Landersville: Councilman Brad Lander Is Still Promising A Gowanus Rezoning That He Can't Possibly Deliver

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Combined Sewer Overflow on the Gowanus Canal after heavy rains on May 30th 2019

Toxic oil slicks on the surface of the water

toxins, human waste and sanitary pad floating on the Gowanus

On May 30, 2019, NYC Councilmember Brad Lander, with his Council colleague Steve Levin, jointly released a summary of comments to NY City Department of City Planning(DCP) on the Gowanus Neighborhood Rezoning Draft Scope of Work for an Environmental Impact Statement. 

The proposed rezoning calls for 8,200 new units of housing that will bring approximately 20,000 new residents to the area.

Though it appears on the surface that Lander wants to make sure that "plans for growth are grounded fully in the public interest, and will achieve our shared goals", the rezoning of the Gowanus area was always a huge giveaway to developers despite all the talk about affordable housing.

The simple truth is that up zoning the Gowanus Canal area to allow more residential development without first dealing with its unique environmental challenges is a bad idea:

1) The toxic 1.8 mile long Gowanus Canal, an EPA Superfund site, still needs to be remediated.

2) The City of New York still allows raw sewage to drain into the canal during heavy rains and has yet to build Combined Sewer Overflow retention tanks mandated by the EPA to address current conditions.  The City has no plan in place to address the additional sewage of 20,000 new residents. which the EPA estimates to be 11x the current amount, once Gowanus is fully built out.

3. The area is a FEMA flood zone A and experienced severe flooding during Hurricane Sandy.

Why any representative would want to put his current and future residents in harms way is difficult to comprehend. 

Yet, Brad Lander is pushing the rezoning forward by promising the community a say in the outcome, by assuring residents that it will preserve and strengthen the “Gowanus mix,”  and by promising up to  3000 affordable apartments, many of them in a flood zone. To sweeten the deal, he claims to be pushing for "significant investments in NYCHA’s Gowanus Houses, Wyckoff Gardens, and Warren Street Houses."

Brad Lander knows fully well that City Planning does not have the tools in its toolbox to preserve light industry, the arts and cultural institutions in Gowanus once it becomes mainly residential.

In a mixed-use zone, residential development always takes over sooner or later, because that is where developers make the most money.  We find it quite ironic that Lander will throw himself a 50th Birthday Celebration/ Fundraiser for his Lander For NY coffers at the Royal Palms Shuffleboard Club in Gowanus on June 17, 2019.  The building housing the Shuffleboard Club is not likely to survive the rezoning, when it can be replaced by a 70 feet high structure.

Many of those 3000 units of affordable housing could be surrounded by water in just a few decades if scientists are correct about global warming and sea level rise.  This may make them even more affordable if nobody can or will want to live there as the water rises around them.

The promise of significant investments in Gowanus NYCHA housing rings especially hollow.  Lander, and especially Steve Levin had plenty of time during their three terms as NYC Council members.  The only capital that may be raised for improvements under their tenure is from selling NYCHA air rights to developers.

Lander and Levin can promise Gowanus area residents anything they want...their terms will be over at the end of 2021. The consequences of this ill advised rezoning will not be theirs to deal with.

All their current constituents can do is to remember not to vote for them next time they run for an office.

Levin seems to have checked out as Council member already and has not attended a Gowanus rezoning meetings in a very long time, preferring to let Lander handle things in his name. 

In the case of Lander, he is already actively campaigning  for the  New York City Comptroller spot.

Lander continues to support the Gowanus neighborhood up-zoning despite all the serious environmental issues that still need to be addressed.  Let us remember that he initiated it in the first place back in 2013, when he gathered the community and promised a truly community driven process. Most importantly, let us hold him responsible for the health and safety of those who will live in those new towers, in a flood zone.

Dear ...., The Gowanus Neighborhood Rezoning presents a real opportunity to create a future for the area around the Gowanus Canal that is more sustainable and resilient, more inclusive and affordable, and that preserves and strengthens the vibrant mix of uses in the area today. In order to achieve those goals, there is still a long way to go: In what must be rigorously analyzed in the Environmental Impact Statement, to make sure we have considered all the impacts. In changes to the rezoning proposal itself, to better share the benefits and mitigate any potential harms. And in related infrastructure and neighborhood investments to make the proposed growth work for the community. That’s why Council Member Steve Levin and I worked together to give extensive comments to the Department of City Planning (DCP) on the “Draft Scope of Work” for the Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for the proposed rezoning. The EIS is the next step in this long, thorough, and inclusive process. More than five years ago, our community came together to outline goals for the future through the “Bridging Gowanus” community planning process. In 2016, DCP began working with the community, holding scores of meetings including large public sessions and issue-specific working groups open to all who were interested. Building on that work, in June 2018, DCP released Gowanus: A Framework for a Sustainable, Inclusive, Mixed-use Neighborhood. In January 2019, DCP released the Draft Zoning Proposal. We are grateful to the hundreds of community members who have contributed many hours to shaping this vision, including long-time and newer homeowners, tenants, NYCHA residents, business owners, environmental activists, artists, affordable housing advocates, and more. This is one of the most engaged community planning processes our city has ever seen … and the future of Gowanus will be much better for it. We are encouraged by many elements of the proposal that the Department of City Planning has put forward: Innovative steps to require a more resilient and continuous waterfront, to advance and support the cleanup of the Canal, and to insure buildings with high environmental standards offer an opportunity for a sustainable and resilient neighborhood.   Plans to include a significant amount of affordable housing for low- and moderate-income families (estimated at 3000 out of 8200 units, or about 37%) in an area with extremely high housing prices, along with strong policies for preventing displacement, will generate a far more integrated and inclusive neighborhood than nearby Carroll Gardens or Park Slope.   The new incentive zoning for light industry, arts-related, cultural, and civic uses, along with preservation of mid-block areas for commercial and manufacturing uses, offers space to preserve and strengthen the “Gowanus mix.”   At the same time, there are numerous areas where the proposal does not yet fulfill our shared vision, and where substantial improvements are needed. The plan must prevent additional sewer overflows (CSOs) from flowing into the Gowanus Canal after rain events, and instead contribute to the canal’s Superfund cleanup (being overseen by the EPA) and broader restoration.   It must include significant investments in NYCHA’s nearby Gowanus Houses, Wyckoff Gardens, and Warren Street Houses.   It must strengthen light manufacturing, arts, and artisan uses inside as well as outside the Industrial Business Zone (IBZ).   It must include a plan to preserve historic buildings and connect people to that history.   Critically, the plan must include investments to meet the needs of a growing community for schools, transit, open space, flooding and resiliency, energy, and other infrastructure. Planning for the future of our city is not easy. We are facing an ongoing affordability and inequality crisis, even as the city’s population continues to grow, so we need to build new housing, especially in neighborhoods like Gowanus that offer strong opportunities to connect to good schools, jobs, and transit. This recent Op-Ed in The New York Times by Farhad Manjoo helps make the case for why we need to be open to proposals like this, even if our first (and understandable) reaction is to fear growth and oppose additional development in our neighborhood. But at the same time, we must make sure that plans for growth are grounded fully in the public interest, and will achieve our shared goals. That we are thoughtful about the impacts of climate change ... that we not only mitigate potential impacts, but actually create a more sustainable and resilient city. That we include the necessary infrastructure. And that we creates a community that is a great place for people across lines of difference to live, work, and raise families.  It is therefore imperative that the Department of City Planning (DCP) rigorously and transparently analyze all anticipated development impacts and hold the Gowanus Neighborhood Rezoning to the highest standards for public infrastructure and sustainability, from transit and sewers to public schools and open space. I hope you’ll take a minute to look at the comments that Steve and I submitted (and if you submitted comments, please share them with us as well). While the Environmental Impact Statement analysis proceeds over the next few months, we’ll continue to engage the community on many of these elements, and we hope you’ll take part: Preserving and renovating the Pacific Street Library: The Pacific Street Library is part of the “social infrastructure” that we want to see strengthened as part of the rezoning. (OK, we know it’s not in Gowanus, but since Fourth Avenue is included in the rezoning proposal, the library is in the rezoning area, which provides us an opportunity to invest there). The much-loved and well-used library, an architectural and community treasure, has extensive capital needs, and there are great opportunities to make it even better. Join us for a public meeting on Tuesday June 4 from 6-8pm at the branch to share what you love about the branch, and to help shape its future:   Gowanus IBZ Vision Study: City Planning will hold two “business roundtable sessions” in June to help develop a vision for the Gowanus Industrial Business Zone, to help make sure it can support job growth and businesses for many years to come. Gowanus business or property owners can complete an online survey here, to let DCP know about the benefits and challenges of doing business in the area and any improvements you’d like to see implemented. Learn more here. There will also be more information soon about what buildings the City will propose for landmark designation, and many other critical elements of the plans for the future of Gowanus. We pledge to make sure this is the most engaged community planning process possible, to get all the information we need, and to work together to make the best decisions for the future of our community. As always, we are eager for your feedback.