On Wednesday, May 12, Brooklyn Borough President Marty Markowitz delivered remarks at “Reconsidering Gowanus,” a public forum hosted by Baruch College’s Steven L. Newman Real Estate Institute on the many issues facing the Gowanus Canal area in light of its recent designation by the EPA as a Superfund site. BP Markowitz called for an increase in the percentage of affordable housing, contextual heights on nearby streets, and voiced his support of a creative economy (full prepared remarks below).

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, was also released at the conference held at Borough Hall.

BP Markowitz prepared remarks:

      I WANT TO COMMEND THE STEVEN L. NEWMAN REAL ESTATE INSTITUTE AT BARUCH COLLEGE — AND DIRECTOR JACK NYMAN — FOR ORGANIZING TODAY’S SYMPOSIUM—
      AND I WANT TO THANK THE GOWANUS CANAL CORRIDOR STUDY GRADUATE PLANNING STUDIO AT HUNTER COLLEGE’S DEPARTMENT OF URBAN AFFAIRS AND PLANNING.
      AND OF COURSE, I ALSO WANT TO THANK ALL THE SPEAKERS WE HAVE WITH US TODAY.

      BROOKLYN HAS NO SHORTAGE OF ICONIC LOCATIONS — CONEY ISLAND, THE BROOKLYN BRIDGE, THE BROOKLYN HEIGHTS PROMENADE, GRAND ARMY PLAZA—
      AND IT’S TIME WE ADDED GOWANUS TO THAT LIST — BOTH THE CANAL ITSELF AND THE NEIGHBORHOOD THAT SURROUNDS IT.
      INDEED, THERE ARE FEW PLACES IN THE CITY MORE INTIMATELY CONNECTED TO THE HISTORY OF BROOKLYN AND NEW YORK.

      IN FACT, WE CAN THANK GOWANUS — (OR, I SUPPOSE, BLAME IT) — FOR STARTING THE NEW YORK “REAL ESTATE BOOM.”
      ORIGINALLY A PRISTINE CREEK NAMED AFTER A NATIVE AMERICAN CHIEF, HOME IT IS SAID TO OYSTERS THE SIZE OF DINNER PLATES — GOWANUS BECAME ONE OF THE FIRST AREAS TO BE SETTLED BY THE DUTCH—
      AND THE SITE OF WHAT MAY HAVE BEEN THE CITY’S FIRST REAL ESTATE TRANSACTION BETWEEN SETTLERS WHEN, IN 1639, LEADERS OF NEW NETHERLAND BOUGHT LAND AROUND GOWANUS BAY FOR A TOBACCO PLANTATION. THIS AREA WAS A STAGING GROUND IN THE BATTLE OF BROOKLYN, THE FIRST MAJOR SKIRMISH IN THE AMERICAN WAR FOR INDEPENDENCE — AND WENT ON TO BECOME A CENTER OF INDUSTRY IN BROOKLYN.
      AS WE KNOW, A WONDERFUL COMMUNITY BUILT UP AND FLOURISHED AROUND IT.
      AND DESPITE THE POLLUTION THAT TURNED IT INTO WHAT LOCALS CALLED THE “LAVENDER LAKE” — IT WAS THE BUSIEST COMMERCIAL CANAL IN THE NATION.

      OF COURSE, DURING THE SECOND HALF OF THE 20TH CENTURY, IT WENT INTO SEVERE DECLINE.
      THOSE YEARS OF NEGLECT TOOK THEIR TOLL — AND THE CANAL HAS CERTAINLY BEEN SEEN BY MANY AS A SYMBOL OF URBAN ENVIRONMENTAL ABANDONMENT.
      (A STREETWISE CHARACTER IN JONATHAN LETHEM’S POPULAR NOVEL “MOTHERLESS BROOKLYN” EVEN TAKES A SWIPE AT BROOKLYN’S DARKEST DAYS BY CALLING THE GOWANUS “THE ONLY BODY OF WATER IN THE WORLD THAT WAS 90 PERCENT GUNS.”)

      OF COURSE, GOWANUS CANAL DOES NOT JUST EXIST IN THE PAST TENSE — IT REMAINS THE CENTER OF A LIVING, BREATHING, BROOKLYN NEIGHBORHOOD.
      AND ITS RESIDENTS DESERVE A CLEAN WATERWAY — AS WELL AS THE KIND OF ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT THAT KEEPS PACE WITH BROOKLYN’S GROWTH AS A THRIVING “GLOBAL CITY.”

      I KNOW THE MAYOR HAD THIS IN MIND WHEN HE PROPOSED THE CITY’S CLEAN-UP PLAN.
      AND ALTHOUGH THE E-P-A SUPERFUND DESIGNATION MAY SLOW DOWN SOME TYPES OF DEVELOPMENT, ULTIMATELY IT SENDS A CLEAR AND STRONG MESSAGE THAT THIS LAND IS WORTH SAVING — AND THAT GREENER DAYS ARE AHEAD.
      IT REPRESENTS PROMISE — AND OPPORTUNITY.
      WE NOW HAVE A RARE CHANCE TO NOT ONLY PRESERVE GOWANUS — BUT TO RE-IMAGINE IT AS BROOKLYN’S VENICE — (WITH KAYAKS IN PLACE OF GONDOLAS, OF COURSE!)
      THIS NEIGHBORHOOD, WHICH HAS EPITOMIZED BROOKLYN PROGRESS IN THE PAST, CAN BE THE MODEL FOR THE BROOKLYN OF TOMORROW.

      SO WHAT DOES THAT MEAN IN PRACTICAL TERMS?
      WELL, FOR ONE THING, OVER THE PAST FEW YEARS, GOWANUS HAS BECOME A HUB
OF ARTISTIC AND CREATIVE ACTIVITY IN BROOKLYN—
     WITH GALLERIES LIKE PROTEUS GOWANUS, MUSIC CLUBS LIKE THE BELL HOUSE,
AND COMMUNAL ART SPACES THAT DOT THE NEIGHBORHOOD.
     WE SHOULD SUPPORT THESE CREATIVE ENDEAVORS, NOT JUST BECAUSE IT’S THE RIGHT THING TO DO (BROOKLYN IS, AFTER ALL, THE ARTISTIC EPICENTER OF NEW YORK CITY) — BUT BECAUSE THE ARTS PLAY A CENTRAL ROLE IN BROOKLYN’S ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT.

      GOWANUS ALSO BORDERS WHAT WE’RE CALLING THE BAM CULTURAL DISTRICT, A COMPLEX OF THEATERS, PERFORMANCES SPACES, AND ARTS ORGANIZATIONS GROWING AROUND THE BROOKLYN ACADEMY OF MUSIC.
      GOWANUS IS EVOLVING AS A SORT OF “INDIE ADJUNCT” TO THIS DISTRICT, A
BREEDING GROUND FOR THE NEXT GENERATION OF GROUNDBREAKING ARTISTS.

      ASIDE FROM BUSINESSES THAT PROVIDE LOCAL RESIDENTS WITH AMENITIES, THE GOWANUS COMMUNITY DOES NOT NECESSARILY NEED MORE RETAIL CORRIDORS TO
COMPETE WITH STREETS LIKE SMITH AND 5TH AVENUE —
      SO PERHAPS WE SHOULD CONSIDER MAKING GROUND-FLOOR STOREFRONTS AVAILABLE TO THE ARTISANS WHO DRIVE BROOKLYN’S “CREATIVE ECONOMY.”
      THESE ARE THE SMALL BUSINESSES THAT ARE INCREASINGLY MAKING BROOKLYN AN INTERNATIONAL HUB OF INNOVATIVE PRODUCTS AND DESIGN.

      OVER THE LAST SEVERAL YEARS, OUR BOROUGH HAS BECOME A TOURIST DESTINATION IN ITS OWN RIGHT — AND SEVERAL HOTELS HAVE OPENED IN THE AREA IN AND AROUND DOWNTOWN BROOKLYN.
      GOWANUS, JUST A FEW SUBWAY STOPS AWAY FROM LOWER MANHATTAN — AND NOT FAR FROM LANDMARKS LIKE THE BROOKLYN MUSEUM AND PROSPECT PARK — IS EMERGING AS A PERFECT SITE FOR BOUTIQUE HOTELS.
      AS WE KNOW, THEY’VE ALREADY STARTED ARRIVING — THE HOTEL LE BLEU ON
FOURTH AVENUE — AND, COMING SOON, A FAIRFIELD INN ON THIRD AVENUE.
      AND WHERE WILL THESE TOURISTS GO TO EAT? — ANY OF THE MANY RESTAURANTS
ON SMITH STREET AND FIFTH AVENUE, TWO OF THE CITY’S FINEST “RESTAURANT ROWS.”
      THE SYNERGY BETWEEN THESE HOTELS AND LOCAL BUSINESSES BENEFITS EVERYONE.

      WE ALSO, OF COURSE, NEED TO MAKE SURE THAT ANY DEVELOPMENT IN THE CLEANED-UP GOWANUS CANAL AREA INCLUDES PLENTY OF AFFORDABLE HOUSING.
     BECAUSE LET’S FACE IT — WHEN IT COMES TO HOUSING, IT DOESN’T MATTER WHERE YOU ARE IN THE WORLD — IF YOU BUILD NEAR WATER, RESIDENTS WILL COME.
     GOWANUS IS ALREADY POISED TO BE BROOKLYN’S NEWEST HIP ADDRESS — BUT
WE NEED TO BE EXTRA VIGILANT ABOUT MAKING SURE THAT THE NEW GOWANUS IS
HOME TO EVERYONE.

     THAT IS, RATHER THAN SETTING ASIDE 20 PERCENT OF THE UNITS IN A
DEVELOPMENT FOR AFFORDABLE HOUSING, WHY NOT 30 PERCENT?
      EVEN BETTER — IN THE PLANNED GOWANUS GREEN DEVELOPMENT, 71 PERCENT OF
THE 774 HOUSING UNITS WILL BE AFFORDABLE! — BRAVO!
      THIS IS A VERY UNIQUE AREA — AND I ALSO BELIEVE THAT DEVELOPMENT SHOULD BE IN HARMONY WITH THE NEIGHBORHOOD’S VISUAL AESTHETIC.

      I AGREE WITH THE COMMUNITY THAT NO BUILDING ALONG CARROLL STREET AND
THIRD STREET NEAR THE CANAL SHOULD EXCEED EIGHT STORIES — AND NO BUILDINGS ANYWHERE IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD SHOULD EXCEED TWELVE.
      AS YOU MAY KNOW, I HAVE A DREAM FOR THE STREET THAT DIVIDES GOWANUS
FROM PARK SLOPE.
      I WANT TO TURN FOURTH AVENUE INTO “BROOKLYN BOULEVARD” — BROOKLYN’S
ANSWER TO “PARK AVENUE” — A WIDE, WALKABLE STREET WITH BEAUTIFUL GREENERY IN ITS MEDIAN.

      THE GOWANUS CANAL HAS WITHSTOOD DECADES OF ENVIRONMENTAL ABUSE
THAT WE ARE MAKING HEADWAY IN FIXING.
      BUT LET’S GO EVEN FURTHER.
      BROOKLYN IS ALREADY NEW YORK CITY’S “GREENEST” BOROUGH.
      WHY NOT MAKE GOWANUS THE CITY’S FIRST FULLY SUSTAINABLE — PERHAPS
EVEN “CARBON-NEUTRAL”— NEIGHBORHOOD.
      WE ARE ALREADY IMPLEMENTING CUTTING-EDGE GREEN TECHNOLOGIES, SUCH AS THE GOWANUS CANAL SPONGE PARK, WHICH ENSURE THAT TOXINS DON’T SEEP INTO THE WATERWAY.

      WITH THE GOWANUS NEIGHBORHOOD, WE HAVE A GOLDEN OPPORTUNITY TO
CREATE A HEALTHY COMMUNITY AND A HEALTHY ECONOMY.
      “LAVENDER LAKE”? — FUHGEDDABOUDIT! — HOW ABOUT BROOKLYN’S “BLUE
LAGOON”?
      THE GOWANUS HAS ALWAYS BEEN CENTRAL TO THE UNFOLDING STORY OF BROOKLYN AND NEW YORK CITY.
      NOW LET’S TURN THE PAGE AND WRITE THE NEXT CHAPTER.
      THE FUTURE OF THE GOWANUS — IS INDEED “UPON US”!