Senator Velmanette Montgomery urges Mayor Bill de Blasio to place a moratorium on the Gowanus Canal Rezoning

Dear Mr. Mayor:

I agree with the hundreds of my constituents who have called and e-mailed me suggesting that the proposed Gowanus Canal rezoning be placed on hold until the city and state can reassess the needs of our communities given the challenges they are currently facing. Many have focused on the economic downturn stemming from the pandemic. They believe that our resources and attention should be on strengthening our local economy rather than luxury apartment buildings that will probably remain vacant for years to come.

The proposed rezoning will eliminate manufacturing zones that, if available for activation during the pandemic, could have served our city well in supplying needed resources while creating jobs.

Additionally, prior to the pandemic, I firmly believed that any talk of rezoning before thorough environmental remediation of the canal was premature. Now that we have a new reality that involves massive budget cuts, large-scale unemployment, reduced revenue and a possible recession, we must once again reexamine our plans for development going forward.

To read the full letter to Mayor de Blasio, click here.