Can a Spate of New Builds Finally Revitalize Gowanus?
Victoria M. Walker | New York Times
... Thomas Brodsky, the co-developer of 499 President Street, a newer building about a block from the canal, said Gowanus presented an opportunity for developers to add density between Park Slope and Carroll Gardens, calling the area a “hole in the doughnut.” The 2020 cleanup of the canal, with toxic sludge beginning to be hauled away, also enticed Mr. Brodsky, who began planning for the site the following year. The Brodsky Organization and Avery Hall, another developer, worked on the new building together.
“As we started processing the site and deciding whether we were going to build here or not, every day we would see the Army Corps of Engineers doing the cleanup,” Mr. Brodsky said. “And I remember one day we came out here and there were ducks swimming in the canal.” ...
