Reps From Toll Brothers Detail Big Gowanus Development

Last night representatives from the Toll Brothers made a presentation to Community Board 6 about the company’s proposal to build a large development next to the Gowanus Canal. About 45 people showed up to the meeting, and there was a notable lack of vitriol towards a project that’s stirred quite a bit of controversy at other meetings. As one would expect—or at least hope—from a powerful national real estate firm, Toll’s presentation was polished and addressed many facets of the company’s plans, including the overall scope of the project and how the company intends to deal with environmental issues at the site. Some highlights:

Housing/Built Component: The multi-building, GreenbergFarrow-designed project between the canal, Bond Street, and Carroll and 2nd Street will have 450 units, 30 percent of which Toll wants to set aside as affordable for residents earning only up to 60 percent of the area median income. The affordable component will be rental and L&M Equity will oversee its development, not Toll. The remaining units will be condo, and at bare minimum will attain LEED certification. The affordable rentals will be clustered on the Bond Street side of the development. In terms of density, the project’s buildings will get taller as they get closer to the canal, going from six stories near Bond to 12 stories near the canal. There will 268 parking spaces.

Environmental Concerns: An environmental consultant for Toll said the company’s done one Phase 1 environmental assessment and three separate Phase 2 assessments that included collecting 59 soil and groundwater samples. They found petroleum-related compounds and compounds typically associated with urban infill materials, but no evidence of a large plume of oil. The remediation of the property will involve soil removal and capping. Toll VP David Von Spreckelsen noted that bringing residents to the edge of the canal would also likely have a positive effect on cleanup of the waterway.

Park Area: In addition to building two residential courtyards and planting trees around the entire development, landscape architect Lee Weintraub has designed a public park space next to the canal. It is unclear whether Toll or the Parks Dept. will be in charge of maintaining the space. Weintraub said the park will be more than just an esplanade.

Rezoning: Toll’s development, which conforms to the specs City Planning has generated in its preliminary framework for rezoning the Gowanus corridor, needs to go through ULURP since it leapfrogs the wider rezoning. We don’t know what the timeframe is on the rezoning, said Von Spreckelsen. We’re concerned that an area-wide rezoning might not happen in this administration and that with a new administration there might not be as much impetus to rezone.

Reactions: Although commentary from those in attendance last night was largely civil, there were a lot of questions and concerns raised about exactly how the site’s remediation will occur and how the development will affect infrastructure, such as the sewer system. Meanwhile, Councilmember Bill de Blasio said we have to think about whether allowing the project to jump ahead of the larger rezoning is the right thing to do.
Meeting on Toll Proposal: Agitate, Educate, Organize [Brownstoner]
A Look at What Toll Bros. Wants to Redevelop [Brownstoner]
Toll Brothers’ Gargantuan Gowanus Plans Revealed [Brownstoner]