Letter to the Editor: October 21

October 21, 2021 By Brooklyn Chamber of Commerce President Randy Peers

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Dear Editor,

The recent article following the October 12^th City Council hearing on the City-led Gowanus rezoning was filled with inaccuracies and failed to acknowledge how the rezoning plan will actually address the housing and flooding concerns that currently plague the neighborhood and provide an opportunity to advance an equitable economic recovery.

The piece briefly mentioned the “’local hiring aspects’ of the project” but left out many of the most impactful details. The rezoning plan would unlock new tax revenue for the city and create up to 3,000 permanent jobs. The plan would also help local businesses keep their doors open by providing subsidized space for artisans and makers and expanding the local customer base with new residents, not chase current business and studio owners out of the area.

The article also omitted the fact that Community Board 6, which covers most of the proposed rezoning area, voted yes with the condition of increasing NYCHA funding back in June. Local stakeholder groups Gowanus Neighborhood Coalition for Justice and the Gowanus Canal Conservancy have also expressed their support with similar conditions throughout this process. Dozens of people (not 25) testified over 6 hours, and the number of opponents and supporters of the plan were relatively even. A broad range of stakeholders testified in support of the plan, including chambers of commerce, small businesses, environmental and racial equity groups, community board representatives, and local elected officials.

The proposed plan will lead to the installment of much needed updated infrastructure that will combat this kind of flooding in the future. Most of the buildings in the rezoning area are outdated and ill-equipped to handle the level of stormwater the neighborhood currently receives. Modern development will create an opportunity to install new infrastructure like retention tanks and pipes to redirect stormwater from flood-prone areas into the canal. This infrastructure will also have built-in treatment systems so the water is cleaned before reaching the canal. Doing nothing would not improve the neighborhood’s current flooding conditions, it would just continue to worsen over time.

In addition, New York City is in desperate need of more housing options, particularly affordable housing, and Gowanus is no exception. The Gowanus rezoning will create thousands of affordable housing units that would not otherwise exist. A recent Racial Equity Study out of Columbia University even found that this influx of housing will lead to greater diversity in the neighborhood. The rezoning would require developers to remediate large sites prior to development, so these properties would not be built on top of “toxic land”.

Randy Peers, president and CEO of the Brooklyn Chamber of Commerce. Photo courtesy of Randy Peers

The economic, housing and climate crises plaguing Gowanus and the rest of the City must be faced head on. City Planning’s overwhelming endorsement is representative of the big picture thinking around the need for more affordable housing – we can’t afford to sit back and let the same old tired NIMBY arguments against any development anywhere hold us back from real progress.

— Brooklyn Chamber of Commerce President, Randy Peers (in response to the October 13 article : “Opponents of Gowanus rezoning plan hire heavy-hitter environmental lawyer” )

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