"The site, which was the home of the Citizens Manufactured Gas Plant for more than 100 years, is heavily contaminated with carcinogenic coal tar and other hazardous chemicals. Without proper containment, groundwater - carrying coal tar and other gunk- can travel into adjacent lots and right back into the Gowanus Canal, putting health, safety and years of remediation at risk."
"New York City promised to build the mixed-use development with 950 all-affordable apartments, a new public school and a new park, as part of the 2021 Gowanus rezoning. Construction would begin after the Brownfield remediation of Public Place was finished."
"The agencies could not reach an agreement on an amended remediation plan - National Grid felt its plan was sufficient to address EPA's concerns, while EPA and DEC disagreed - and National Grid initiated a dispute resolution process, suspending all clean-up."
Gowanus Green, a mixed-use development featuring 950 affordable apartments, a public school, and a park, has been delayed since 2024 due to disagreement over remediation of Public Place, a heavily contaminated former manufactured gas plant. The site contains carcinogenic coal tar and hazardous chemicals from over 100 years of operation. National Grid and the Department of Environmental Protection disagreed on an amended remediation plan following new EPA groundwater contamination rules in 2023. The dispute suspended cleanup work, but agencies now appear close to settlement. Local concerns persist about whether remediation will adequately protect future residents and the environment, particularly after developers proposed dividing the land into separate parcels.
#affordable-housing-development #environmental-remediation #brownfield-contamination #gowanus-canal #regulatory-disputes
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