A zoning thicket may force the Gowanus Nursery out of the Red Hook location it moved to less than a year ago. The city is apparently kowtowing to pressures from the space’s landlords, Jack LoCicero and Eric Nocera, and considering rezoning a couple of parcels on Summit Street—including the one the nursery occupies—for residential use. The nursery, which sells hard-to-find plants from specialty growers, moved to the Red Hook space from 3rd Street last November. If the new zoning is approved, the business will be kicked to the curb this May. The nursery’s owner told us a May eviction would be particularly hard on the business given its seasonal nature, and that when she moved to Summit Street she had every expectation of signing a lease renewal this year. The city’s zoning whimsies seem particularly misguided in this instance, since they may result in the closure of a unique business that barely got a chance to make a go of it in its new neighborhood. According to Gowanus Lounge, if the zoning change goes through, the nursery could be replaced by a building that’s almost 12 stories high, while a story in the Brooklyn Eagle says the landlords are currently planning a four-story, 35-unit development.
Gowanus Nursery Appeals for Help Fighting Likely Eviction [Gowanus Lounge]
Housing Could Evict Popular Brooklyn Plant Nursery [Brooklyn Eagle]
Gowanus Nursery To Get Boot from 3rd Street [Brownstoner]
Gowanus Nursery Open [Brownstoner] GMAP