Gowanus Canal oil slick, photographed by the very talented South Brooklyn Post photographer Joshua Kristal
Do you want to see condos along the Gowanus Canal? Parkway? A limit to development? The industrial area’s further transformation into an artist and small business haven?
Local officials are holding a series of planning meetings to get community input. The first public meeting is taking place Monday, Dec. 9, from 6:30 to 8:30 pm at PS 372 – The Children’s School, at 512 Carroll Street.
Big changes are underway for the Gowanus area, with the opening of Whole Foods slated for Dec. 17 and a host of new developments and projects all over the place. The 15-year EPA cleanup of the canal is slated to start next year.
But many decisions are yet to be made in terms of zoning, building guidelines and environmental protections that could be enacted in the area.
Local community activists fear that the new mayor, Bill deBlasio, will push in favor of condo and retail development, because deBlasio in the past threw his support behind the Toll Brothers when the developer wanted spot zoning to build condos on the bank of the Gowanus Canal.
In light of all this, local politicians are hosting a series of community planning meetings “to develop a neighborhood framework for the infrastructure and land uses needed for a safe, vibrant and sustainable Gowanus.â€
The meetings are hosted by State Sen. Velmanette Montgomery, U.S. Congresswoman Nydia Velázquez, State Assemblywoman Joan Millman, and City Councilmembers Steven Levin and Brad Lander.
The elected officials hired Pratt Center for Community Development to work as the facilitator and consultant in the planning process.
