When will major new developments come to Gowanus and, when they do, what are they going to look like? Plans for the area—and an assessment of its prospects—are the subject of articles in both the Brooklyn Eagle and the New York Post this morning. First off, the Brooklyn Eagle reports that the city has narrowed the field of potential candidates to redevelop the 6-acre Public Place site, above. Between 500 and 1,000 housing units will be built on the land between Smith Street and the canal, which used to be the site of a manufactured gas plant. The two finalists are the Related Companies (partnering with Monadnock Construction Inc., Catholic Charities and Donna Walcavage Landscape Architect), and the Hudson Companies (partnering with the Fifth Avenue Committee, Jonathan Rose Companies and the Bluestone Organization). Both proposals include a significant amount of affordable housing, according to an HPD spokesman, and a representative from the Related Cos. has called the firm’s bid really progressive and environmentally friendly. The city is expected to announce which developer it has selected at the end of next month, and decontamination of the site is expected to take two years. The Post, meanwhile, has a long article about how developers are still keen on Gowanus as a whole, and it notes that City Planning is expected to release its official proposal for rezoning the neighborhood—which will allow for more residential development—soon. The builders waiting for the rezoning to go through include Leviev Boymelgreen, who is planning a development called “Gowanus Village” with several 10-story loft buildings along the canal between Carroll and Third streets; Toll Brothers, which is planning a townhouse-style condo development on Bond Street between Carroll and Second streets; and the Bayside Fuel Oil Depot Corp., owner of the Bayside Fuel Terminal, which wants to build 10- to 12-story towers along the canal at Sackett Street.
Go, Go Gowanus [NY Post]
Two Finalists Vie To Develop Toxic ‘Public Place’ [Brooklyn Eagle]
AvalonBay Stresses Affordable Housing in Public Place Bid [Brownstoner]
Gowanus Rezoning: Complete Chaos [Brownstoner]