HOUSING

The Gowanus rezoning is unique, as it is the first to achieve fair housing goals by creating thousands of new units of affordable housing in a neighborhood significantly more affluent than the rest of the borough or other neighborhoods the City has rezoned.

The Gowanus rezoning has the potential to unlock the creation of approximately 8,500 new housing units, including 3,000 below market units. Thanks to the work of local community members led by The Gowanus Neighborhood Coalition for Justice, the rezoning plan also includes over $200 million for capital repairs to nearby NYCHA complexes.

For years, New York City has faced a housing crisis due to a lack of affordable housing that meets the needs of New Yorkers. As so many individuals and families have suffered adverse economic impacts as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic and inflation, economic impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, the need is even greater to deliver affordable housing in areas that offer access to good jobs, community services and amenities.  Because public funding alone for building new affordable units has proven inadequate to  address the gap, we need projects like the Gowanus rezoning that  leverage private investment to create new affordable housing.

The City’s Mandatory Inclusionary Housing (MIH) program is a powerful tool that is helping address this challenge. MIH requires that housing developed as a result of the Gowanus rezoning must include permanently affordable units. In a rezoned Gowanus, new residential buildings will be required to rent 25% to 30% of their residential units at below-market rates. Some projects will exceed this requirement. For instance, the planned development on Smith Street known as Gowanus Green will feature 100% affordable apartments, including many that will be deeply affordable.

The Gowanus rezoning meets fair housing standards and will create a more diverse and equitable neighborhood.  While other rezoning efforts in the city have focused on densely populated residential areas, Gowanus, and particularly the Gowanus Canal waterfront, has a largely industrial past with many big sites along the waterfront that are currently underutilized or vacant. Through the rezoning, these sites can be redeveloped for productive uses, especially housing. In total, with a full buildout, waterfront development will include up to 70% of the 3,000 affordable housing units anticipated from the Gowanus rezoning.

And while other rezonings have been located in lower-income communities of color, Gowanus and the surrounding community district is more affluent than the borough overall and wealthier than other rezoned areas. This rezoning is a vital step towards increasing housing opportunities for current and future New Yorkers as our city continues to grow, while ensuring that Gowanus will be a dynamic and diverse neighborhood for decades to come.

“The Gowanus Rezoning is the first neighborhood-wide rezoning to apply Mandatory Inclusionary Housing (MIH) to create affordable units in a whiter, wealthier community. It’s also the first to undergo a racial impact study, with data showing that the new affordable housing the rezoning will generate will lead to a more racially and economically integrated community.”

— Michelle de la Uz and Brad Lander in City Limits