The Starting Bell: Toll Brothers Reveal Gowanus Plans
The Toll Brothers have revealed plans for their unnamed development on the banks of the Gowanus Canal. The plans are in a "scoping" document filed with the Department of City Planning. The developers are looking to rezone a three-acre property between the Canal, Bond Street, Carroll Street and Second Street as a "special mixed use district" in advance of an overall Gowanus rezoning. The plan includes buildings ranging from 4-12 stories in height, with the tallest structure (125 feet) being near the canal. There would be 577 units of housing, 447 of them market rate and 130 of them affordable. The overall project would total 605,380 square feet and include 260 underground parking spaces. There would be 2,000 square feet of "community space" and 2,000 square feet of retail. It includes 3 acres. .6 acres of publicly accessbile waterfront. The very end of First Street where it dead ends at the canal would be "demapped" to allow for a continuous "waterfront esplanade." The scoping document lays out plans for an environmental impact study and other things necessary for public review.
According to the document:
The western end of the project site, along Bond Street, would have the lower six-story component (up to approximately 60 feet). The midblock portions of the buildings would consist of four-story (43-foot-high), townhouse-style housing...A public scoping meeting will take place on Thursday, March 13, 2008 from 2:00 to 5:45 PM and from 6:00 to 8:45 PM at the Department of City Planning, Spector Hall, 22 Reade Street. The Toll Brothers say the project would be complete in 2011.
In order to ensure that project structures are not impacted by flooding, the elevation of the project site would be raised, including along First Street and the proposed esplanade. In addition, to reduce the potential for flood damage or impacts on residential structures, the lowest occupied floor elevation would be constructed above the 100-year base flood elevation...
Labels: Gowanus, Gowanus Canal
posted by rsguskind at 10:15 AM
18 Comments:
I hope this does happen. As someone who lives up the block from the development site it would be an asset to have Bond Street full of life and legal activity as opposed to the desolation and drug deals that happen at night. If a grocey store is part of the planned retail space then it is even more of a bonus. Ever since Skeeve Food closed the area has been without a grocery store. Sure you can go to Met Food on Smith or Henry Streets or Good Food but the variety is limited and the prices can be unreasonable.
"complete in 2011"? that is funny!
I can't wait to breath in all that VD at the demapped 'waterfront' or Canal front. So, does this explain all the demolition going on at 3rd and Bond? or not. Can you post a LARGER image of that map? Well, it is impressive. All those 260 cars will be speeding down my street to get to their flooded underground parking garages. Then they will all just NEED to have an oyster at the Hoyt Street Oyster bar. The oysters will, by that time, be harvested from the Canal because it will be so clean and filtered. But, no, there will be a Red Lobster in the ground floor so they won't have to go anywhere. Give me a clandestine drug deal or blow job any day over this hulking mass of materialism.
Drugs and prostitution will continue as most of the property is within the flood plain and residential is not allowed at ground floor. Instead, the apartments will be above a parking structure, with dead, lifeless walls facing the street. All this project does is bbring new clients to support the drug trade.
1:10, how's this about you? Why does everything have to revolve around folks like you?
This is what my Psychic on 5th Ave. tells me: "Let's see. 2011... that's um... two years after the economic crash that will bankrupt new york city (once more)... which means they'll be building the shells of buildings for the junkies and drug dealers who troll Bond Street at night. Public Housing, at long last!" Not my two cents - my five dollar psychic's!
I don't get it. The Psychic comment.
but as far as this being "about folks like me"? Well, I live a block or so away. THAT is what makes it about me.
How come big name developers can request and actually GET any zoning d'jour (as they please from DCP) but not residents wanting downzoning for three years in a row? that have lived in a neighborhood their whole life? Why is that? Who does a "commoner" (resident) have to pay off these days and what's the price I wonder?
So they (Toll Bros) want a rezone while CG waits in line for a downzone?
Nice. How fair and square that is.
And they want to put real human people on a toxic brownfield too?
How much nicer can it get. This is a dark day for CG...the beginning of the end maybe.
I am at a complete loss on how this can proceed so quickly. There was a presentation of the rezoning proposal by CPC hosted by CB6 over a year ago. It was well attended and we were all led to believe that there would be more meetings. CPC won't address this issue of toxic sites or how to clean the canal because that is not their job.
Residents who live in Carroll Gardens proper should make no mistake - this influx of residents will impact you.
I guess I can thank my councilman.
Well, they most likely aren't greasing palms. More like blowing them down on Bond Street. The end is nigh. Tic Toc..
More than a year ago Toll Brothers withdrew their Brownfield Cleanup Application before the State of New York.
At present they have no open brownfield cleanup application through this state program.
Should they begin that process anew, they are required to make a public particiapation plan. How this process will goes forward must be more transparent that it has been up to now.
Oh yes, and all these people are expected to use the F train at Carroll Street...? Or, god forbid, traipse over the the N and the R at union Street? Ans the children will attend PS 32??? Oh, wait, most likely the kids will attend private school. Can't mix with the "townies".
who the fuk are you people???where did 90% of you come from because i know most of you with your comments and opinions didnt live in this area that long!!!! all jerkoffs
vd?blowjobs? drugs? canals? you live in brooklyn!!! afew blocks away from public housing!!!! where do you think you are??jerk... MOVE!!!
FUCKED IN THE ASS. As usual.
what is the plan for cleaning up the canal and fulfilling other environmental obligations? i can't imagine that this proposal would actually go through. not even the drug dealers and prostitutes would move into this housing with the canal smelling and looking the way it does.
Wow. The internet is such a useful tool for forming real-time communities and discussing important issues with other adults.
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