Picture Of The Day: Saint In Snow

And then, there was more of the white stuff.

Snow covered Saint in front of Scotto's

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Gowanus Canal Superfund Designation A Stigma? Not To Real Estate Folks And Politicians

You did not really think that real estate developers and our politicians have given up on developing along the shores of the Gowanus Canal, have you?Their vision of a Brooklyn Venice lined with 12-story luxury condo buildings might have been deferred for a few years while the Environmental Protection Agency cleans the heavily polluted waterway, but the temptation of millions of dollars of profit is just too great.

Tomorrow, Wednesday, May 12, the Steven L. Newman Real Estate Institute of Baruch College will host a public forum on a 'future vision of the Gowanus.' But a quick look at the list of panelists reveals that some of the staunchest opponents of the Superfund designation, who would have had no problem developing the shores of the Gowanus BEFORE a major clean up, are included on the panel: Public Advocate Bill De Blasio, Borough President Marty Markowitz and Bill Appel, Executive Director, Gowanus Canal Community Development Corp.(Salvatore "Buddy Scotto was included in the original line-up, but must have dropped out.)

The only question is, where is David Von Spreckelsen of the Toll Brothers?

I, myself, wouldn't miss this for the world and have just signed up for the event. I urge members of this community to do the same.

See the details below:

BARUCH COLLEGE PRESENTS PUBLIC FORUM

ON FUTURE OF GOWANUS CANAL

“Reconsidering Gowanus” will be held on May 12 at Brooklyn Borough Hall; Panelists Include NYC Public Advocate Bill de Blasio, Brooklyn Borough President Marty Markowitz; Report on Gowanus Canal Neighborhood Will be Released

On Wednesday, May 12, Baruch College’s Steven L. Newman Real Estate Institute presents a public forum, “Reconsidering Gowanus,” on the many issues facing the Gowanus Canal area in light of its recent designation by the EPA as a Superfund site. While the environmental degradation of the Gowanus area has drawn much attention of late, the area’s enormous economic and development potential has been overlooked. At this event, Baruch College brings together an array of prominent community, real estate and business leaders for a discussion about Gowanus Canal—the problems, the solutions and the great promise that Gowanus holds. A report from the Newman Institute on the Gowanus Canal area, “Reconsidering Gowanus: Opportunities for the Sustainable Transformation of an Industrial Neighborhood,” which looks at demographic trends in the area and makes recommendations for development, will be released at the event.

For more information, please visit: http://www.baruch.cuny.edu/realestate/.

WHAT:

“Reconsidering Gowanus: Opportunities for the Sustainable Transformation of an Industrial Neighborhood”

FREE TO THE PUBLIC

WHEN:

Wednesday, May 12, 8:30 – 11:30 a.m.

WHERE:

Brooklyn Borough Hall, 209 Joralemon Street, Brooklyn (Take the 2, 3, 4 or 5 to the Borough Hall Station in Brooklyn. Borough Hall is on Joralemon between Court and Adams streets.) Note: Enter Borough Hall from the back of the building.

WHO:

Bill Appel, Executive Director, Gowanus Canal Community Development Corp.

Michelle de la Uz, Executive Director, Fifth Avenue Committee

Honorable Bill de Blasio, Public Advocate, New York City

Carl Hum, President & CEO, Brooklyn Chamber of Commerce

Purnima Kapur, Director, Brooklyn Office, NYC Dept. of City Planning

Honorable Brad Lander, City Council Member, NYC District 39

Honorable Marty Markowitz, Brooklyn Borough President

Thomas McMahon, President, TLM Associates, LLC

Maria Pagano, President, Carroll Gardens Neighborhood Assoc. (invited)

Stuart Pertz, Architect and Planning Professional

Rosemary Scanlon, Clinical Associate Professor, NYU Schack Institute

Harry Schwartz, Planning and Development Consultant

Hilary Semel, Real Estate, Evnironmental and Construction Law, Tannenbaum Helpern Syracuse & Hirschtritt, LLP

Daniel Wiley, Community Coordinator, U.S. Rep. Nydia Velazquez, 12th Congressional District

CONTACT: Jennifer Pauly; 646-660-6129; Jennifer.pauly@baruch.cuny.edu

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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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