Signals Kickoff of ULURP Approval Process
By Linda Collins
Brooklyn Daily Eagle
GOWANUS — Toll Brothers’ application for a zoning change to allow housing on its Gowanus Canal property has been certified by the City Planning Commission (CPC), and now the public approval process known as ULURP (Uniform Land Use Review Process) begins.
The first step is a hearing at the Community Board level.
According to Craig Hammerman, district manager of CB6, who said he hasn’t received confirmation yet, the hearing will probably take place at the Sept. 25 meeting of the CB6 Landmarks/Land Use Committee.
“Once an application is certified, DCP has to transmit it to the affected community board and borough president’s offices,” Hammerman said. “Once we receive the certified application, our 60-day review timeclock begins. It will, therefore, likely be added to our Sept. 25 committee agenda. We’ve already alerted our board members and the community.”
According to the official documents, “The applicant is applying to CPC for discretionary actions that would allow for the redevelopment of a former waterfront industrial site along the Gowanus Canal with residential and other uses and a publicly-accessible waterfront open space. The proposed project would be a privately sponsored redevelopment project on the Gowanus Canal waterfront.
“The project site (the area the applicant seeks to redevelop), which totals about three acres (excluding streets), is currently occupied by warehouses, open vehicle storage, and vacant land and buildings.”
As previously reported in the Eagle, the project would include 577 units of housing — 447 of them market rate and 130 of them (20 percent) affordable — plus 2,000 square feet of retail, 2,000 square feet of community space and 260 underground parking spaces.
The 3.4-acre property, 0.6 of which is publicly accessible waterfront, lies on the west side of the Gowanus Canal between the canal, Bond Street, Carroll Street and Second Street.
The 605,380-square-foot site will have two main buildings with components ranging in height from four to 12 stories with the tallest, at 125 feet, closest to the canal.
According to the document, the western end of the project site, along Bond Street, would have the lower six-story component (up to approximately 60 feet). The midblock portions of the buildings would consist of four-story (43-foot-high), townhouse-style housing.
In order to ensure that project structures are not impacted by flooding, the elevation of the project site would be raised, including along First Street and the proposed waterfront esplanade. In addition, to reduce the potential for flood damage or impacts on residential structures, the lowest occupied floor elevation would be constructed above the 100-year base flood elevation.
“The entire development would be raised up on a small hill to try to avoid flooding and, uh, all the other stuff that is in the Gowanus which is not strictly water,” quipped Curbed.com, earlier this year.
According to information received from Hammerman, the site is currently developed with manufacturing and industrial uses, including vehicle storage and dry cleaning facilities.
Hammerman said he knew there were community concerns about the project.
“I know there are plenty,” he said. “But we do not have a position on the project yet.”
Bob Zuckerman, of the Gowanus Canal Community Development Corp., said earlier this year that there is concern in the community over the heights of the planned buildings, but he welcomes the esplanade and affordable housing.
Toll Brothers estimates completion of the entire project in 2011, if all goes as planned.
© Brooklyn Daily Eagle 2008
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