http://www.planNYC.org/ PlanNYC | New York City Planning Information Portal en-us ja3n@earthlink.net http://www.plannyc.org/modules.php?op=modload&name=Issues&file=index&catid=1&issueid=75#4225 The Toll Brothers launched a website for their Gowanus development that will provide the community with updates about the project as it moves through the city’s public review process, the Uniform Land Use Review Procedure (ULURP). The developer said that it hopes the new website, www.tollbrothersgowanus.com, will help foster a “continuing dialogue with the Gowanus community,” noting that neighbors can use the site to send in comments and concerns about the project. 2008-05-13 00:00:00 http://www.plannyc.org/modules.php?op=modload&name=Issues&file=index&catid=1&issueid=75#4161 The Department of City Planning (DCP) is moving forward with plans to downzone six streets in Carroll Gardens. The plan is to reclassify six streets that are currently considered “wide” to “narrow” streets. This would affect floor area ratio, setback requirements, and height limitations. Some residents were concerned that the zoning amendment would limit future construction, namely additions to their homes, if passed. Brooklyn Borough President Marty Markowitz supports the downzoning as does City Council Member Bill de Blasio. The amendment must be approved by the City Council. 2008-04-29 00:00:00 http://www.plannyc.org/modules.php?op=modload&name=Issues&file=index&catid=1&issueid=75#4134 The Gowanus Canal Conservancy has proposed a series of “sponge parks” along the canal that will create open space and act as rainwater collection sites. The Conservancy says that these parks, although they will be small, will increase public access to the canal and create a solution to the environmental problem of stormwater and sewage overflows. The Conservancy has received support from the local Member of Congress and is requesting funding from the New York State Council for the Arts. 2008-04-22 00:00:00 http://www.plannyc.org/modules.php?op=modload&name=Issues&file=index&catid=1&issueid=75#4039 Cleanup efforts are underway on the Gowanus Canal at the site of Public Place. As part of the cleanup effort, Keyspan, who owns the company responsible for the pollution, will remove almost eight feet of soil that is contaminated and will put in place a barrier to block tar from seeping into the river from under the site. The city presentation the clean up efforts to Community Board 6 this week, saying that efforts could take nearly three years to complete. Odors and dust are likely nuisances during the clean up efforts. The site must be fully remediated before any new development can happen on the site. 2008-04-05 00:00:00 http://www.plannyc.org/modules.php?op=modload&name=Issues&file=index&catid=1&issueid=75#4040 The property owned by developer Shaya Boymelgreen is for sale, signaling his plans to build the “Gowanus Village” is no longer in the works. Boymelgreen had planned on using the site for mixed income housing totaling nearly 400 units. The sale of the property brings the discussion of what is to happen around the Gowanus back on the table. Some groups are pushing for a light-use industrial mixed with some residential space and believe that the Boymelgreen site is a good place to do this. Other groups remain committed to residential space with significant amounts of affordable housing, open space and access to the waterfront. 2008-04-05 00:00:00 http://www.plannyc.org/modules.php?op=modload&name=Issues&file=index&catid=1&issueid=75#4019 A new hotel is being proposed in the Gowanus area. With this proposal, the number of planned affordable chain hotels has reached seven according to Brownstoner. Some speculate that developers are hoping to convert hotel properties into condos once the area is rezoned. 2008-03-31 00:00:00 http://www.plannyc.org/modules.php?op=modload&name=Issues&file=index&catid=1&issueid=75#4003 Toll Brothers presented the most recent version of their proposal for their planned mixed-use development of an area along the Gowanus Canal to Community Board 6 on Thursday night. The Community Board reacted more positively toward the proposal than they had in the past, perhaps due to new renderings that emphasize the esplanade along the canal. Still, many present expressed concerns over flooding and the effects the project will have on a larger rezoning in the area. 2008-03-28 00:00:00 http://www.plannyc.org/modules.php?op=modload&name=Issues&file=index&catid=1&issueid=75#3969 Community Board 6 in Brooklyn has submitted written testimony to the scoping process for the Toll Brothers development along the Gowanus Canal. CB6 argued that the environmental review should take into account the other large developments planned for the area when it evaluates the size and impact of this project. The Board is also concerned about the toxic nature of the site, and believes that this development is inconsistent with the goals of the overall Gowanus rezoning. 2008-03-25 00:00:00 http://www.plannyc.org/modules.php?op=modload&name=Issues&file=index&catid=1&issueid=75#3998 The Toll Brothers’ proposal for development of 3.4 acres along the Gowanus Canal is unique in that it’s the first in the area to come entirely from the private sector. It is also an important project for the area, as whatever comes of the proposal as a result of the public review process will likely set a precedent for future development along the canal. The environmental issues associated with the Gowanus makes small development projects infeasible. Thus future proposals will likely be on the scale of the Toll Brothers’ proposal and will likely also have to undergo public review. 2008-03-25 00:00:00 http://www.plannyc.org/modules.php?op=modload&name=Issues&file=index&catid=1&issueid=75#3943 Some preservationists are advocating for the area around the Gowanus Canal to become an historic district. Many of the industrial structures located on the Canal are historically significant and the Army Corps of Engineers has indicated that several of them could be eligible to be included on the National Register of Historic Places. Those advocating for the historic district are concerned with plans by developers to destroy many of these buildings, which are good examples of buildings at the start of the Industrial Revolution. Developers claim that their efforts around the Canal will clean up the water and make it more accessible to the public. 2008-03-21 00:00:00 http://www.plannyc.org/modules.php?op=modload&name=Issues&file=index&catid=1&issueid=75#3924 The Department of City Planning (DCP) held a public scoping meeting for the proposed development project along the Gowanus Canal in Brooklyn. The Toll Brothers’ proposal would include a 447-unit housing development with ground-floor retail and a waterfront park. The project requires that the two-block area be rezoned from manufacturing to special manufacturing/residential mixed use. The meeting was held in part to gather comments on the scope of work for the environmental impact statement. In response, several residents voiced concerns over flooding, view sheds, and school overcrowding. 2008-03-19 00:00:00 http://www.plannyc.org/modules.php?op=modload&name=Issues&file=index&catid=1&issueid=75#3917 A full house attended the City Planning Department’s Scoping Hearing for the proposed Toll Brothers development along the Gowanus Canal. Most of those who spoke at the hearing spoke against the project’s rezoning. Residents were concerned about stresses on the infrastructure, building on a polluted site, and potential flooding. Others were upset about the way the City has handled the rezoning. 2008-03-14 00:00:00 http://www.plannyc.org/modules.php?op=modload&name=Issues&file=index&catid=1&issueid=75#3871 At a meeting planned to educate neighbors about the 577-unit development along the Gowanus Canal that the Toll Brothers have planned, concerns with the development’s impact on the community were raised by residents. The public hearing on the scoping document is set for March 13. Residents were concerned about overcrowding on subways and in schools, inadequate cleanup, compromising the sewer system and displacing local businesses. Representatives from Toll Brothers stated that they had not yet closed on the properties, and would only do so if the rezoning was approved by the City. They also reassured neighbors that the cleanup would be properly done. 2008-03-04 00:00:00 http://www.plannyc.org/modules.php?op=modload&name=Issues&file=index&catid=1&issueid=75#3830 A roughly four- acre site along the Gowanus Canal is back on the market for $27 million. The site was purchased in 2004 by Boymelgreen Developers and was supposed to become the Gowanus Village, a project that was expected to include about 400 housing units with a mix of condos and affordable housing. The site is an official brownfield and Boymelgreen had submitted a Department of Conservation (DEC) application to do remedial work. The developer had also planned to undergo the city’s public review process, the Uniform Land Use Review Procedure (ULURP), to rezone the area once the DEC application was approved. The DEC application was partially approved. 2008-02-25 00:00:00 http://www.plannyc.org/modules.php?op=modload&name=Issues&file=index&catid=1&issueid=75#3813 A plan by Toll Brothers to redevelop land near the Gowanus Canal into a 447-unit residential complex which is centered along the canal was recently submitted to the Department of City Planning. The development proposal includes 130 below-market-rate rentals, public esplanade, and retail space. In order for the plan to move forward, the developer must complete an environmental impact review of the surrounding area, including the impact on public services, infrastructure, landmarks, land, air, and water. The environmental review cannot begin until the Department of City Planning certifies that all the details of the plan are in order. At that point, all interested parties in the city and borough are able to weigh in on the plan. Ultimately, Toll Brothers needs a zoning change in order to move forward with its plan. 2008-02-23 00:00:00