Part of a much larger initiative by New York to clean up local waterways, the old Gowanus Station in Brooklyn, and its adjacent canal have been the subject of some controversy and proposed change in recent and even distant years. The latest, though this is a project still several years old, has to do with the construction of a water treatment facility where the Gowanus Station building was once prominent. 

Many issues were added to the list of possible checklist items to finish this long-lived project from multiple EPA studies to new undertakings like tunnels and the preservation of Gowanus Station’s original brick facade. Despite well-documented knowledge of the canal’s polluted state and a need for ongoing cleanup efforts, the historical landmark status of certain buildings in the surrounding area, but not this one, has drawn ire from residents. 

This leaves the project in a constant state of further development, and the different jobs involved that would ultimately complete the new facility continue to evolve. 

Gowanus Canal and Gowanus Station: Still Cleaning Up

The new water treatment facility is part of an effort to clean New York City’s waterways and move away from an outdated combined sewer overflow (CSO) system that flushes most wastewater into NYC’s nearby rivers and coastlines. Gowanus Canal is one such site where the effects of this antiquated system are apparent to the point of being notorious. 

While other buildings in the Gowanus area are slated for historical landmark status as symbols of the area’s industrial history, Gowanus Station narrowly missed being saved itself and was instead taken by the city of New York through eminent domain. 

Some concessions were made between locals, the EPA, and the New York City once the 234 Butler St. building was slated for demolition, with the promise that the original bricks from the facade would be used. In March, just before construction and much of the city shut down due to the COVID-19 epidemic, the city attempted to go back on this promise and replace the facade with faux-aged bricks in order to save on costs and time. 

Nearly everyone at every level disliked this. In late April, federal authorities, including the EPA, stepped in to state that the original plan would be kept: the original bricks from Gowanus Station must be used to construct the new corner facade. The new building in question is going to hold one of the two tanks that aim to stop sewage from entering the Gowanus Canal. 

What Remains to Be Done on the Water Treatment Facility?

As essential construction work continues and some non-essential projects continue as an exception, the water treatment facility near the canal means ongoing work for local construction firms and tradespeople for another nine years. 

For now, a major concern remains the preservation of the historic Gowanus Station in what ways it can be. The city wished to nix the use of the original bricks due to time and money concerns, and this in itself promises a sizable workload for those that can work with and maintain the integrity of vintage brick. 

They call this a facade for a reason, though: it will sit outside just a part of all the new equipment and housing for a water treatment facility that may be Gowanus Canal’s only hope of getting cleaner and staying clean. 

While Governor Cuomo recently announced that reopening would begin in New York, starting upstate, it is looking as though some of the harder hit parts of the state, including Manhattan and Long Island, might be waiting for a good deal longer. This news came to some displeasure for local residents and officials in Nassau and Suffolk Counties, especially with regards to construction and construction jobs. 

Locals report the need for home repairs and unfinished projects to be finished, with contractors and construction firms unable to take on non-essential work. As a result, laborers and local residents alike are demanding that Cuomo declare residential construction an essential business so that work can continue. 

Long Island Reopening Vs. Upstate Reopening: Why the Disparity? 

On Friday, officials in Long Island discussed the possibility of a reopen and return to business as usual remaining at least as far as seven weeks away, at the end of June, at least an entire month after other parts of the state will resume business operations. The main issue, they say, is that the criteria laid down by the state to be eligible for reopening will take at least that long for Nassau and Suffolk counties to meet. These include criteria such as a documented, 14-day decline in both coronavirus hospitalizations and deaths on a rolling three-day average, a rise in available hospital beds in the region, and a 90-day stockpile of PPE. 

The metro area is one of the hardest-hit locations nationwide, much less in the state. The communities in Long Island have a much longer road ahead of them than areas upstate, and with another possible seven weeks ahead, the urgency for essential residential construction work in the area is that much direr. 

Residential Construction and Job Dependency

Over 8,000 residential construction jobs are presently on hold in Long Island, something Suffolk County town supervisors and mayors are seeking to rectify in their recent letter to Gov. Cuomo. The letter acknowledges the severity of the need to help stem the tide of COVID-19 but underscores that the housing crisis did not vanish in that time. 

One of the main reasons demand for Cuomo to reclassify residential construction is a matter of nationwide precedent. No other state in the union has made residential construction non-essential. Meanwhile, projects to build houses, apartments, and senior living remain shuttered. Long Islanders are awaiting homes or watching their current, unfinished homes deteriorate while construction stalls and laborers wait to return to their careers and care for their own homes and families. 

Essential Residential Construction: The Work That Comes with It

The number of available jobs has the potential to skyrocket provided that residential construction is deemed as essential as officials insist that it is. These would include:

• New construction. There is, of course, new construction that seeks to help alleviate an ongoing housing crisis. Everything from houses to apartments and condos for people at all income levels remain a need, but not all can be deemed an affordable housing project. 
• Senior living. While affordable housing is deemed essential, as are senior health care facilities, senior residential facilities are not. 
• Remodels and rebuilds. Many currently-standing homes with set plans for remodels and major refurbishments (such as roof installation) have been on hold for months and exposing properties to the elements. Although not deemed fit for emergency construction, despite that high-rise and other urban construction projects receive exceptions to prevent the same kind of structural deterioration and damage. 

As far as locals, laborers, and officials in Long Island are concerned, there is everything to gain for their respective communities from making residential construction essential. Provided proper social distancing guidelines are followed and enforced just as they are in other essential construction jobs; they believe there is little reason to differentiate them. 

One of the most well-known locations in New York City has been going over possible plans for a little revitalization. With proposals going through the Landmarks Preservation Commission over the last few months, the main aim was to improve foot traffic and overall flow to the area. Many submitted their plans in the hopes that their creative vision would be the one to transform the famed landmark. It was in late April that the LPC finally approved a plan from developer Tishman Speyer and architectural firm Gabellini Sheppard Associates. The project’s approval status was up in the air for a while, especially since it went back for some changes in January, but all appear to be ready to move forward. 

Rockefeller Plaza: A History

Rockefeller Center spans some 22 acres with almost 20 commercial buildings, and the famous plaza is the home to the iconic statue of Prometheus by Paul Manship, an ice rink, and a seasonal Christmas tree whose lighting is a major event drawing thousands every year. The site was home to several notable locations before Rockefeller Center existed, including botanical gardens before ownership ceded to Columbia University. The Metropolitan Square Corporation formed in the 1920’s, involving John D. Rockefeller Jr. 

Plans were to move the Metropolitan Opera there, but the stock market crash dashed these plans. Rockefeller instead brought in RCA, NBC, and RKO to start a mass entertainment complex. His efforts were memorialized when the official name of the site changed to Rockefeller Center in 1931. Today its legacy as an entertainment mecca continues, and the approved plans to revitalize the location will allow more visitors to enjoy what it has to offer. 

What Will the Current Plans Take to Finish? 

The plans, as the developers have revealed, will connect the concourse and the sunken plaza once again, helping to improve the flow of foot traffic. Still, it aims to increase the available seating in the area, as well as landscaping. The John D. Rockefeller Jr. monument is also going to be relocated to the southern part of the Channel Gardens and the pools. As a result, its current location hopes to see less congestion. 

The scope of the changes will call for expertise from a number of trades. This will include:

• Increased greenery. Plans cover the inclusion of multiple planters all over the plaza, including both permanent, tiered installations that will outline the plaza and seasonal, removable ones for warmer seasons. Contractors will need to construct new installations and also re-purpose or completely remove existing ones. 
• Storefront restorations. Along the seasonal skating rink, developers intend to return to the historic storefronts that line the area, increasing line of sight and natural light for patrons inside and a more stylish curb appeal for passerby. 
• A seasonal, fanning stairway. The current impression is that in the spring, summer, and early autumn, there will be a wide, open stairway to allow for an easier flow of traffic that can be removed once cold weather sets in and the ice rink opens. How this is to be implemented has yet to be revealed. 
• New seating construction and new accessibility. Seating in the sunken plaza will be increased along its northern edge, and an enclosed elevator will be installed near here to take pedestrians to the street above. 

There is no official start date yet, but with construction resuming in many parts of the metro area, bids should be opening very soon. It will be any firm’s game once the race to groundbreaking begins.