The Gowanus Canal is a 1.5-mile stretch of inland waterway that winds it’s way past what some call “industrial blight” in the heart of Brooklyn, NY. Completed in 1869, the canal would eventually become a symbol of industrial pollution – owing to the many oil storage facilities and other operations lining its banks – and a beloved neighborhood to those who call the Gowanus home. I should know, as I lived there for over a year.
Right now, as the housing industry vacillates between recovery and reversal, Gowanus stands on the precipice of becoming yet another example of urban gentrification as a high-end development company eyes the area for its latest project. Toll Brothers has come up with a plan to construct 460 residential units—”30% of which will be affordable housing.” This irks me just a little bit. As a former middle-income New Yorker, I can tell you that a developer’s definition of “affordable housing” and a regular working Joe’s definition are two completely different things. But I digress.
As it turns out, the Toll Brothers plan has hit a snag. The federal government may very well name the Gowanus Canal a Superfund cleanup site, thus bringing a halt to financing for the Toll Brothers project. So exactly where does the city of New York stand in all this? Well, they’re dead-set against it, opting for a fast-track for the development process and what I strongly suspect might be a shoddy cleanup job.
It’s a question of priorities, folks. The EPA has the tools to get the job done and I for one, cannot understand why development should trump the health of that neighborhood’s residents. You be the judge.
For more information:
WNYC Radio’s Amy Eddings reports
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Along the Gowanus Canal in Brooklyn, barges ferry crushed stone and store construction equipment.
