Friday, May 17, 2013

Petition launched to 'Help Save the Children’s Magical Garden from Development'



Supporters of the Children’s Magical Garden on Stanton and Norfolk have launched an online petition. It reads in part:

Children's Magical Garden, a community garden in the Lower East Side, where magic has been happening for the past 30 years, has been torn in two. The property is half owned by NYC, and half owned by a developer.

On Wednesday, May 15th, the developer broke through the garden fence, dug through the center and fenced off their part of the garden. The community is understandably devastated.

But the gardeners are seeking a win-win solution: a land swap to give the developer another city owned property. The developer is open to that.

Your part can make all the difference. Please 1) sign the petition and 2) help us by calling 311 (or 212-788-3000 for out of towners) and offering the solution above.

This will make the the whole community garden permanent and back in the arms of her magical children in the Lower East Side.

Find the petition here. Meanwhile, The Lo-Down has the latest developments about the site here. Find our photos and video from Wednesday here.

[Image via the Children's Magical Garden Facebook page]

5 comments:

glamma said...

that drawing is absolutely awesome, and hats off to the teacher who brought her class over yesterday!

STOP LUXURY DEVELOPMENT RESOURCES ON THE LES!

Anonymous said...

From Lowdown: "Chin said she is not “ruling out” the possibility of building affordable housing..."

Until the city-owned parcels are transfered from HPD to Parks, there is no future for this garden. And it does not appear that the council member is even attempting to do that.

Chin looks like she is on the garden's side right now, but give it a few months and we're sure to see how doomed this garden is.

Anyone who votes to re-elect Chin deserves what they get. and it's not good.

Anonymous said...

How do we know that the developer is open to a land swap? Has that been confirmed? I hope it is true! That would be great!

emmi said...

You can also stop by the garden this Saturday, May 17 from 12-2 to sign the petition and see the beautiful signs that people made this week in support of this community space.

re: the land swap - it is a long shot because the city doesn't have land that it can just give as a swap. However, the members of the garden believe that this is a fair offer to ask the Mayor and hope that with enough support, we will be offered more than a relocation of this cultivated magical space.

Exiled native said...

Its almost never "affordable housing". Stop the.criminal ransacking and destruction of our communities to accomodate tourists and developers and corrupt city officials that want to destroy our communities ,not join them. Do not accept people who do not accept you! Community love! Hasta la victoria!