Brooklyn Community Boards 2 and 6 last week hosted a joint public hearing to discuss the Gowanus rezoning.
The hearing allowed community members to share verbal testimony at either an in-person site in Park Slope or virtually over Zoom. It was the first time that a city land use hearing was conducted using a hybrid format.
“This is an extremely consequential proposal for our neighborhood,” said CB6 Land Use Committeee chair Alec Schierenbeck at the start of Thursday’s meeting. “However, there are many issues regarding the safety and infrastructure of the project.”
Jonathan Keller represented the Department of City Planning and presented a slideshow outlining the proposal.
“We are here after decades of community discussion and nonaction about the Gowanus neighborhood,” said Keller. “During that time the world has changed drastically. The rezoning would celebrate the unique history and features of the Gowanus Canal while preparing it for the future.”
According to Keller’s presentation, the Gowanus rezoning would bring approximately 8,500 new housing units to the neighborhood, including 3,000 units that would be permanently affordable.
The project would also create a 1.5-acre park, new school, and new open spaces along the canal. Keller added the project would contribute to cleanup efforts along the highly polluted waterway.
Before the testimony section of the hearing began, Councilman Brad Lander encouraged attendees to respect those with differing opinions.
“People are often skeptical of rezonings, and for good reason,” said Lander. “I have often been against them myself. However, we are also called to find responsible and democratic ways to create a more integrated and sustainable city.
“I believe that the Gowanus rezoning could be a good rezoning,” he added. “It is not there yet, but it could be. I think it has the potential to bring racial equity and affordable housing to the neighborhood without much displacement.”
Lander delivered his remarks virtually, but later arrived at J.J. Bryne to speak with constituents.
The testimonies delivered varied greatly, ranging from avid support of the rezoning to stark opposition.
“I am in favor because we need affordable housing,” said Joel Hogan, a 4th Avenue resident. “Gowanus was last rezoned in the 60s, which means 80 years of factories leaving and gentrification in the neighborhood.”
Many supporters were similarly focused on the benefits of affordable housing, including City Council candidate Matthew Morgan.
“We are a city, not a suburb or a rural town,” Morgan said. “That means creating housing in every neighborhood, in every place, for everyone. We cannot hold more housing hostage.”

Critics of the rezoning focused their testimonies on environmental factors and the shortcomings of the affordable housing provisions.
“I need proof that the Gowanus cleanup would be concluded before anyone moved in and that the infrastructure could handle it,” said Brigit Rein, also a City Council candidate. “I could not even find a time table for the cleanup work.”
Debbie Stoller, a lifelong NYCHA resident in Gowanus, took aim at the rezoning’s lack of support for the NYCHA housing that already exists in the neighborhood.
“We will end up with a neighborhood that will be one of the tallest and densest in the borough,” said Stoller. “If 70 percent of the housing is market rate, we will be creating a white wealthy neighborhood. This rezoning benefits developers and developers only.”
“We will not support this rezoning until NYCHA residents are included,” added NYCHA resident Karen Blondel.
The Landmarks and Land Use Committees of both boards will vote on the rezoning proposal by the end of the month.
The hearing comes on the heels of a months-long controversy surrounding the rezoning of a large majority of Gowanus. The proposal was originally conceived by the Bloomberg administration, but found new life under Mayor Bill de Blasio.
It would rezone 80 blocks of the neighborhood to make way for new developments, including the controversial plan to build on the highly polluted “Public Place” site along the Gowanus Canal.
Community groups including Voice of Gowanus have constantly fought against the rezoning. Their criticism is directed at both the legal process to approve the rezoning and the environmental risks that could come along with new development.

St. Francis College recently announced plans to move to a newly designed campus in the center of Downtown Brooklyn.
The relocation will move the school a few blocks away from its current location on 180 Remsen Street into a new 254,699-square-foot space across the fifth, six, and seventh floors of the Wheeler Building at 181 Livingston Street.
Since the announcement, some alumni have expressed concerns about the future of the 162-year-old Franciscan institution, as well as the connection one of the people who brokered the move has to the college’s former president.
New St. Francis president Miguel Martinez-Saenz discussed the move and the rumors surrounding it.
“The college has been talking about a relocation for more than a decade, this isn’t a new conversation,” Martinez-Saenz explained over the phone. “When I arrived the conversation was about accelerating the moving process.”
Martinez-Saenz explained that while many people hold a sentimental attachment to the Remsen Street location, the cost of refurbishing the old facility would be much greater than simply moving to a new building.
“The challenge with the existing campus is that maintenance is beyond what we could do,” he said. “If we had a master plan to remodel the Remsen Street property it would be a 20-year process. Faculty, students, and staff would be subjected to 20 years of construction.”
St. Francis used the real estate firm Cushman & Wakefield to help with the relocation process. Patrick Dugan, a St. Francis alum and son of the college’s former president Brendan Dugan, was a part of the team representing Cushman & Wakefield in the transaction.
Since the move was announced, some alumni have noted that Patrick Dugan’s affiliation with the sale seemed suspicious.
Martinez-Saenz was resolute in stating that the family relationship had no bearing on the college’s decision to move.
“The process to identify a real estate broker was competitive,” explained the current president. “We received applications from 12 brokerage houses and seriously interviewed four. Patrick Duggan was a part of the team that came to pitch Cushman-Wakefield, but that was not the reason we chose them. Cushman-Wakefield is exceptional.”
Martinez-Saenz was also quick to dispel rumors about downsizing.
“Although it appears that the square footage is less, from a learning perspective it will be more space,” he said. “We are downsizing the back-office operation in terms of space and are using that space for more academic programs. The board and I were always thinking about how to improve the student experience.”
He also explained that the school has continued to hire during the pandemic, primarily to prepare for the launch of multiple new academic programs.
St. Francis currently has a lease-purchase option for the new Livingston Street location. However, they have not yet sold the property on Remsen Street .
The school will move its academic operations into the new location for September 2022, but will potentially continue using the Remsen Street building for athletic programing.
“We are looking at the possibility of having athletics at the Remsen property past 2022,” explained Martinez-Saenz. “We are also working to secure alternatives so we can continue our athletics program uninterrupted.”
The school’s soccer team already practices and plays at Brooklyn Bridge Park, and Martinez-Saenz suggested the possibility of establishing similar relationships with public and private entities to secure access to athletic facilities.
“We are doing transition planning and long-term planning,” he said. “It will be a comprehensive solution.”
Despite some compromises, Martinez-Saenz is confident the new campus will greatly benefit the school going forward, and will be particularly beneficial in the post-pandemic world.
“This space will allow us to be at the cutting edge of technology,” he said. “We want to make sure we have space allocation to very quickly socially distance if needed.”
Located above the art deco Macy’s on Livingston Street, the new campus facility includes flexible labs and classrooms, 300-seat auditorium, 260-seat cafeteria with kitchen, screening room for films, 6,600-square-foot library, and outdoor terraces with views of the city.
The new campus is a component of the school’s larger SFC Forward initiative, a long-term plan to modernize and make St. Francis competitive in the 21st century.
Under SFC Forward, the college will offer new master’s degrees in exercise and sports science, special education, sports management, and public health.

This Sunday, kids across Queens will tee off in a Jr. Home Run Derby at Elmjack Little League. As part of a nationwide program sanctioned by Major League Baseball, the Variety Boys & Girls Club of Queens is partnering with Elmjack to help bring kids back to the baseball field.

“It’s a great opportunity and MLB is a great partner,” said Variety Boys & Girls Club CEO Costa Constantinides. “They’re doing a great job fostering youth baseball nationwide.”

All kids ages 14 and under can sign up to participate in this weekend’s event, with the winners invited to a regional tournament featuring derby winners from across the Northeast. The winners of the regional tournaments will get a trip to the World Series for the Jr. Home Run Derby finals. 

“I would like to thank Elmjack Little League for hosting this event,” said Charles Malone, Athletics director. “Our partnership with The MLB is something we are really excited about. What better way to kick things off in the community than with a Home Run Derby!”

It’s not all about winning however, as the goal is to get kids out for a fun day at the park, swinging for the fences, and enjoying getting back on the field.

“It’s about every kid smiling,” said Constantinides. “It’s about every kid hitting a ball over the fence, jumping with their friends, and celebrating with their families.”

After a long year where youth sports were badly affected by the coronavirus pandemic, partnerships between the Boys & Girls Club and Elmjack are one of many that can help get kids back on the field. Little Leagues across the nation were already struggling with youth participation in past years, and the pandemic only made things worse for plenty. 

In the ongoing Elmjack Spring season there are far less teams than before. Three teams make up the Bantam division while there are just two in Peewee, Division 1, Division 2, and Pony division. With so many kids off the field, little leagues have lost a lot of their shine. Now is a perfect time to kickstart the resurgence of local leagues and events.

“That’s why we stayed home,” said Constantinides regarding the pandemic and lockdown. “We waited for things like this and kids had nothing programmed for them. Now more than ever, they need the Boys & Girls Club.”

Now, kids across the borough can come out and enjoy a nice day at the park, something that many have been missing for far too long. It’s a great sign as Summer begins, and with kids playing ball again, things will start to feel much more normal.

“If you’re a kid in Queens, you can come take your cuts,” said Constantinides. “We’ll see you all there on Sunday.”

To register for the Jr. Home Run Derby, visit https://bgcqueens.org/homerunderby. The competitions will take place on Sunday, June 13th at Elmjack Little League at 78-1 19th Rd, East Elmhurst and will begin at 12:00 noon.