Mayor Bill de Blasio,

The City must ensure that the Gowanus Rezoning achieves social, economic, environmental and racial justice by committing to GNCJ top priorities: 

UPFRONT FUNDING FOR FULL CAPITAL NEEDS AT WARREN, WYCKOFF, AND GOWANUS The City must dedicate enough upfront funding for full capital needs at Warren Street Houses, Wyckoff Gardens and Gowanus Houses (WWG). All funding spent to improve WWG must adhere to HUD Section 3 hiring policies to ensure local NYCHA residents and low-income residents are hired to complete the work.

NET ZERO COMBINED SEWAGE OVERFLOW (CSO) Mandate net zero CSO from new construction created as a result of the rezoning, through the following actions: (1) Accurately model how increased density will increase CSO and impact local hydrology, (2) Require and enforce CSO mitigation in new development and (3) Ensure city investment in infrastructure to completely mitigate any negative hydrological impacts of rezoning.

CREATE AN ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE SPECIAL DISTRICT WITH POWERFUL AND CLEAR LOCAL OVERSIGHT Formal recognition and dedicated resources for an Environmental Justice Special District with a local oversight board with a diversity of representation from local residents including public housing, and from businesses, industries, nonprofit, faith based and civic associations to oversee implementation of all City commitments and developer requirements, inclusive of commitments to residents of WWG.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 

The City should additionally ensure that the following is achieved through the Gowanus rezoning:

UTILIZE CITY’S COMMITMENT TRACKER TO GUARANTEE TIMELY REOPENING AND RENOVATION OF THE GOWANUS COMMUNITY CENTER WITH ONGOING SUPPORT FOR RESIDENT-LED PROGRAMMING

INVEST IN COMMUNITY HEALTH & SOCIAL RESILIENCE 

BUILD ECONOMIC EQUITY ENSURING LOCAL ACCESS TO SECTION 3 EMPLOYMENT

INVEST IN KNOW-YOUR-RIGHTS TRAININGS 

100% AFFORDABILITY ON PUBLIC LAND 

ADDRESS LOCAL SKILLS GAP WITH TARGETED MULTI-YEAR WORKFORCE INVESTMENT 

STUDY, IMPLEMENT AND ENFORCE TRANSFER OF DEVELOPMENT RIGHTS TO FUND FULL CAPITAL REPAIRS AT WARREN, WYCKOFF AND GOWANUS NYCHA DEVELOPMENTS 

CREATE AN AFFORDABLE HOUSING LOTTERY PREFERENCE FOR LOCAL CD6 NYCHA RESIDENTS  

MAP THE MOST AFFORDABLE MIH OPTIONS 

MANDATE DEEPER MIH LEVELS FOR PRIVATE DEVELOPERS 

FOLLOW THROUGH WITH IBZ COMMITMENT 

PRESERVE INDUSTRY AND ART SPACES 

INVEST IN LOCAL YOUTH EMPLOYMENT  

To learn more about these and other related community demands, visit www.GNCJ.org

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 

Gowanus Neighborhood Coalition for Justice is a racially and socioeconomically diverse coalition who strives to elevate the voices of our community that have not been heard in the City’s planning process, seek consensus on community priorities and make the case for a community plan based on principles of social, economic, environmental and racial justice.