Rezoning Revealed: NYC Planning Proposes Changes in Brooklyn

The New York Department of City Planning unveiled its preliminary plans to rezone Gowanus [pdf], a neighborhood in Brooklyn threatened by gentrification and rising sea levels.

Ivan Pereira reports on the proposed zoning changes, which "would mandate that new developments around the canal be built to withstand tidal surges, permit more mixed-use buildings along Fourth Avenue — which would include affordable units and ground-floor art spaces — and create a waterfront green space along the canal."

Other initiatives included in the preliminary zoning changes are protections for industrial and commercial uses along the canal and between Third and Fourth avenues. The draft also proposes ending parking and loft requirements. "A waterfront access plan that would elevate the land near the shoreline and create new parks and bridges over the canal is also part of the proposal," according to Pereira.

The unveiling of the proposed zoning changes culminates two years of public engagement through the Gowanus Neighborhood Planning Study.