Film studio facing eviction amid Gowanus Canal cleanup

The city's proposed cleanup of the Gowanus Canal could cause the eviction of Eastern Effects Studios. Scott Levy says that in April he received a letter from the city threatening to shut down the film

News 12 Staff

Jun 16, 2016, 2:30 AM

Updated 2,864 days ago

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Film studio facing eviction amid Gowanus Canal cleanup
The city's proposed cleanup of the Gowanus Canal could cause the eviction of Eastern Effects Studios.
Scott Levy says that in April he received a letter from the city threatening to shut down the film studio so that they could use the land as a construction site for the proposed cleanup of the canal.
"We spent every last dollar that we had and every last ounce of energy we had creating the space, so we were distraught, despondent. I didn't know exactly what to do, and I feel like I've been fending for my life ever since," says Levy. "We want to make it clear that we are not going anywhere without a viable option."
Eastern Effects Studios currently serves as the set for the FX show "The Americans" and provides jobs for hundreds of people in the film industry.
News 12 reached out to the city's Department of Environmental Protection and was told that it's working with the studio to find the best path forward, but it says its plan to use the studio would minimize "any disruption to one of the few playgrounds and swimming pools in the neighborhood while ensuring the ambitious cleanup of the canal that the community has worked so hard to achieve."
Levy's next step is to take the more than 2,300 letters of support for Eastern Effects Studios to City Hall.
 


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