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Gowanus Neighborhood Plan

Gowanus Neighborhood Planning Study

Overview Process Resources
Public Review

The Gowanus Neighborhood Plan entered the city's formal public review process (known as ULURP) on April 19, 2021.

After review by Brooklyn Community Boards 2 and 6, the Brooklyn Borough President, the City Planning Commission and the City Council with public meetings for New Yorkers to learn more and give their feedback, the Plan was adopted by the City Council on November 23, 2021.

Previous Public Outreach

The Gowanus planning process centers on equitable collaboration among a wide range of residents and community groups. Over the past four years, thousands of community members have participated in over 100 hours of meetings and workshops. The online engagement platform Plan Gowanus further expanded access to the planning process. Learn about and get materials from past events below.

Brooklyn Community Board 2 - Land Use Committee | June 9, 6 p.m.. 
The Department of City Planning presented and took Q&A on the Gowanus Neighborhood Plan.

Brooklyn Community Boards 6 and 2 Gowanus Neighborhood Plan Hearing | June 3, 3:30 p.m.
The Department of City Planning helped facilitate a joint public hearing on the Gowanus Neighborhood Plan held by Brooklyn Community Boards 6 and 2.

Brooklyn Community Board 6 - Land Use Committee | May 27, 6:30 p.m.
The Department of City Planning presented and took Q&A on the Gowanus Neighborhood Plan.

Brooklyn Community Board 6 - Economic/Waterfront/Community Development & Housing Committee|May 17, 6:30 p.m.
The Department of City Planning shared and presented the Gowanus Industrial Businsess Zone (IBZ) Vision Plan and the Department of Housing Preservation and Development presented on housing and affordable housing in the Gowanus Neighborhood Plan.

Infrastructure Update at Community Board 6 | Dec. 2, 6 p.m. 
The Department of City Planning and Department of Environmental Protection shared updates to the Gowanus Neighborhood Plan related to stormwater and planning for transit and schools. View the infrastructure update presentation.

Gowanus Green Development Updates at Community Board 6 | Nov. 19, 6 p.m.
This presentation and Q&A covered updates on proposed affordability levels, sustainability measures and remediation for the Gowanus Green affordable housing development. The development team presented with the Department of City Planning and the Department of Housing Preservation and Development.

Status Update at Community Board 6 Land Use Committee | Oct. 22, 6 p.m.
The Department of City Planning discussed the Gowanus Neighborhood Plan at this remote public meeting.

Gowanus Green Presentation | December 2, 2019

Three buildings photographed from street level.

The Department of City Planning (DCP), the Department of Housing Preservation and Development (HPD) and the development team of a City-owned site known as Gowanus Green (or “Public Place”) visited Community Board 6’s Economic, Waterfront, Community Development and Housing Committee. They presented an update on the vision for the six-acre site.

View the Gowanus Green Project Update Presentation.

Gowanus IBZ Business Roundtables | June 12 & June 18, 2019
The Gowanus IBZ Vision Study focuses on the southern part of Gowanus within the Southwest Brooklyn Industrial Business Zone (IBZ) and neighborhood blocks. The purpose of this study is to guide development and identify recommendations for infrastructure and workforce development for the IBZ. Public engagement on the Vision Study included two business roundtables as well as an online survey.

View the Business Roundtable Presentation and Meeting Summary.


Waterfront Access Plan (WAP) and Affordable Housing Presentation | May 20, 2019

Three buildings photographed from street level.

DCP and the HPD discussed the proposed Waterfront Access Plan and affordable housing with CB6’s Economic, Waterfront, Community Development and Housing Committee.


Emergency Preparedness Meeting | May 8, 2019
DCP and New York City Emergency Management (NYCEM) hosted a meeting with various community groups and stakeholders to discuss equitable, community-driven emergency preparedness planning for Gowanus today and in the future.

Public Scoping | April 25, 2019
The first step in the Gowanus environmental review process is to get community input on the Draft Scope of Work (DSOW), which lays out relevant environmental issues and how they may be analyzed and addressed. This scoping meeting allowed the public to comment on the DSOW. Written comments were also accepted.

Community Board 6 Transportation Q&A| April 11, 2019
DCP attended CB 6’s Transportation Committee to take questions about the Plan as it relates to transportation, transit and parking.

Community Board 6 Land Use Presentations and Q&As | February to April, 2019

Three buildings photographed from street level.

DCP gave a presentation to CB6’s Land Use Committee on the draft zoning proposal and Waterfront Access Plan. The Land Use Committee facilitated a question-and-answer session for members of the public.

DCP returned to CB 6’s Land Use Committee to take questions from committee members and the public on March 28 and April 18, 2019.

View the Draft Zoning Proposal and Waterfront Access Plan Presentation

Superfund Update | March 26, 2019
The Gowanus Canal is a part of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s superfund program for cleaning up contaminated land. DCP and the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) took part in a question-and-answer session for the Gowanus Superfund Community Advisory Group (CAG).

Coalition for Justice Presentation | March 7, 2019
DCP presented to and took questions from members of the Gowanus Neighborhood Coalition for Justice (GNCJ.

Draft Zoning Proposal Open House | Feb. 6, 2019

Three buildings photographed from street level.

DCP invited the public to learn about the Gowanus planning process and draft zoning proposal. Attendees had the opportunity to discuss, give feedback and ask questions.

Fair Housing Community Conversation | Dec. 4, 2018
DCP, HPD and City Council Member Brad Lander held a community conversation about fair housing, race, place, equity and Gowanus.

Gowanus Green Community Workshop | Nov. 1, 2018
Participants were invited to think about their ideal future for the six-acre City-owned site Gowanus Green and give feedback through discussion and interactive activities.

Gowanus Framework Open House | June 27, 2018
Over 200 people visited this open house, where they discussed the recently released Gowanus Study Framework with DCP and partner agencies. Many provided comments and ideas that helped DCP develop the framework goals and strategies into the Gowanus Neighborhood Plan.

The event’s format and goals are described in the welcome hand-out. Electronic copies of the boards shared at each station are available below:

The feedback and ideas generated at the Framework Open House are provided in the meeting recap.

Community Resources Open House | Oct. 19, 2017
This open house focused on planning for transportation, public schools, infrastructure and other local needs. The event’s format and goals are described in the welcome hand-out. Electronic copies of the boards shared by each agency are available below:

The feedback and ideas provided, including key planning principles discussed for schools and transportation, are provided in the meeting recap.

Working Group Summit | July 11, 2017
This summit followed months of collaboration among Working Groups to develop draft recommendations for Gowanus. The Working Groups included residents, businesses, elected officials and other community members. They met more than 25 times over 80+ hours. Learn more about the Working Groups.

At the Summit, all Working Groups shared, discussed and prioritized draft recommendations. DCP shared a progress update of the Working Groups and other outreach.

View the comment summaries and recommendations from the Summit.

Community Workshop | March 25, 2017
Over 100 attendees shared their ideas on industry and jobs, housing, public realm, sustainability, resiliency, arts and culture and more. Attendees weighed various neighborhood goals through two activities that explored zoning and urban design challenges.

View feedback and results from the activities.

Resiliency and Sustainability Virtual Open House | Dec. 8, 2016

Three buildings photographed from street level.

The purpose of this event was to share information about resiliency and sustainability in Gowanus and across the city. The public had the opportunity to meet with a government agencies and local groups working on these issues in the community. They discussed the upcoming Gowanus public engagement process and had a brief summary of the previous month’s kickoff event (see below).

Introduction Boards
What is the Gowanus Neighborhood Planning Study? What happened at the Kick-off open house event on October 27, 2016? What are the City’s goals for resiliency and sustainability and what are local residents and community organizations doing to address them now? This set of posters answers those questions and others, and notes the agencies and organizations that partnered with City Planning for the event. View the PDF Document Introduction Boards.

Sustainability Boards
What does sustainability mean? What is the City doing to support sustainability in Gowanus? These boards highlight some of the ongoing work of agencies like the Department of Environmental Protection and Office of Environmental Remediation, including green infrastructure installations, sewer upgrades, and brownfield clean-ups. View the PDF Document Sustainability Boards.

Resiliency Boards
What is a “resilient city”? What are the current and future risks of flooding? How are buildings in the floodplain regulated? This set of boards explains some of the City’s current initiatives to reduce flood risk in the face of climate change, including a zoning text amendment for resilient building retrofitting and development, New York City Housing Authority property improvements at Gowanus Houses, and flood-proofing of critical infrastructure.  They also provide a list of resources for residents to understand their own flood risk and how to prepare for emergencies. View the PDF Document Resiliency Boards, Part 1 and PDF Document Resiliency Boards, Part 2.

Land Use and Zoning Boards
The Gowanus area includes homes, stores, schools and local services, art and entertainment-related uses, auto-oriented businesses, manufacturing, hotels, and other land uses. These boards provide a map of land uses in and around the study area, along with a description and map of local zoning. They provide a brief overview of what zoning is and how it regulates the construction of new buildings and changes to existing buildings. View the PDF Document Land Use Boards.

Gowanus Neighborhood Planning Study Kickoff Meeting | Oct. 27, 2016

Three buildings photographed from street level.

This meeting began with an informational open house for local residents, workers, business owners and property owners. DCP gave a presentation that shared the approach and goals for Gowanus.

Neighborhood Study Background, Goals and Approach
What is the Gowanus Neighborhood Planning Study? What are the goals and approach of the PLACES study process? What are the major milestones?

View the boards for PDF Document Study Background and the PDF Document Process and Approach.

Sustainability and Resiliency
How do the topics of sustainability and resiliency relate to the Gowanus study? What is the citywide initiative OneNYC? What are some of the key priorities and initiatives for environmental remediation?

View the boards for PDF Document OneNYC, PDF Document Sustainability, PDF Document Resiliency, and PDF Document Environmental Remediation.

Zoning and Land Use 
What is zoning and what does it do? What are waterfront zoning rules? What land uses are located in and around Gowanus?

View the boards for PDF Document Zoning Basics, PDF Document Local Zoning in Gowanus, PDF Document Existing Land Uses, and PDF Document Waterfront Zoning.

Housing, Jobs and Economic Development
What role do city agencies play in creating and preserving affordable housing? How does job growth and assisting businesses relate to the study?

View the boards for PDF Document Housing and PDF Document Jobs and Economic Development.

Community Resources
What park or open space do you use? How can we improve streets to make them safer? How do we work towards addressing school needs and assist the arts community in Gowanus? Parks, schools, transportation and arts and culture play a crucial role in the everyday lives of area residents.

View the boards for PDF Document Parks and Open Space, PDF Document Schools, Arts and Culture, and PDF Document Transportation.

Where do you live, work and play in Gowanus?
During the event, we heard from residents, workers and other community members about where they live, work and play.

View the PDF Document map board.