BROOKLYN — The battle over Gowanus is getting as brawny and turbulent as the one being waged on Coney Island. Obviously the pronounced core issues are quite different, but the underlying dynamics are surprisingly the same: what gets developed, where and when.

On Coney Island, the fight seems to be over the size and location of the entertainment center, but the real issues are the city’s plan to essentially build a new and very modern Coney Island.

In Gowanus, the apparent issue is which wing of government cleans up the canal and its surrounding land areas. But the war drums being beaten are about development: what, where and when. One side wants to stop what is being planned now and be better able to influence, if not dictate, what gets built there in the future.

The other side wants current development plans, which include at least two large projects, to continue. This side also wants the city’s plan to rezone a large part of the area to be completed, and wants more developers to get creative and step forward.

The monkey wrench that has been thrown into Gowanus is a surprise and was totally unexpected. The EPA wants to be in charge of cleaning up the Gowanus Canal and to mitigate the nearby soil. To do so, the canal must be declared a Superfund site. Both the pro-developers (strongly supported by the city and Borough Hall) and the antidevelopers know that the Superfund designation will probably cancel the current two projects and throw future development plans into significant uncertainty.

In truth, the EPA couldn’t care less about current and future development plans, and has repeatedly said so. The EPA wants the job of cleanup; that’s why the agency exists. A technical contest exists that no one can really adjudicate. The city has its own cleanup plan, its own cost estimates and its own concept of how to get the job done, which would have a minimal impact on development. Most of us have no expertise to judge which plan is correct.

The city, however, makes this argument about what it calls its Alternative Cleanup Plan: “The Alternative Cleanup Plan will clean the Gowanus Canal to the same standard as would be attained under a Superfund listing. The Alternative Cleanup Plan would proceed under EPA oversight and would have to demonstrate to the EPA at each milestone that the city is achieving the agreed upon goals. If at any time the EPA is dissatisfied with the city’s efforts, the EPA can list the Gowanus Canal as a Superfund site.�

The private-sector coalition supporting the city plan — “Clean Gowanus Now� — which now includes 15 groups, makes a telling argument in a recent statement:

“A survey of major financial institutions — including Citibank, Capital One, Hypo Real Estate, HSBC and iStar Financial, found that it would be nearly impossible to secure financing for a development project adjacent to the Gowanus if it is designated a Superfund site.�

The main concern expressed by these institutions is the difficulty to quantify the risk involved in the project with Superfund designation.

Although, the Superfund Site won’t be determined until September, there is positive news about Coney Island. This week, the City Council approved the core elements of the Mayor’s development plan, which means that important elements of it can now be started.

The vote, and the status of the plan, make revisions over the size and character of the entertainment center still possible.

Although no one is talking for the record, there are rumors that the city and developer Joe Sitt are nearing an agreement over the several acres he owns smack in the middle of the entertainment site. Resolution of this situation will go far to getting the new Coney Island started.

And there was even positive news about the long-stalled Atlantic Yards plan, which Mayor Bloomberg strongly supports. Forest City Ratner officials told members of Brooklyn Community Boards 2, 6, and 8 on Wednesday that ground will be broken for the sports arena before the end of the year and that the first housing tower will be built and opened on the arena site by fall of 2011 when the arena will also be open.

There is wide agreement that Atlantic Yards, Coney Island and Gowanus are the three most important development projects left in Brooklyn. This may yet turn out to be the summer of our content.

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