Gowanus Rezoning Moving Forward: Could Bring 8,000 New Apartments to Brooklyn

A controversial zoning—one of the last of a de Blasio administration that has rezoned parts of every borough in the city—last week cleared a key City Council committee.

2 minute read

November 14, 2021, 5:00 AM PST

By James Brasuell @CasualBrasuell


Brooklyn, New York City

Full Prime Raw / Shutterstock

"Mayor Bill de Blasio’s controversial plan to rezone Gowanus is poised to move forward, fulfilling a decade-old ambition that aims to increase development and affordability in the fast-changing industrial enclave," reports Jake Offenhartz.

The City Council Land Use Committee voted to approve the rezoning on November 10, paving the way for up to 8,000 new apartments units, with one-third of those units reserved for low-income tenants, in the relatively wealthy corner of New York City.

The city's planning commission approved the Gowanus Neighborhood Planning Study in September, paving the way for last week's City Council’s Land Use Committee vote. The Gowanus rezoning plan previously encountered Covid-related delays and repeated bouts of controversy.

Offenhartz describe the rezoning as the largest upzoning of the de Blasio era—and there are plenty of other examples to compare, though the recent rezoning processes in Gowanus, along with the Envision NoHo/SoHo rezoning in Manhattan, are the first to focus on more affluent corners of the city (more on the same subject is found here and here). Earlier in its tenure, the de Blasio administration undertook rezonings  in East New York, Downtown Far Rockaway, East HarlemJerome Avenue, Inwood, the Bay Street Corridor on Staten IslandBushwick, and a swath of Southern Boulevard in the Bronx.

In 2014, the de Blasio administration announced the Housing New York plan to spend $41 billion to create or preserve 200,000 affordable housing units in the city, which included a Mandatory Inclusionary Housing program that influenced all of these rezoning programs.

Wednesday, November 10, 2021 in Gothamist

portrait of professional woman

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching. Mary G., Urban Planner

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching.

Mary G., Urban Planner

Cover CM Credits, Earn Certificates, Push Your Career Forward

Aerial view of town of Wailuku in Maui, Hawaii with mountains in background against cloudy sunset sky.

Maui's Vacation Rental Debate Turns Ugly

Verbal attacks, misinformation campaigns and fistfights plague a high-stakes debate to convert thousands of vacation rentals into long-term housing.

July 1, 2025 - Honolulu Civil Beat

Logo for Planetizen Federal Action Tracker with black and white image of U.S. Capitol with water ripple overlay.

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker

A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.

July 2, 2025 - Diana Ionescu

White and purple sign for Slow Street in San Francisco, California with people crossing crosswalk.

San Francisco Suspends Traffic Calming Amidst Record Deaths

Citing “a challenging fiscal landscape,” the city will cease the program on the heels of 42 traffic deaths, including 24 pedestrians.

July 1, 2025 - KQED

"Altadena - Not For Sale" yard sign in front of burned down house after Eaton Fire in Altadena, California in January 2025.

Half of Post-Fire Altadena Home Sales Were to Corporations

Large investors are quietly buying up dozens of properties in Altadena, California, where a devastating wildfire destroyed more than 6,000 homes in January.

July 7 - Dwell

Dense multistory residential buildings in hilly San Francisco, California.

Opinion: What San Francisco’s Proposed ‘Family Zoning’ Could Really Mean

Mayor Lurie is using ‘family zoning’ to encourage denser development and upzoning — but could the concept actually foster community and more human-scale public spaces?

July 7 - The San Francisco Standard

Blue self-driving Ford Transit van shuttle in Jacksonville, Florida.

Jacksonville Launches First Autonomous Transit Shuttle in US

A fleet of 14 fully autonomous vehicles will serve a 3.5-mile downtown Jacksonville route with 12 stops.

July 7 - Smart Cities Dive

Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools

This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.

Planning for Universal Design

Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.

Associate/Senior Planner

Gallatin County Department of Planning & Community Development

Senior Planner

Heyer Gruel & Associates PA