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Gowanus Neighborhood Plan
The Gowanus Neighborhood Plan is a shared, long-term vision for a thriving neighborhood. It looks to identify strategies for an equitable, resilient and sustainable Gowanus, with more local jobs and housing.
The Plan aims to support community goals such as cleanup of the Gowanus Canal and surrounding area, creating permanently affordable housing and diverse job opportunities and building and supporting schools, parks and other community resources and infrastructure. It was developed with community members and elected officials over the past four years.
The Gowanus Neighborhood Plan was approved by the City Council on November 23, 2021.
Why Gowanus?
Brooklyn’s Community Board 6 and local elected officials requested a neighborhood study, following years of community planning for the future of the neighborhood. The community’s goals, among many others, include expanding housing—especially affordable housing—access to open space and resilience in the face of climate change.
The plan centers on housing, economic and health equity. It would support a more inclusive neighborhood by expanding housing opportunities, particularly for low- to moderate-income residents in a relatively high-income neighborhood with good access to jobs, parks and schools. The 100% affordable housing at Gowanus Green represents this vision. It includes apartments dedicated to low and very low incomes, senior housing and housing for the formerly homeless.
The Plan would also spur business and job growth, create new waterfront open space and widened sidewalks and support the clean-up of both the Gowanus Canal and brownfield sites.
The Gowanus Neighborhood Plan builds on numerous planning efforts of the past decades to create shared goals and priorities for the area’s future development. These efforts include the Department of City Planning (DCP) rezoning study in 2009 and the Bridging Gowanus community planning process led by local elected officials.
