bridging gowanus 2nd meeting presentation

Community Planning Meeting #2

March 20, 2014

CONVENED BY:

Council Member Brad Lander

Council Member Stephen Levin

Congresswoman Nydia Velázquez

State Senator Velmanette Montgomery

Assemblywoman Joan Millman

Facilitated by:

GOAL:

To develop a comprehensive framework for the infrastructure and land use regulations needed for a safe, vibrant, and sustainable Gowanus, through a broad-based, inclusive, transparent and robust process.

RISKS OF INACTION:• Jeopardized Superfund clean-up

• Businesses and residents continue to be vulnerable to flooding

• Missed opportunities for new open space and waterfront access

• Missed opportunities for mixed use development

• Missed opportunities for affordable housing

• Loss of manufacturing uses and local, good jobs

• Incongruent development

• Further incursion of specific uses such as hotels and big-box stores

• Displacement of existing residents and artists

• Lack of integration of city services / infrastructure to accommodate changes

• The creation of a neighborhood that leaves the most vulnerable behind,

or excludes them entirely

TIMELINE

PUBLIC PROCESS & PARTICIPATION

More than 30 participants opening process planning meeting

More than 40 participants in small group interviews

More than 200 participants at 1st community planning meeting

More than 80 participants in 8 working group meetings

Additional website feedback

Tonight - ?

SHARED VALUESUPDATE

Feedback from Community Planning Meeting #1 incorporated; available at tables and soon on the web.

NEW: Providing quality jobs through existing and new initiatives for the neighborhood

WORKING GROUP‘IDEAS EXPO’

Eight working group meetings in these topic areas:• Environmental Infrastructure• Social and Cultural Infrastructure• Strengthening the Mix of Uses • Affordable Housing

Groups generated a rich and long list of innovative ideas!

All ideas are being considered, and many more than were in the Expo will be included in the recommendations

Which are the most strongly supported this evening?

TIMELINE

UPCOMINGOnline interaction! Additional comments accepted at – www.bridginggowanus.org

Workshops on related topics

Community Advisory Group (CAG) related to the Superfund Process meets regularly; next meeting March 25th. More info: Doug Sarno, doug@forumfg.com

A proposal to list a Gowanus Canal Historic District on the State and National Registers of Historic Places is currently under review http://nysparks.com/shpo/national-register/nominations.aspx

Brownfield Opportunity Area (BOA) Program, supports community-driven, neighborhood-scale economic development planning in areas profoundly affected by brownfields and contamination. Friends of Brooklyn Community Board Six has been using the BOA program to better understand the needs, interests, and challenges of Gowanus’s thriving business sector. The final report incorporates policy recommendations, local action items, and ideas for positioning key ‘strategic sites’ to augment local business, remediation, and open space opportunities.

NEXTEXERCISE

3

2

1 Industrial Business Zone

Ombudsman Area

Ombudsman Area

NEXTEXERCISE

Manufacturing uses remain, with no special protections, incentives or improvements

Allow up to 100% residential uses, with no provisions about affordability; also allow manufacturing uses

Public Place

NEXT EXERCISEGuidelines:• Talk about the uses (not the zoning) you’d like to see

• Step back and step up

• Shared values embrace a need to improve existing infrastructure and to create sufficient infrastructure for new uses

• “Stable Mixed-Use” refers to a balance of different uses that is, by definition, prevented from tipping to entirely single-use

• Focus is on future uses, not on recently created or proposed uses

• Land-use map is not perfectly up-to-date

• Have fun!

www.BridgingGowanus.org

info@BridgingGowanus.org

#BridgingGowanus

THANK YOU!