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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By Dave Hogarty in News on February 14, 2008 5:45 PM

Comments [rss]

Mike D

This is insane.

kearnj

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.

Think2wice

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?

bklyngrrl

What about the smell? That can't be a safe place for people to live, surely....!

JRod5417

Actually, it smells more like horse farts. The esplanade is a lovely idea to catch a glimpse of those gonorrhea infested whitefish.

JRod5417

Actually, it smells more like horse farts. The esplanade is a lovely idea to catch a glimpse of those gonorrhea infested whitefish.

JMH

Who on earth wants an ESPLANADE along the Gowanus Canal?

brooklynbee

Wow. I know the Gowanus has been cleaned up A LOT but it still stinks to high heaven from about June - August.

blablanyc

Great place to live if you like the smell of cow farts and gasoline.

nonumentalart

ha ha hugh, its true tho

Toby von Meistersinger

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.