Not Everyone Wants Gowanus To Be Soho-ized
Along the Gowanus Canal, progress (in the form of cleaner waters and improvements to the housing stock) is being met with skepticism and, in some cases, resistance by long-time residents. Forming groups like Friends and Residents of Greater Gowanus, or Frogg, locals, many of them who’ve spent a lifetime working in the nabe’s factories, have…
Along the Gowanus Canal, progress (in the form of cleaner waters and improvements to the housing stock) is being met with skepticism and, in some cases, resistance by long-time residents. Forming groups like Friends and Residents of Greater Gowanus, or Frogg, locals, many of them who’ve spent a lifetime working in the nabe’s factories, have been fighting the encroaching gentrification one project at a time. To date, they have blocked requests for variances to convert a four-story warehouse at 255 Butler Street into a 6-story building with 53 apartments, replace a graffiti-scarred plant at 450 Union Street with a 7-story condo building, and convert an export-import company at 130 Third Street to apartments. (Not every project has been blocked, however: A 100-room Comfort Inn is rising on the edge of Gowanus and Whole Foods has cleared a nearly square-block space at Third Street for a Brooklyn market.) But that’s all just a warm-up for what is sure to be the mother of all battles against Lev Leviev and Shaya Boymelgreen’s plans for Gowanus Village. (Does anyone know where to find schematics of their plan?) We suspect that the majority of people are open to more housing but not at the expense of preserving the neighborhood’s character. But that’s always the way it is, isn’t it? Rarely is it an easy line to walk.
From Open Sewer to Gentrification [NY Times]
It has been very amusing to read the gossip posted about me and my family on this site. I will try to set some of the record straight, but I doubt that will actually end the speculation.
While I and members of my family own property in Carroll Gardens none of that property is located in the manufacturing zoned sections of the Gowanus Canal area and none of it has any connection to any projects done by any not-for-profit organizations to which I have been connected.
I am not yet eighty years old, but hope to be some day. It probably takes a few years to co-found a political club, co-found two community development not-for-profits and remain active with the organizations, become a board member of the chamber of commerce, to have been a member of the NYC Partnership, the board of LICH, and the board of the Brooklyn Public Library amongst other things.
I’m sorry that my visage can frighten children. However, most people consider me to have good manners.
I think I’m the funeral director referred to in Wikipedia’s section of the Gowanus Canal, but its hard to be sure.
I own only one business and that is the Scotto Funeral Home, Inc. There are many Scotto families in the area.
I do not have any interest in the wine store, or any restaurant and although I know and admire Roseanne Scotto, and I have eaten in her mother’s restaurant (which is very good – as is Gonzo which is owned by a relative of mine, neither Roseanne nor Anthony are related to me.
If you are interested in the community (whether you agree with my views or not), please come to the meetings of the Carroll Gardens Neighborhood Association (at 7 PM on the second Monday of each month at the Funeral Home) I am usually there and I am approachable (if treated with a modicum of respect).
Thanks for the laughs and the dose of humility.
Buddy Scotto
To Anon at 9:02 pm: I agree with you completely. What newcomers to this area don’t realize is that just because there’s empty space that can be filled up with development doesn’t mean that the space is appropriate or safe for development. I don’t know how long you’ve lived in the neighborhood, but I remember the days of “Lavender Lake” when you had to close your windows after a heavy rain for the nauseating stench that rose from the Canal’s waters and permeated the entire neighborhood on both sides of the waterway. That stench could hardly be considered benign and probably wasn’t. Thankfully, this no longer happens. However, the muck, filth, oil slicks, and heaven knows what else that has accumulated in the Canal since day one has certainly seeped into the ground surrounding the canal. Even though the waters seem to be cleaner than they used to be and despite valiant dredging efforts, I’m sure that there’s a level of toxicity there that would be hard pressed to be eradicated. I don’t know if there’s enough money in the world that could effectively clean up the Canal once and for all. Knowing what the Canal used to be, I would never, ever invest any money in a residential property on its banks. I wouldn’t want to be a statistic on a future health study conducted on the Canal and its immediate environs.
The Gow Annus Canal should be filled in. The hookers on Third Ave actually smell worse than the Canal in August. FILL IT IN
As someone who has watched the Gowanas for years, a few jellyfish and a radioactive seal dont exactly mean the canal is ready for living so closely to its banks. Its highly polluted and contains some of the most toxic soup known to mankind. The cost to dredge out the canal will be huge. The flushing propeller that took decades to repair and replace worked for a short time and then broke down. A historic look at the canal shows that the canal, originally designed with the idea that the tides would flush it clean each day, was a complete failure from the start. It still has some uses like transporting heating oil, gravel, sand, and scrap metal, Those industrial uses will be pushed out if gentrification indeed comes. If people complain about the coffee roasting smell they certainly are not going to want heating oil storage tanks in their hood. What about that underground benzine plume? Won’t that rise up into the Zen Meditation Gardens?
Rumor has it that Mark (the son) and Buddy (the papa) haven’t spoken in a few years…That’s Italian! (Back-thumping tearful reunion to follow.)
Yup, and one of Debra’s ‘projects” was the condo on Rapelye above the underpass marketed by Corcoran. That’s what I was referring to – GCCDC and the CGNA is pretty much the same group of people. Debra is or was on the CB6 land use committee too. And Mark is his son.
When 460 Union was before the BSA Buddy chauffered in the priest from St. Agnes – things were not looking good at this point for the developers. Buddy mentioned seals were now in the canal and the chairman had to turn away he was laughing so hard.
Just discovered (via the Brooklyn Paper site) that Debra Scotto, real estate attorney, is Buddy’s daughter.
Son = Corcoran broker
Daughter = Attorney/developer
Seems like the NY Times should mention the fact that Buddy appears to have a vested interest in developing the neighborhood…
Thanks for pointing out that PropertyShark has name searches; I’d never noticed that.
Yes, Buddy’s first name is Salvatore, his wife is Elaine, and I believe his son is Mark (the broker at Corcoran). May be related to Michael and Anthony, I don’t know.
I’d suspect they probably own land through a family trust. There’s also a real estate lawyer/developer named Debra Scotto who has an office on Court Street.
You’d think the NY Times would look into this sort of thing, they quote Buddy often enough. A few years ago, when gentrification began in Red Hook, he was quoted as the “unofficial mayor” of Red Hook, without any mention of the fact that he probably owned half the neighborhood.
Google tells me he founded two CDCs (the Gowanus CDC and one other) and is the president of the Carroll Gardens Neighborhood Association.
Salvatore I believe… ’nuff said.