The board says its support for the project, which would upzone a large swath of Gowanus, hinges on the city funding nearly $300 million in repairs at the nearby Gowanus and Wyckoff Gardens Houses, while meeting various other conditions.
Residents of low- to middle-income communities of color have resisted various neighborhood-level land use applications which they say will fuel gentrification and increase rents.
With public review underway on the controversial land use application, plan opponents tapped a team of climate experts to poke holes in the city’s environmental assurances during a virtual meeting Tuesday. The city has pushed back on their claims, calling them an attempt to undermine an environmentally conscious development framework.
‘In spite of its reputation as a progressive liberal bastion, New York City has failed to adopt a comprehensive and deliberate approach to end its own segregation.’
The city officially kicked off public review Monday for its much-debated proposal to rezone an 82-block swath of Gowanus, Brooklyn, a process that’s been delayed for months due to a lawsuit.
Mayor de Blasio issued an executive order this week suspending in-person meeting requirements during the public land use review — a main point of contention for critics of the Gowanus rezoning.
‘We call on the next mayor to invest… $2.5 billion for affordable housing rental and homeownership opportunities and $1.5 billion for the New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA), and to move the city’s reporting structure away from raw production totals and into more meaningful areas, including racial equity and levels of affordability.’
‘I believe if we want to preserve SoHo, we must rezone within reason. To address the disjointed policies and permits that currently cause headaches, but also to save the stunning landmarked buildings at the heart of this debate.’
Corey Johnson says his ‘Planning Together’ proposal will help create a more just and inclusive city planning process. But others raised worries about the costs of the plan, and about how it would engage communities.
A panel of appellate judges on Tuesday reversed an earlier injunction halting the contentious Two Bridges project — a major setback for Lower East Side community groups, which have been waging a legal battle against the city and developers.
City Limits uses investigative journalism through the prism of New York City to identify urban problems, examine their causes, explore solutions, and equip communities to take action.
Founded in 1976 in the midst of New York’s fiscal crisis, City Limits exists to inform democracy and equip citizens to create a more just city. The organization is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit funded by foundation support, ad sponsorship and donations from readers.
Support local, investigative journalism that has informed and empowered New Yorkers for 45 years.
Support local, investigative journalism that has informed and empowered New Yorkers for 45 years.
