Background and Working Group Summit

During the winter and spring of 2017, Working Groups comprised of residents, businesses, elected officials’ representatives, community stakeholders and City agencies met to address topics around Arts & Culture, Housing, Industry & Economic Development, Public Realm, and Sustainability & Resiliency in Gowanus. The Working Groups met over 25 times and 80+ hours. Please visit the topic pages to view the agendas, notes, presentations and other materials from the working group meetings.


Working Groups: Process

Each working group produced draft recommendations to help shape a forthcoming draft planning and land use framework. Recommendations ranged in specificity from broad goals, objectives and priorities to specific mechanisms and tools (view PDF Document study process and outreach approach).


Working Group Summit

On July 11, 2017, a Working Group Summit was held where members of all Working Groups shared, discussed and prioritized each groups’ draft recommendations. At the Summit, DCP shared a PDF Document progress update of the Working Groups and other Gowanus Study outreach to date. In small group discussions, attendees evaluated synergies and potential conflicts among the diverse interests present in Gowanus.


Working Groups: Draft Recommendations

The Working Groups’ discussion at the Summit covered the three types of recommendations:

  • recommendations that were mutually supported by Working Group members and City agencies (view PDF Document the list);
  • recommendations that were generally supported but require additional information and/or research (view PDF Document the list); and
  • recommendations that, although the underlying goals were supported broadly, their implementation mechanisms were beyond the scope or ability of this neighborhood planning study for feasibility, legal or policy purposes and/or were not mutually supported by the Working Group members (view PDF Document the list).

Along with input from Plangowanus.com, large public meetings and other outreach, these recommendations helped develop the planning and land use framework by giving specific, topic-by-topic voice to items to be balanced and addressed. Discussions will continue on how to best achieve the overall vision for Gowanus and reconcile, where possible, conflicting or competing issues.

Click on each link below to see sketches and visualizations of the Working Group recommendations!

Arts and CulturePDF Document Arts & CultureHousingPDF Document HousingPublic RealmPDF Document Public RealmSustainability and ResiliencyPDF Document Sustainability &Industry & Economic DevelopmentPDF Document Industry & Economic Development

During the winter and spring of 2017, Working Groups comprised of residents, businesses, elected officials’ representatives, community stakeholders and City agencies met to address topics around Arts & Culture, Housing, Industry & Economic Development, Public Realm, and Sustainability & Resiliency in Gowanus. The Working Groups met over 25 times and 80+ hours. Please visit the topic pages to view the agendas, notes, presentations and other materials from the working group meetings.


Working Groups: Process

Each working group produced draft recommendations to help shape a forthcoming draft planning and land use framework. Recommendations ranged in specificity from broad goals, objectives and priorities to specific mechanisms and tools (view PDF Document study process and outreach approach).


Working Group Summit

On July 11, 2017, a Working Group Summit was held where members of all Working Groups shared, discussed and prioritized each groups’ draft recommendations. At the Summit, DCP shared a PDF Document progress update of the Working Groups and other Gowanus Study outreach to date. In small group discussions, attendees evaluated synergies and potential conflicts among the diverse interests present in Gowanus.


Working Groups: Draft Recommendations

The Working Groups’ discussion at the Summit covered the three types of recommendations:

  • recommendations that were mutually supported by Working Group members and City agencies (view PDF Document the list);
  • recommendations that were generally supported but require additional information and/or research (view PDF Document the list); and
  • recommendations that, although the underlying goals were supported broadly, their implementation mechanisms were beyond the scope or ability of this neighborhood planning study for feasibility, legal or policy purposes and/or were not mutually supported by the Working Group members (view PDF Document the list).

Along with input from Plangowanus.com, large public meetings and other outreach, these recommendations helped develop the planning and land use framework by giving specific, topic-by-topic voice to items to be balanced and addressed. Discussions will continue on how to best achieve the overall vision for Gowanus and reconcile, where possible, conflicting or competing issues.

Click on each link below to see sketches and visualizations of the Working Group recommendations!

Arts and CulturePDF Document Arts & CultureHousingPDF Document HousingPublic RealmPDF Document Public RealmSustainability and ResiliencyPDF Document Sustainability &Industry & Economic DevelopmentPDF Document Industry & Economic Development