Your Participation Is Needed: Have A Say On The Future Of The Gowanus Neighborhood At Public Meeting On December 9th

Your involvement and participation are needed. 
Please make every effort to attend this important meeting.

Bridging Gowanus

Monday December 9th, 2013 

from 6:30 to 8:30 pm 

at PS 372 – The Children’s School at 512 Carroll Street. 

"First in a series of public meetings to develop a neighborhood framework for the infrastructure and land uses needed for a safe, vibrant and sustainable Gowanus. 

Recently, I wrote about a series of 'Gowanus Planning' kick-off meetings that had been held jointly by State Senator Velmanette Montgomery, Congresswoman Nydia Velázquez, State Assemblywoman Joan Millman, Councilmember Steven Levin and Councilmember Lander.

Pratt Center for Community Development (not to be confused with the Pratt Institute) has been hired by the elected officials as the facilitator and consultant in charge of running the planning process.
According to an overview prepared by Pratt, the goal is to:
*Develop the outlines of a comprehensive, community‐based infrastructure and land‐use plan for a safe, vibrant, and sustainable Gowanus area
*Bring community stakeholders together to build as much consensus as we can around a long‐term vision for the Gowanus Canal area
*Shape the next NYC mayoral administration’s thinking about the Gowanus Canal
*Create a space for honest conversation about different viewpoints.

The first such meeting had been convened this past August. On the list of invited stakeholders were representatives from local organizations and neighborhood associations. Those same stakeholders met again in October for a series of small group interviews.

Pratt Center compiled the information from these interviews and will present the findings at the first in a series of public meetings to be held on Monday December 9th, 2013.

The end result of these meetings, according to a press release "will be a community supported blueprint for an environmentally safe, vibrant, and sustainable Gowanus to inform de Blasio Administration."

Personally, I remain very skeptical of this entire 'Gowanus planning' process and doubt that at its conclusion, the community will be able to truly influence the outcome.
Mayor-elect Bill De Blasio, who once served as our Councilman, not only supported the Toll Brothers Gowanus spot-rezoning back in '08, he fought hard to drive away the EPA when the agency proposed to list the Gowanus as a Superfund. I have no doubt that he is itching to hand over the Gowanus corridor to developers.

However, as I wrote previously, I do believe that the community needs to take the planning process back. We owe it to ourselves and to all who will come after us to take our seat at the table, and to push for a true, transparent, democratic process. We need to tell our politicians that before any new development is envisioned, we need to first find out what the Gowanus can sustain. We need to first invest in infrastructure to strengthen the businesses and the residential areas that are already there, and we need to demand new tools in City Planning's tool box.
As a community, we need to remind our politicians that before moving ahead with any re-zoning, we need a health study to gage the effects of exposure to the environmental hazards in Gowanus. Secondly, we need a hydrological study to evaluate the effect of new development in this flood prone area.
Most importantly, we need assurances from Mayor-elect De Balsio that the City Of New York will pay and follow through on the EPA-mandated retention basins that will help reduce the Combined Sewer Overflows and improve water quality in the canal. Without these studies and without the retention basins, planning more housing in Gowanus seemed "recklessly premature."

Whether you live or work in Gowanus, Carroll Gardens, Boerum Hill, or Park Slope, whatever your vision for the future, we will all be affected by how the Gowanus corridor will be re-zoned.

Please stay involved.   You can visit BridgingGowanus.org for upcoming meeting announcements and information about the process. 

Lightstone Group's Plans And Drawings For Gowanus Project Approved By City Planning, But Developer Still Needs Waterfront Certificate

NYC Department Of City Planning Hearing for Lightstone Group's Gowanus development  

Commissioner Betty Chen, Commissioner Michelle De La Uz, and Amanda Burden,  Chair of the NYC Department Of City Planning

Commissioner Michelle De La Uz and City Planning Chair Amanda Burden

(De La Uz is the executive director of the 5th Ave. Committee. During the Lightstone discussion, she recused herself, since the developer has contracted with the 5th Avenue Committee to manage the affordable units included in the project.)

 Amanda Burden,  Chair of the City Planning Commission

Purnima Kapur, City Planning Brooklyn Director

Aline Fader, representing NYC DCP Brooklyn Office, presents Lightstone's newest plan

Aline Fader and colleague present Lightstone Groups's as-of-right project

Just a few days ago, it was announced that Lightstone Group is proceeding with its 500,000 square feet mixed-use housing development on the shores of the Gowanus Canal at 363-365 Bond Street as an as-of-right development and has abandoned the minor modification which it had previously requested of NYC's Department of City Planning (DCP).

During DCP's review session on Monday afternoon, representatives of the Brooklyn DCP office explained that Lightstone, apparently wanting to avoid the risk of legal action,  has withdrawn its minor modification application and has decided to pursue the as-of-right development under zoning granted in 2009.
This project had come in front of the commission once before in September 2012 as a 'minor modification' of the original 2009 special permit project previously granted to Toll Brothers.

This as-of-right development is nevertheless subject to City Planning Commission approval because the 2009 special permit project was made subject to a restrictive declaration that was attached to the plans and drawings.

One of the purposes of the restrictive process was to help insure that the key urban design principals of the special permit project, which ensures that the taller portions of the development should be on the canal side and the lower portions should be along Bond Street, would be respected.

The second restriction has to do with Waterfront Zoning Regulations, which did not apply to the Gowanus Canal at the time of the original approval in early 2009.  However, later the same year, the City Council made the canal subject to the zoning regulations and water front open space will now be required in connection with the as-of-right project under those provisions.

The original 2009 project provide public open space along the canal that was designed "in the spirit of" the Waterfront Regulations. It did not strictly adhere to them.  Lightstone has modified the drawings to allow the requited waterfront public access area to be included, resulting "in a net increase of open space on the Southern block, where the building is being pushed back by approximately 20 feet."

To address FEMA's recently released Advisory Base Flood Elevations and  changes to the Building Code,  the site will be raised by 2 feet at First Street. Lightstone will elevate the ground floor of the building approximately 1.1 foot and make the street level parking garage a "bath tub structure".

At yesterday's DCP session, Lightstone sought approval for the plans and drawings for the as-of right project.
The Planning Commission votes unanimously to grant the approval.

However, at a later date, the applicant will need to seek a Waterfront Certificate from Chair Amanda Burden in regards to the design of the waterfront open space. The certificate will specify the design of the open space and certify that it meets the zoning requirements. The applicant is expected to file the application later this year.

"And at that point, and only at that point, will the developer be able to begin construction. So it's really a two-step process" a representative of the Brooklyn DCP office was quick to point out during the presentation.

Important Update And Meeting Regarding Lightstone's Proposed Gowanus Project

Old rendering of Lightstone Development next to the Gowanus Canal (credit: Lightstone Group)

New Rendering Of Lightstone Development
(Via Councilman Lander's office)

New elevation drawings for Lightstone Project. Click here for enlarged view

(Via Councilman Lander's office)

New FEMA Advisory Base Flood Elevations for Gowanus

Lightstone Development site, Canal at Carroll Street during Sandy (photo credit: Margaret Maugenest)

Second Street at canal during storm (photo credit: Triada Samaras)

Sandy flooding at First Street near Canal (photo credit: Carl Teitelbaum)

***Important Information For All Carroll Gardens/Gowanus Residents***

NYC Department Of City Planning Hearing On Lightstone Project 

363-365 Bond Street; Restrictive declaration approval to existing plan

Tomorrow, Monday March 18

at 1 pm

Spector Hall, 22 Reade Street, New York, New York

There is some very important information that was circulated late last week on Lightstone Group's proposed large-scale Gowanus development at 363-365 Bond Street, between Carroll Street and 2nd Street.
According to Councilman Brad Lander's office, which informed several Gowanus residents on Thursday evening, Lightstone is proceeding with the project "as of right" and has abandoned the minor modification which they had previously requested of NYC's Department of City Planning (DCP).

In 2012, hoping to piggy-back on the former Toll Brothers project at the same site, Lightstone had sought DCP's approval for variations in the base height of the project, building heights and footprints of portions of the buildings, relocation of parking entrances, changes to the location and design of the open space, and changes to the number of residential units from 447 to 700.  DCP considered these changes "minor" modification's, which are subject to review and approval only by the Commission, rather than 'major' modifications that require the initiation of a new ULURP.

DCP was going to rule on this matter in November 2012, but the hearing never took place because of Hurricane Sandy. The community was told that DCP and its Brooklyn office were first waiting for the release of Federal Emergency Management Agency's new post-Sandy "Advisory Base Flood Elevations (ABFE)", which indicate significant expansion of the flood plains.
The ABFEs for the Gowanus area were published very recently.

Perhaps concerned about new flood regulations in Zone A and of legal challenges, Lightstone has re-configured the proposed 700-unit development so that it can move forward according to the site's existing zoning. To address the fact that the land sits squarely in FEMA's flood zone A and to comply with new waterfront development rules, Lightstone has pulled away slightly from the water and increased the grade at First Street.

City Planning has placed the Lightstone item back on its calendar for tomorrow, Monday March 18, at 1 pm, Spector Hall, 22 Reade Street, New York, New York. (It's the 9th agenda item).  The meeting is open, but no comments will be accepted from the public.
All important information can be found here: http://www.nyc.gov/html/dcp/pdf/luproc/reviewsession.pdf?r=031813

I urge everyone to attend. This project will most likely serve as the blueprint for the over-all rezoning for the Gowanus Canal and will create repercussions for neighboring residents.  The plan to raise the entire site will most likely increase flooding in nearby properties.  

Councilman Brad Lander, who has previously asked Lightstone to withdraw its application, issued the following comment on Friday:  “In the wake of Hurricane Sandy, I continue to believe it is a mistake to move forward with dense, high-rise, residential development without a comprehensive plan for infrastructure and land use regulations that Gowanus needs.” 

Bidding A Fond Farewell To Barbara Brookhart, Long-Time Carroll Gardens Resident

Barbara Brookhart and Colleen Giunta

Belinda Cape, Barbara Brookhart and  Tony Manheim

Maria Pagano, Coleen Giunta

Bette Stoltz

Linda Blyer

Gary Reilly and John Hatheway

Glenn Kelly and Maryann Young

Celia Cacace

Salvatore (Buddy) Scotto

Buddy and Celia

Roy Sloane and Maria Favuzzi

Barbara Brookhart and State Senator Daniel Squadron

Assemblywoman Joan Millman

Councilman Steve Levin

It's hard to image Carroll Gardens without Barbara Brookhart.  For more than 31years, she has helped shape this community through her civic involvement and tireless volunteering.  She is one of the founding members of the Carroll Gardens Neighborhood Association, a long-time volunteer with Friends Of Carroll Park, served on the Brooklyn Bridge Park Community Advisory Council as an advocate for the park and was a member of Community Board 6 for twelve years.  She is also a chronicler of Carroll Gardens history and fellow blogger.

For the last twelve years, she has worked for the Bryant Park Corporation / 34th Street Partnership / Chelsea Improvement Company as Assistant to the President.

Barbara recently retired and will be moving to Arizona in the next few weeks, leaving behind Carroll Gardens.  To give her the send-off she deserves, many of her neighborhood friends and fellow activists gathered last week to bid her a fond farewell.

We will all miss you, Barbara.  Thanks for all you have done for the neighborhood and for this city. We will miss you very much.