Rezoning fight in Sunset Park has residents divided on housing solutions
Elizabeth Canela, project manager for Totem, a developer based in Brooklyn, has become a main character in the current rezoning fight in Sunset Park. In 1999 she and her family were priced out of their Sunset Park apartment and pushed into public housing. “That’s a lot of why I wanted to learn development,” she said.
Totem describes their approach to development as holistic. Canela works across all of the company’s special projects as project manager. To some, Totem’s rezoning proposal represents the very hardships Canela faced. After the recent withdrawal of the Industry City rezoning proposal, Sunset Park residents find themselves facing yet another rezoning, this time focused on housing. Totem wants to turn 747 4th Ave., now a Dunkin Doughnuts, into a mixed use apartment building.
Canela said she believes that developers can have a positive impact on communities and that at Totem the founders are working to do good within the systems in place. “There are bad actors and good actors within development,” said Canela.