SAVE Gowanus Station: Join Tonight's Candlelight Vigil To Preserve Iconic Neighborhood Building

Here is a reminder to all who love Gowanus and its unique history as one of the United States first industrial neighborhoods. Please join tonight's candle light vigil and help save one of our community's most iconic buildings.

Neighborhood Candlelight Vigil Tomorrow - Save Gowanus Station - April 10th

Join a coalition of Gowanus neighborhood groups and residents as we ask public officials to avoid demolishing the iconic Gowanus Station building at 234 Butler Street. The candlelight vigil at Gowanus Station starts at 6:30 p.m. on April 10th (rain date April 12 at 6:30 p.m.).

For a bit of background:
If the NYC DEP has its way, the beautiful former City of New York Water Supply Distribution Gowanus Station building at 234 Butler Street at the corner of Nevins Street will be demolished as part of the current plan to build an 8 million gallon Combined Sewer Overflow tank and facility head house on a large site that currently includes the Gowanus Station footprint.

This two-story beaux-arts style building, built in 1913 by the Department of Water Supply, Gas and Electricity, not only reflects the larger context of Gowanus as one of the earliest and busiest industrial and manufacturing centers in this country, it is also unique for being the only building that actually bears the name of the neighborhood.

The vigil is not in opposition to the CSO tank; we support construction of the tank, but there are creative design alternatives that would permit retention of the historic Gowanus Station building as a key part of neighborhood identity. For more details, please see the web link. 

For more on the Gowanus Station and what is at stake, click here:

Despite Overwhelming Community Advocacy To Save The Iconic Gowanus Station Building On Butler Street, New York City Determined To Demolish It

A SAVE ME banner is a recent addition to the building

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Community Activists Fight To Save Historic Gowanus Station Building On Butler Street From Potential Demolition

You may remember that in June of 2016, the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) finalized an agreement with the City of New York that secures the design of the larger of two combined sewage and storm water overflow (CSO) retention tanks, mandated by the Federal Agency as part of Gowanus Canal Superfund cleanup.

The agreement allows New York City to locate an 8 million gallon retention tank in New York City’s preferred location, known as the “Head-of-Canal” location. It also stipulates that the EPA can require New York City to place the tank at the EPA preferred Thomas Greene Park location instead "if certain activities do not occur on schedule, including if New York City is not able to acquire the land at the Head-of-Canal location within approximately four years."

The City's plan relies on the taking of two privately owned sites, 234 Butler Street and 242 Nevins Street, by eminent domain. A third site, 270 Nevins Street will also be seized and then leased by the City for staging purposes.

An application submitted by New York City Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) and the New York City Department of Citywide Administrative Services (DCAS) for the acquisition of these three privately-owned parcels needed for the Gowanus CSO Facility is currently moving through the Uniform Land Use Review Procedure (ULURP) process.

The next step in the ULURP proceeding is a public hearing in front of Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams on November 27, 2017.

Community Board 6 as already held a public hearing and voted to support the eminent domain action. The Board however, asked DEP to "consider an alternative design to save the historic structure" on the parcel at 234 Butler Street.

Indeed, the charming brick building on that site is the historic City of New York Water Supply Gowanus Distribution Station, which is beloved by many in the area. 

So far, DEP has not agreed to save the structure under its current plan to build a Combined Sewer Overflow tank at the head of the Gowanus Canal. This prompted Olivia Brazee, the Historic Site Restoration Coordinator for New York State Parks Recreation and Historic Preservation, to write a letter to EPA, in which she stated:

"To destroy this intact, architecturally distinctive example of Brooklyn’s civic and industrial heritage would be a disservice to the Gowanus neighborhood and to the city as a whole."

A group of Gowanus activists are echoing this sentiment and have released the following statement.

November 16, 2017

A group of Brooklyn residents called on Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams today to stop

the proposed demolition of the historic Gowanus Station building. The City Department of Environmental Protection's current plan to build a Combined Sewer Overflow tank at the head of the Gowanus Canal calls fordemolition of the historic structure at the corner of Butler and Nevins Streets. Residents seek to prevent the unnecessary demolition of an iconic building imbued with neighborhood character.

"This magnificent building is over 100 years old," said Linda Mariano of Friends and Residents of Greater Gowanus. "Its design and sculptural elements tie directly into the history of the Gowanus neighborhood's relationship with water. It can and should be saved."

While the residents support the DEP effort to build a CSO tank as part of the EPA's Gowanus Canal superfund cleanup, they do not see that the Gowanus Station building needs to be demolished to build the tank. TheGowanus Station structure occupies a very small corner of the larger planned site and could be incorporated into the overall site design.

"We're calling on the Borough President to do the right thing -," said Peter Reich, a long time Gowanus resident. "I can accept the necessity of an 8 million gallon CSO tank being buried next door, but NOT at the expense of this irreplaceable Architectural landmark. Preservation and progress can easily coexist on that corner!”

The Borough President will hold a public hearing on November 27th regarding the DEP proposal.

Finally, the concerned residents noted that the State Historic Preservation Office called on the EPA to preserve the building in an October 19, 2017 letter to EPA project manager Christos Tsiamis:

"Based on our review of the project details to date, it appears feasible to retain and incorporate the historic former Gowanus Station building (234 Butler Street) into the project. This building, which has a prominent street presence at the corner (and very edge of) the city’s preferred site, has overarching significance for the National Register eligible Gowanus Historic District. Its demolition would adversely affect both the building and the National Register eligible Gowanus Canal Historic District. To destroy this intact, architecturally distinctive example of Brooklyn’s civic and industrial heritage would be a disservice to the Gowanus neighborhood and to the city as a whole."

"This unique building should be incorporated into the tank site design," said Gowanus resident Brad Vogel. "We all want distinctive neighborhoods: here is a chance for the Borough President to help us achieve that in Gowanus by refusing to sign off on a site design that calls for demolition."

The Gowanus residents also have the backing of a citywide preservation group.

“This building, with its terra cotta and brick facade is the only building in the Gowanus neighborhood that bears the neighborhood's name in masonry: Gowanus,” said Kelly Carroll of the Historic Districts Council. “Losing this edifice because of a lack of a creative alternative will reflect poorly on all parties involved and will be a serious loss to the built environment of this historic, industrial neighborhood.”

I urge everyone to make an effort to attend the Uniform Land Use Review Procedure Public Hearing related to the NYC DEP Proposal to voice your opinion on this matter.

Office of Brooklyn Borough President Eric L. Adams

November 27, 2017, 6:00 PM 

Community Room of Brooklyn Borough Hall, 209 Joralemon Street

And if you can't attend, please consider sending an email to help preserve this iconic part of the Gowanus neighborhood today:
1. Open a new email. Put in following subject line: Prevent Demolition of Gowanus Station
2. To: askeric@brooklynbp.nyc.gov
CC: rbearak@brooklynbp.nyc.gov; brad.vogel@gmail.com; loney.natalie@epa.gov
3. Drop in following text:

Dear Brooklyn Borough President,

In advance of the hearing on Nov. 27 at 6 p.m. at Borough Hall, I would like to note for the record that I strongly oppose demolition of the historic Gowanus Station Building at Butler and Nevins Streets. Please refuse to approve the DEP CSO Tank proposal unless it is changed to expressly incorporate the preservation of Gowanus Station. While the CB 6 ULURP review finding did not make preservation of the building a true condition to approval, I am asking you to help us save this building that is part of Gowanus - and Brooklyn - neighborhood identity in a meaningful way. The building constitutes a very small portion of the overall site and can be accommodated.

Respectfully,

4. Add your name and street address and send the email.

Thank you!

See, it's really easy.

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Developer Alloy Suggests Idea That May Solve Delay Issue And Park Loss Associated With Siting Of Combined Sewer Overflow Tank In Gowanus

At last night's Gowanus Canal Superfund Community Advisory Committee meeting


Jared Della Valle, President of Alloy

Councilmember Steve Levin

Kevin Jeffreys, Brooklyn Parks Commissioner

Eric Landau, DEP Associate Commissioner

Looking at 234 Butler Street and 242 Nevins Street from the Gowanus Canal Side

The Double D Pool at Thomas Greene Park

1928 photo of the former MGP site at Douglass Street, where Thomas Greene Park is now

The park, surrounded by industry, as seen from 4th Avenue 

looking towards the Gowanus Canal in the 1930s.

Alloy Presentation

The discussion of where New York City should be siting the larger of two Combined Sewer Overflow (CSO) retention tanks that the US Environmental Protection Agency has ordered New York City Department Of Environmental Protection  (DEP) to construct in Gowanus to capture raw sewage currently being discharged into the canal  has just become a whole lot more interesting.

You may remember that EPA's Region 2, responsible for overseeing the Gowanus Superfund clean-up,  has suggested placing a 8-million gallon tank underneath the Double D pool at Thomas Greene Park. The Federal agency reasoned that  the site is already owned by the City, which would save the cost of acquiring land. In addition, the park sits on top of the former Brooklyn Union Gas Fulton  Municipal Manufactured Gas Plant (MGP) which was in operation at this location from 1879 to the early 1930s. Since coal tar is currently oozing under the pool area and flows towards the Gowanus Canal, National Grid, the party responsible for the environmental clean-up, has been asked by EPA to dig up the pool so that the source contamination can be removed. By working in tandem with National Grid, DEP would save money and time. 

The NYC DEP, on the other hand, would prefer to site the 8-million gallon tank on privately owned land along the canal, adjacent to the park.  The sites in question are 234 Butler  Street and  242 Nevins Street.  In addition, the City wants to acquire 270 Nevins Street, which is currently occupied by Eastern Effects Studios, as a staging area.  The City is willing to make use of Eminent Domain to acquire the three  properties if the private owners are unwilling to sell. The necessary legal proceedings involved in making this happen will take time and millions of dollars.

The City wants to place the tank and a 50 feet high head house for the mechanical elements needed for the tank at 234 Butler and  242 Nevins partly because of the proximity to the rest of its Gowanus infrastructure at the head of the canal, and partly to "protect Thomas Greene Park" since the nearby community is underserved when it comes to open space and recreational facilities.

The problem with the City's eminent domain plan is that it will delay the environmental clean up of the Gowanus Canal by about 3 to 5 years, which EPA is very concerned about.

Intriguingly enough,  Alloy, a real estate development firm based in Dumbo, has proposed an alternative solution that may reduce or eliminate the clean-up  delay as well as offset the loss of parkland.

At last night's EPA Gowanus Canal Superfund Community Advisory Group meeting,  Alloy told the community that it had recently signed a binding agreement on a 99 year lease for 234 Butler Street and has been in talks with the owners of 242 Nevins Street,

Alloy is proposing to build an as-of-right commercial development with a 2.0 Floor Area Ratio (FAR)   that will provide much needed creative office space in Gowanus.  Distributing the allowable square footage into two four-story buildings instead of one large two-story structure  would allow Alloy and  the owners of the sites to donate a sizable piece of land to the City. 

According to Jared Della Valle, Alloy's president,  the donation would create additional permanent park land that would exceed the land lost to the head house in the park, if it were placed there.
It would also preserve the properties' tax base and create jobs in the area.

"We believe that our proposal could save the unnecessary time of pursuing eminent domain"Della Valle explained to the Community Advisory Group. "It would also save the City up to a hundred million dollars."

What do Alloy and the owners get out of it?  "No eminent domain. It's that simple," Della Valle said. 

To those who may think that the offer of a land donation to the city is too good to be true, he points out that his firm is confident that there is enough margin to make their project viable even with giving away land.  He believes that Alloy can add some new perspective and help create a meaningful dialog between the parties. "We are offering a resource in this game," Della Valle concluded.

One could imagine that NYC DEP would jump at this chance, but no.  Eric Landau, DEP's Associate Commissioner and Kevin Jeffreys, Brooklyn Parks Commissioner, also attended last night's CAG meeting.  During their presentation to the community, they seemed eager to point out that the'City's recommendation remains unchanged and that it is still pursuing eminent domain.

"It is a very intriguing idea", Jeffreys said about Alloy's proposal, " but it does not eliminate all of the City's concerns. We want to make sure that we do not reduce the current footprint of Thomas Greene Park."  

According to Jeffreys, a head house, if it were built in Thomas Greene Park,  would take up about 29,000 to 30,000 square feet of the total 110,000 s.f. park area. "If you place it in Thomas Green Park, you interrupt the current park program" he stated.  He stated that the land donation proposed by Alloy would only give the City a "marginal increase in park land." (57,000 sf.)

The City's plan would add approximately 75,000 sq ft of open space.

Eric Landau mentioned that construction of tank and head house in the park would take about 8 to 10 years, during which the park would have to remain closed versus 4 years if constructed on the privately owned land.
(One may want to point out here that the EPA estimates that the entire Superfund clean-up will take 12 years. Why it would take the City 8 years to build a pretty straight forward tank is anyone's guess.)

The community reacted with skepticism towards the City, which has been named the # 2 responsible polluter of the Gowanus Canal by EPA.  The City, unfortunately, has been less than transparent in regards to Gowanus.  Landau addressed the deep distrust from the community. "I get that we have a historic credibility problem in the community."  He was quick to blame the previous administration.

Most members of the CAG seemed to be opposed  to any solution that would entail the taking of private land by eminent domain.  There was a genuine interest in the possibilities and solution put forth by Alloy.  One member of the CAG told the City representatives to "get back to the table with Alloy to make it work."  Another member felt that the city had a 'predetermined design' for the tank and for the head house and was failing to embrace more creative solutions that could take care of all concerns.

The sentiment against the City was best expressed by a Gowanus  NYCHA resident, who said: "Right now, the City does not have the money to support public housing.  These people [meaning Alloy] are coming in to give you land versus going to court to do eminent domain. I don't understand going to court because it is going to take money and time to do this." She felt that the money could be better spent on public housing.

Indeed, it is hard to believe that the City is willing to spend $100 + million dollars on the purchase of land and legal wrangling, when there seems to be a perfectly sensible alternative that would increase the overall existing parkland AND keep the Superfund clean-up on schedule.

Sticking to EPA's clean-up timetable is what most CAG members want most. After both the Alloy and DEP presentations, CAG members voted on a resolution urging the EPA, which will have final say regarding the location and design of the required sewage detention tanks, "to make their institutional decisions based on the best recommendations of their project design team and engineers."

You can access Alloy's complete presentation to the CAG here.

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