February 14, 2008
Toll Bros. Preparing to Colonize the Gowanus Canal
Last decade's decrepit property along a foully polluted industrial canal is just next decade's prime waterfront lots, ready for development by one the nation's premiere luxury homebuilders. The Gowanus Lounge uncovered a "scoping" document filed with the Department of City Housing by the Toll Brothers construction company. The early renderings portray a spread of mixed-use development between 2nd and Carroll Sts. and bounded by Bond St. and the Gowanus Canal itself.
The project would result in almost 600 housing units (a mix of market-rate and affordable) with an underground parking garage, as well as an esplanade along the Canal and commercial space. To avoid the inevitable catastrophic flooding that seems to be mentioned frequently, the property will be raised and all residences will be above the 100-year flood mark. Curbed has photos of what the property looks like right now.
The Toll Brothers expect the development to be completed by 2011, although that could be considered wildly optimistic. The Gowanus Whole Foods held its groundbreaking in 2006, with a completion date set for the Spring of 2008 - they just started pouring the foundation this month.
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I'm going to miss those scenic views on the F...
Children born to residents here will look like extras from The Hills Have Eyes.
Why can't the Toll Brothers stick to their core market - crappy suburban boxes in places that don't have the infrastructure to support it?
All developers are lower than scum.
ha ha hugh, its true tho
Great place to live if you like the smell of cow farts and gasoline.
I still can't honestly believe that they're actually going to attempt to build this place.
Are they nuts?
Wow. I know the Gowanus has been cleaned up A LOT but it still stinks to high heaven from about June - August.
Who on earth wants an ESPLANADE along the Gowanus Canal?
Actually, it smells more like horse farts. The esplanade is a lovely idea to catch a glimpse of those gonorrhea infested whitefish.
Actually, it smells more like horse farts. The esplanade is a lovely idea to catch a glimpse of those gonorrhea infested whitefish.
What about the smell? That can't be a safe place for people to live, surely....!
So you want prime, untapped, Gowanus real estate that'll command huge premiums with little capital improvement needed?
Try the Gowanus Houses. NYCHA, you interested in a sale?
They won't be able to build that close to the canal -think of the amount of toxic waste and sludge they will have to dredge. After which they will need to to re-build the retaining wall strong enough to support those colossal monuments to godly urbane livingdom.
This is insane.