Gowanus Parole Office Scales Down, Lawsuit Settled

The State Department of Corrections planned to concentrate all parole reporting for Brooklyn at its new offices at 15 2nd Avenue, but now that will not be happening. The department agreed to see only a third of parolees there and to decentralize parole reporting throughout Brooklyn, in exchange for community group Gowanus United dropping its lawsuit against the department, the state and the city, Gowanus United announced yesterday.

The location will serve 2,000 parolees — not 6,000, as was previously planned — for at least two years. The department will also meet regularly with local representatives and provide statistics on the number of parolees assigned to the office, Gowanus United said in a press release we received.

When we attended a planning meeting for Gowanus development in November, local business owners and growth advocates said they were concerned the office would have a negative effect on the area.

Construction on the offices is supposed to wrap this month, and the building will open in April, as we have previously reported. Above, the building in August. It is located between 5th Street and the Gowanus Canal, just behind Whole Foods.

Brooklyn Paper was the first to report on the settlement.

15 2nd Avenue Coverage [Brownstoner]