A century-old two-family house at 124 2nd Street in Gowanus could soon make way for a six-story residential building, according to newly filed permits. The proposal calls for seven residences, a penthouse, one enclosed parking space, and 10,828 square feet of residential space on a lot near the corner of 2nd Street and Bond Street.
The filing was first reported by New York YIMBY, which lists the proposed development at 75 feet tall with a concrete-based structure. Robert Bianchini of Arc Architecture + Design Studio is named as architect of record, while Susan Wu is listed as the owner behind the applications, per the outlet's reporting.
The site currently sits a few blocks from the Carroll Street subway station, which is served by the F and G trains, making the location an easy commute into Manhattan or deeper into Brooklyn. The outlet said the seven planned residences are most likely condos, based on an average unit size of roughly 1,546 square feet.
A Century-Old Duplex Meets a Status Mismatch
Property records tell a slightly different story about what currently stands on the lot. StreetEasy describes 124 2nd Street as a two-family house built in 1910, with three stories and two units. That same listing marks the building's development status as completed, which conflicts with the newly filed permits for a six-story replacement structure — a discrepancy that remains unresolved in the available records.
Whatever the listing status says, the permit filing itself signals a fresh round of ground-up construction activity on a block that has watched the rest of Gowanus transform around it over the past several years.
Part of a Larger Gowanus Building Wave
The proposal lands within a broader wave of Gowanus development tied to the neighborhood's 2021 rezoning, which covers 82 blocks, according to Curbed. That rezoning requires developments built under it to set aside 25 percent of units as affordable housing and included $200 million for NYCHA repairs — the first rezoning in the city to do so, per the outlet. Curbed also reports that individual developers are responsible for overseeing environmental cleanup at their own sites, a legacy of the neighborhood's industrial and Superfund history.
The city's own zoning text for the Special Gowanus Mixed Use District states that the district is meant to encourage stability and growth by letting compatible light manufacturing and residential uses coexist, according to the NYC Zoning Resolution.
Similar Projects Taking Shape Nearby
The 124 2nd Street filing joins a string of recent Gowanus builds reported by New York YIMBY. Construction has been rising on a five-story residential building at 9 5th Street, while excavation got underway this spring at 444 Carroll Street, the site of another six-story residential building in the neighborhood. A similar seven-residence project was also proposed at 183A 13th Street, suggesting the mid-rise, multi-unit format has become something of a template for smaller Gowanus lots.
No estimated completion date has been announced for the 124 2nd Street project, and no additional details on financing, affordability requirements, or construction timelines have surfaced beyond the initial permit filing.
