Mayor Adams and other officials break ground on the new Gowanus Canal overflow tank project. The site, in the background, has been cleared ahead of the excavation and construction. The project will create overflow tanks to prevent sewage entering the canal, and will include public waterfront open space. Image Credit: Michael Appleton/Mayoral Photography Office

On March 15, 2023, Mayor Eric Adams, New York City Department of Environmental Protection Commissioner Rohit T. Aggarwala and U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Region 2 Administrator Lisa F. Garcia celebrated the groundbreaking for the first of two underground storage tanks that will protect the Gowanus Canal in Brooklyn. The two tanks will collect sewer overflow during storms and prevent that overflow from entering the Gowanus Canal. The project will also include the creation of 3.6 acres of new public waterfront space.  (more…)

Somers Brothers Tinware Factory Building Image Credit: Landmarks

Gowanus community wants Landmarks to continue designating sites before rezoning. On September 24, 2019, the Landmarks Preservation Commission held a public hearing to designate five buildings in the Gowanus section of Brooklyn as individual landmarks. The five proposed buildings are the Gowanus Flushing Tunnel Pumping Station and Gate House, the Somers Brothers Tinware Factory (later American Can Company), Brooklyn Rapid Transit Company (BRT) Central Power Station Engine House, Montauk Paint Manufacturing Company Building and the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA) Rogers Memorial Building. All of the buildings hold a connection to the Gowanus Canal’s industrial history. To read Cityland’s prior coverage of each building, click here.

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The Gowanus Flushing Tunnel Pumping Station. Image Credit: NYC LPC

The buildings all hold a connection to the Gowanus Canal’s industrial history. On June 25, 2019, the Landmarks Preservation Commission voted to calendar five buildings in Gowanus section of Brooklyn for potential designation as individual landmarks. The five buildings – the Gowanus Flushing Tunnel Pumping Station and Gate House, the Somers Brothers Tinware Factory (later American Can Company), Brooklyn Rapid Transit Company (BRT) Central Power Station Engine House, Montauk Paint Manufacturing Company Building and the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA) Rogers Memorial Building. All of the buildings hold a connection to the Gowanus Canal’s industrial history. (more…)

Council approves waterfront project despite community’s concerns about affordable housing component. On March 11, 2009, the City Council approved Toll Brothers’ proposed development at 363-365 Bond Street in Carroll Gardens, Brooklyn. The 525,309-sq.ft. development will provide 447 residential units, including 130 affordable units. The project, located on two blocks along the Gowanus Canal, bounded by Carroll, Second, and Bond Streets, includes two five-story buildings, a series of four-story townhouses, and two 12- story buildings fronting the canal. 6 CityLand 4 (Feb. 15, 2009).

At Council’s March 4th Zoning & Franchises Subcommittee hearing, Brooklyn Borough President Marty Markowitz called on Toll Brothers to reduce the 12-story buildings to eight stories, so that views from the Carroll Gardens Historic District would remain unobstructed. Markowitz also requested that Toll enter into a legally enforceable commitment to provide the project’s affordable housing component. A representative from Brooklyn Community Board 6 testified that although CB6 conditionally voted to approve the project, it was concerned that the developer had not guaranteed that affordable housing would be built. If the developer could not guarantee affordable housing, CB6 believed the project should be denied. (more…)

ASPCA Brooklyn Office, Shelter and Garage Image Credit: Landmarks

The five buildings highlight Gowanus’ industrial past. On October 29, 2019, the Landmarks Preservation Committee unanimously voted to designate five buildings near the Gowanus Canal as individual landmarks. The five designated buildings are the Gowanus Flushing Tunnel Pumping Station and Gate House at 196 Butler Street, the Somers Brothers Tinware Factory (later American Can Company) at 238-246 3rd Street, Brooklyn Rapid Transit Company (BRT) Central Power Station Engine House at 153 2nd Street, Montauk Paint Manufacturing Company Building at 170 2nd Avenue and the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA) Brooklyn Office, Shelter and Garage at 233 Butler Street.

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