The Unusual Twists And Turns In The Gowanus Canal Saga: Buddy Scotto's Media Blitz

The waters of the Gowanus Canal with raw sewage and garbage

Buddy Scotto:

"There's no question the canal is clean enough now to support development"
(NY Post)

The saga of the Gowanus Canal has more twists and turns than its one and a half mile shoreline. Just last week, the EPA proposed to add the heavily polluted canal to its Superfund National Priority list, which would funnel federal money towards a clean-up.

That would seem like great news to a man who, for decades, worked hard to get the Gowanus Canal cleaned up. But that does not seem to be the case.

Buddy Scotto, long time Carroll Gardens activist and business owner, and founder of the Gowanus Canal Community Development Corporation has advocated for decades for a cleaner canal. However, these days, he seems to be more concerned with any delay to development along the canal, especially the Toll Brothers.
The national developer recently secured a spot-rezoning for a two block area along the canal from manufacturing to residential. This is in advance of a New York City Planning rezoning for the entire canal area.
Mr. Scotto is an outspoken backer of the Toll Brothers Project.

Mr. Scotto always poo pooed skeptics who argued that the canal should be cleaned thoroughly before housing is built on its shores. He stuck to his "if more people move in, it will be cleaned" approach. Now that the canal may actually get the thorough remediation it needs, Scotto is complaining to the media that placing the Gowanus on the Superfund list would delay development.

As one area resident remarked on Mr. Scotto's quotes in the news:

"Just because credible builders are interested in investing along the Gowanus, doesn't mean that the canal's pollution issues don't need to be addressed and cleaned up. He goes on and on about finding typhoid germs, etc., in the canal, and now he doesn't want it cleaned up. Go figure."

Lately, all emphasis has been on development with only vague assurances that clean up would come later. Now we may finally have a definite commitment to the clean up which should logically come first. We will find out how this will work and how long it will take and a decision will be made on scientific grounds. This has to be good for the community and city. Who would seriously oppose concrete plans for a clean up ? Who wouldn't prefer to live next to a clean canal rather than a polluted one ? Who really believes that a clean up wouldn't make the whole area more valuable ? Haven't we had enough "fast buck" problems ?

Buddy Scotto as quoted in the media last week:

"This is going to stand in the way of so many developments. The designation might scare off all of these private developers.” ( The Brooklyn Paper)

"There are political people who, for their own reasons, don't want development to happen on the Gowanus Canal" ( Daily News)

“We want to make sure they’re not precluded from building. Can the government work with the private sector? This has to be worked out.” ( The New York Times)


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