When It Comes To The Gowanus Rezone, We Cannot Trust Brad Lander

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Pardon Me For Asking has been a bit quiet of late, and for this, I apologize. I should have updated this little site long ago, I know.

Thank you to all who have reached out to say that they have missed the neighborhood information posted here and to make sure all is well.  I want to reassure everyone that I am doing great and that I intend to resume posting soon.

The reason for this long hiatus is simple: throughout the summer and fall, I have been fighting alongside Voice of Gowanus in opposition to Mayor De Blasio and Councilmember Brad Lander's efforts to create an unhealthy environment for current and future residents of Gowanus with their plan to rezone the neighborhood.

You might be aware of the fact that tomorrow, Tuesday, November 23rd, members of the New York City Council will cast a final vote on this massive 82 block rezone, despite the fact that the Gowanus Canal has not been fully remediated under EPA's Superfund program, that much of the area is a FEMA flood zone, and that the City still dumps raw sewage into the canal...and into our homes, as Ida has recently shown.

Most of the Council members will probably just rubber stamp the rezone, giving deference to Brad Lander, our 39th District Council Member, who has been shamelessly pushing for it.

As Lander personally escorted the rezone through the 7 months City Council Uniform Land Use Review Process (ULURP), he has been shifty on many of the issues related to Gowanus.

Please take a moment to read an open letter just published in the Brooklyn Eagle by Debbie Stoller and Linda La Violette of Voice of Gowanus, which reveals that Brad Lander can’t be trusted "to heed his own ostensible progressive principles in Gowanus."

A Tale of Two Brad Landers: An Open Letter to the New York City Council on the Gowanus Rezone

It will be up to us, as a community, to live with the consequences of this ill-fated rezoning. History has shown that politicians and developers promise much, but that promises are forgotten promptly when building permits have been issued.  We also know that we cannot rely on the Department of City Planning's projections for this large rezone, since those projections are often very wrong.

And most importantly, Brad Lander will be long gone when the resulting health and flooding issues related to supersizing an already environmentally-challenged Gowanus are on full display.

Voice of Gowanus will continue to fight. The group has recently retained environmental lawyer Richard Lippes, who represented plaintiffs in the famed Love Canal and Three Mile Island cases.

What can you do to help?

Please consider making a tax deductible contribution to Voice of Gowanus to continue the fight.

Thanks in advance, Katia