Apartments, 41 1st Street, Brooklyn

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Yikes! Apparent Trash Can Fire Totals Car On Henry Street In Carroll Gardens

(photo credit: reader Christian)

(photo credit: reader Christian)

(photo credit: reader Jill)

This past Thursday at 5 am,  a car parked on Henry Street close to the corner of Union Street near Bar Bruno was apparently totaled when the flames from a trash can fire ignited it. The front of the SUV is completely burnt out.  The back of a second car in front of this one was also engulfed in flames, according to residents on that block.
Apparently, the strong wind that day spread the fire from the trashcan in the direction of the cars,
Two readers alerted us to this and were kind enough to send in the photos above.
Needless to say, we feel for the owner. This is scary.


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Playing Tourist In My Own Town

Only on the Brooklyn Bridge....on a sunny Sunday morning

Loving Central Park, but hating the new pencil sky scrapers

On top of New York City at One World Trade Center

Washington Square Park Bubblemarer

Dear Readers,
In case you were wondering about the long silence here on Pardon Me For Asking, I have had family members from Germany visiting us these last few weeks and I had little time to devote to new posts.
It did give me the opportunity to slow down a bit, play tourist in my own town while sight seeing with our guests and to fall in love with New York City all over again.

My most important guest however, was grandson Dove, who also come to Brooklyn. And when Dove is in town, nothing else counts.
Here he is on top of "Opa"s shoulders on Court Street.

A week of magical moments with this little monkey boy.

So, please excuse the temporary silence.  New posts coming right up.


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Gowanus Landmarking Coalition Gets Support From Councilman Menchaca To Help Save Historic S.W. Bowne Grain Storehouse Along The Gowanus Canal

Council Member Menchaca at press conference today

Simeon Bankoff, Executive Director of the Historic Districts Council

Since 1886, the S.W. Bowne Grain Storehouse at 595 Smith Street has been standing at the edge between Red Hook and Gowanus, on the shores of the Gowanus Canal. It is a vestige of the neighborhood's history and of its once-thriving shipping industry.

The building is of such historic import that it was declared eligible for the National Register of Historic Places as part of a Gowanus Historic District in 2017.

The Gowanus Landmarking Coalition  has also asked the NYC Landmarks Preservation Commission [LPC] to declare  the S.W. Bowne Grain Storehouse as a landmark.

Though it has stood empty for several decades, the solid brick warehouse could easily be repurposed for a number of  adaptive re-uses to serve future generations in Red Hook/Gowanus.

Repurposing the building is obviously not the plan of real estate developer Meyer Chetrit. His firm Chetrit Group wants to rezone the site from manufacturing to residential and plans on building apartment buildings.  The warehouse, therefore is in the way and seems to be in danger of being demolished.

In May 2018, local residents reported illegal demolition work on the site. In June 2018, a fire broke out in the night, burning a good portion of the roof.

Though the NYC Fire Department deemed  the fire suspicious and is still investigating it as arson, the NYC Buildings Department inexplicably issued a full demolition permit for the structure in February 2019.  A stop-work order was imposed by the Buildings Department in March, but crews were seen violating it this past week.

This morning at 9 AM, the Gowanus Landmarking Coalition, PortSide New York, and community members in Red Hook and Gowanus held a press conference opposing demolition of the historic warehouse. They were joined bu Council Member Carlos Menchaca.

From a press release issued by the Gowanus Landmarking Coalition:

"Many questions wreathe the site surrounding the building. The site is currently zoned for manufacturing and it is not clear what the owner intends to build on the site. Nor is it clear why demolition of one historic building is necessary on such a large site. It is also not clear who started the 2018 fire; the investigation remains ongoing.

The building was deemed eligible for the State and National Registers of Historic Places in 2011, and the Society for Industrial Archaeology formally requested that the building be landmarked by the city’s Landmarks Preservation Commission a decade ago in 2009. Speakers at the press conference will highlight examples of adaptive reuse along the endangered historic Brooklyn waterfront that could serve as models for a repurposed Bowne Storehouse. It is still possible to retain an example of the community’s maritime heritage and activate it with zoning-appropriate, water-dependent m-zone and maritime uses."

Council Member Menchaca agreed and made the following statement:

"As of yesterday afternoon, the Department of Buildings says their borough attorney is commencing a process to issue a criminal court summons based on repeated violations
We are still trying to get clarity on what that enforcement timeline looks like. Until then, we must not relent until demolition stops and preservation commences.
The FDNY asserted last year that the fire appeared to be intentionally set. And despite stop work orders, demo crews have been active. This is highly suspicious.
The FDNY must be allowed to complete its investigation. But it has also been several months since it started. We cannot wait to preserve a building of such historic importance.
The SW Bowne Warehouse is part of the IBZ and should remain an industrial and manufacturing property.
I pledge to do everything possible to preserve this building and ask that my elected colleagues join us. I applaud my fellow neighbors and the media for acting quickly to show proof of continued demolition.

Your activism is what keeps elected officials like myself accountable and on the right side of issues."

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When The Carroll Park Bocce Guys Played In Carroll Park

From left to right:
Angelo Licata, Ralph Lubrono, Giovani Romano, Mario Feola, Nuncio Illiano and Giuseppe Coppola
Carroll Park, 2011

Years ago, just like clockwork, the Italian bocce guys of Carroll Park would re-appear on the first nice spring days in the neighborhood, just as dependably as the daffodils and the ice cream truck.

They would spend hours meticulously grooming the court before the first game of the season, play and argue over the score, and then spend the rest of the afternoon chatting away.

The photos above where taken in April 2011, on one of those first warmer days, after what seemed an unending winter. Angelo Licata, Ralph Lubrono, Giovani Romano, Mario Feola, Nuncio Illiano and Giuseppe Coppola were kind enough to pose for me when I asked them if I could take their photo.

Sadly, these last few years, the bocce courts have remained empty as the older generation has passed away and many of Carroll Gardens' next  Italian/American generation has moved away. 

I  was reminded of these lovely Italian gentlemen when someone stumbled onto the photos recently and reposted them on Facebook.

Though some Carroll Gardeners newcomers sometimes play bocce or  pétanque, its French equivalent, in our neighborhood park, spring just hasn't been quite the same these past few years.


The empty bocce court as I walked through Carroll Park today

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Dedication of 'Giselle McGee Way' In Carroll Gardens To Honor Beloved PS58 Principal

Giselle Gault McGee

(photo courtesy of the McGee family)

On Monday, April 1 2019, friends and colleagues of Giselle Gault McGee, the much loved former principal at P.S.58, will be holding a tribute to her.  The event coincides with Giselle's birthday and will include a ceremonial co-naming of Carroll Street between Court Street and Smith Street as "Giselle McGee Way".

More about Giselle by PS 58 Parent Coordinator Joan Bredthauer:

Giselle Gault McGee was a dedicated educator who pioneered French-English language programs in NYC schools. Her warm leadership as Principal of PS 58 The Carroll School from 2006 to 2014 created an environment of positivity and collegiality that welcomed new ideas and encouraged meaningful parent engagement.

Shortly before her planned retirement, she was diagnosed with ovarian cancer. The news was devastating to our school community. She died in December of 2017.

In 2006, Giselle was appointed principal at P.S. 58, The Carroll School, in Carroll Gardens, Brooklyn by former Chancellor Carmen Farina. Giselle believed strongly in the importance of arts programming and experiential learning in daily curriculum. She gave countless Carroll Gardens children a unique school experience by providing school-wide enrichment, including ballroom dance, chess, story-telling through ballet, opera, and even special “wildlife” visits from birds of prey, small mammals and reptiles, to name a few of the programs Giselle brought to her students.

Giselle was one of only three forerunners in the NYDOE to launch a French-English Dual Language Program and grew the school from 330 to more than 800 students. On the last day of school 2006, Chancellor Joel Klein visited Giselle's school and was quoted in the Daily News saying, "You've got a great new leader in here who really has united this community."

Principal Giselle Gault McGee was made a Knight in the Order of Academic Palms in 2009 by French Ambassador Pierre Vimont for her work with the French-English Dual Language Program. She also received the Label FrancEducation, a prestigious award, given by the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs as a formal recognition and accreditation to schools providing a French bilingual program. At the time, only eight schools worldwide had received the award, including two New York recipients.

Giselle was a true people person, who bought a smile and compassion to everyone who crossed her path. 

Here are some additional details about the ceremony:

Wear Orange!
On this special day, we’ll remember Giselle’s incredible positivity of spirit and generosity. Giselle was a ray of sunshine in our lives. Her favorite color was sunny ORANGE, and we invite you to wear orange in her honor.

Cookie Swap
The dedication ceremony will be followed by a cookie swap. I know you all remember Giselle’s incredible hospitality and, of course, her amazing baking skills. She never attended a meeting or gathering without bringing a delectable homemade treat with her to share. Please help us celebrate this particular memory by signing up to bring a batch of individually wrapped cookies for the swap, or to help us set up and serve them to our guests.

Photos and Remembrances
We also encourage you to bring photos and written notes of remembrance for a display, which we will present to Giselle’s family. 

Date: Monday, April 1st (Giselle’s birthday)

Time: 4:00 PM

Where: Corner of Carroll Street and Court Street

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Yesterday's News, Everyone's Favorite Antiques And Collectables Store In Carroll Gardens, Is Expanding

Since 2001, Yesterday's News, the corner store at Court Street and 2nd Place in Carroll Gardens has been selling fun antiques and collectables at very reasonable prices.  Whether one is in the market for a mid-century teak dining set, a vintage dresser, garden planters with a nice antique patina, a funky piece of custom jewelry, or simply an old postcard, there is something for everyone here.

So it is a real pleasure to report that Yesterday's News is expanding into the storefront next door, which was recently vacated by Try Rae's First.

Combining its existing commercial space at 428 Court Street with 430 Court Street will give Yesterday's News the opportunity to not only sell more inventory, but to stay open during inclement weather.   Currently, a lot of their  merchandise is displayed on the sidewalk. It all needs to be moved inside at night and when it rains. On wet days, the store remains closed because one cannot move amidst the larger pieces of furniture.

We hope that the expansion means that Yesterday's News will be part of the Carroll Gardens community for many more years.

What do you shop for when you go in to this store.  what kind of fun items have you found here lately?

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