City OKs Lightstone's Gowanus Project With 700 Units

Yesterday the New York City Planning Commission approved The Lightstone Group’s reworked plans for a controversial 700-unit rental development along the shores of the Gowanus Canal, at 363-365 Bond Street. Yesterday news broke that the developers decided to abandon a proposal to seek what they characterized as “minor” modifications on an original Toll Brothers plan for the site, and simply build “as of right,” or to meet existing zoning regulations. Lightstone altered its approach following “an examination of the concerns raised by Community Board Six, Councilmember Lander and the Brooklyn Law School Community Development Clinic regarding process,” according to a press release from the company. The new plan will keep the complex at 12 stories, per zoning, but allow construction of 700 rental apartments, vs.  the 447 condos Toll Brothers planned. It will also include more open space along the shore and address flooding. Here are more details from the release:

A significant difference in the approved as-of-right design is that open public space will increase by 2,955 square feet, as compared to the earlier rezoning, resulting in a more generous shoreline public walkway.  The approved design is consistent with the previous design in that it has the same massing along Bond Street and the western portions of First and Second Streets, the same floor area and uses, the same number of units and the same number of parking spaces.

To mitigate flooding, Lightstone will raise the height of the lowest occupied floors by one-and-a-half feet. Mechanical equipment, HVAC and electrical systems will be located above the flood line. Lightstone also plans to undertake an environmental remediation of the site and work with the EPA “to accelerate the cleanup of the canal.” Construction is still scheduled to begin by the end of this year.
Rendering via PMFA