The Gowanus Canal Community Advisory Group’s Land Use Committee met on Monday, July 11, 2016, in the offices of the Gowanus Canal Conservancy at 543 Union Street.
CAG Members present: David Briggs, Rafael Gomez de Luna, Andrea Parker, Peter Reich, Buddy Scotto, Mark Shames
Guests: Terri Thomson, National Grid; Louis Kleinman, CAG/Waterfront Alliance; Chris Anderson, Gowanus Canal Conservancy
Item 1
Review of June 7, 2016 meeting minutes.
Action
Minutes approved without comments.
Item 2
1st Street turning basin: Land use strategies were suggested, including a salt marsh, direct entry/access from Third Avenue, mitigation of flooding, public access, creating natural contours at mouth of basin, maintaining water quality, ease of maintenance, and flushing mechanism at head of basin.
Action
Andrea, Peter, Chris, and Dave will meet to further discuss strategies.
Item 3
Bulkheads: The committee discussed different bulkhead types, their respective locations, and calculations regarding the amount of water surface area that is displaced by new bulkhead construction.
Action
Dave will contact Christos Tsiamis of EPA.
Item 4
Powerhouse: The organization is in the process of developing a new creative arts center that abuts the canal and 1st Street turning basin.
Action
Andrea will reach out to the Executive Director at Powerhouse and request a meeting to coordinate their landscape designs with the EPA’s proposed work at the turning basin.