Saturday, January 16, 2021

VOICE OF GOWANUS WINS COURT ORDER HALTING GOWANUS REZONING


VOICE OF GOWANUS reports:

We've spent the past few weeks preparing to bring legal action to counter the City and private developers advocating for the Gowanus rezoning. The City’s plan for holding virtual proceedings to decide on such a monumental land use change is alienating, disenfranchising, and just plain illegal.

Yesterday we filed a petition requesting a temporary restraining order (TRO) to halt the virtual proceedings until in-person attendance is possible as is guaranteed under the City’s charter.

We are proud to announce that, preliminarily, the judge agreed with us!

What does the win mean?

The Court's order enjoins and prevents the Department of City Planning from certifying the Gowanus rezoning, proceeding with the rezoning application, or holding virtual ULURP hearings on the application, all pending a legal hearing slated for January 27, 2021. 

That means a judge has barred the City from certifying the Gowanus rezoning on January 19, 2021, the date it had intended.

Attorney Jason Zakai of Hiller, P.C., legal counsel to VOG, had this to say: 

“We are pleased that the Court granted our request last evening for a Temporary Restraining Order to stop the City’s impending certification of the massive Gowanus rezoning project pending a hearing. This is a huge relief to our clients and many other community members, who have serious concerns about the lack of equity, access and transparency around the project, and want a meaningful opportunity to be heard.”

This is a major win based on our community's concerns about the rezoning process!

But there's more to come. Thanks to everyone who has donated to make our continued legal effort possible through the Gowanus Legal Defense Fund.  Please consider making a donation so we can continue the fight!

The full court order is available here.

Voice of Gowanus
http://www.voiceofgowanus.org/

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