As someone who lives near / in the "steaming pile of garbage and pollution" I have to say there are things that would definitely be lost with this development. There is a small but vibrant old-world Italian community flourishing right off the canal, whose only grocery store closed down a year ago because of rising costs. There are also a large number of artists living in this tiny area, who depend on the low rents to let them make a living.
While I think all of us would love to see a clean, revitalized Gowanus Canal, we never will, because we'll be part of what gets "cleaned up." So I'm sorry if it is an eyesore to people who don't live there, but to some of us, it's our neighborhood.
As someone who lives near / in the "steaming pile of garbage and pollution" I have to say there are things that would definitely be lost with this development. There is a small but vibrant old-world Italian community flourishing right off the canal, whose only grocery store closed down a year ago because of rising costs. There are also a large number of artists living in this tiny area, who depend on the low rents to let them make a living.
While I think all of us would love to see a clean, revitalized Gowanus Canal, we never will, because we'll be part of what gets "cleaned up." So I'm sorry if it is an eyesore to people who don't live there, but to some of us, it's our neighborhood.
Posted by: Word Nerd at February 21, 2008 11:56 AM in response to A Look at What Toll Bros. Wants to Redevelop