Per published reports, District 1 City Councilmember Christopher Marte has agreed to support the rezoning of three other parcels that could create more than 600 affordable units across Lower Manhattan while preserving the Elizabeth Street Garden as a publicly accessible space.
East Village-based artist Marcellus Hall shared the above illustrations on Instagram...
This is good news that is a nice little park where you can go to sit and relax and unwind for a bit. It is good that the city finally said no to the all-powerful politically connected real estate developers for once.
ReplyDeleteCuomo was the only candidate who said "no" to the question should it be developed for affordable housing. All others are in favor of tearing down the garden for housing. Watch out East Village, the city wants your gardens!
DeleteThis park is such a gem.
ReplyDeleteI have no reservations about a land-swap, but the politicians who are making this "deal" are giving up a sure development plan for three development plans that can be totally abandoned without any further action from the city or the courts, so really this is a lousy way to make the deal. The other developments should have been secured first. With these other sites, now THEIR neighbors can fight with Marte and get him to drop those deals and drag this out another decade or two. That's scummy.
ReplyDeleteThis is terrible news. This was always intended to be land for affordable housing. For years the owner of a gallery used it as his private storage space for landscape sculptures. He paid nothing in rent to the City, while holding private parties and kept the lot under lock and key. When the City announced plans to build housing on the lot, which is owned by us taxpayers, his son suddenly with a bunch of wealthy residents of Soho turned it into a curated garden. For 7 years the wealthy Soho residents most recently joined by a slew of celebrities, including Patti Smith, who sold out the residents of the Chelsea hotel, but that's another story, sued the City and the developers to stop the project. A project called Haven Green which was to be 100% affordable housing for Seniors, with a 15% set aside for homeless seniors. The folks behind Haven Green including Habitat for Humanity reduced the number of units to create a large public community garden on the site. Now if your Mom, Dad or grandparents lived in an old walk to tenement in Little Italy, the Bowery or Soho wouldn't you want them to be able to move into a brand new building with an elevator, laundry, on site services, a garden and have to pay less than 30% of their income. I would. This idea that somehow more housing will be built at alternative sites is a smokescreen as one of the sites is not even owned by the City and the other sites will require a complicated and lengthy rezoning process the neither Adams or Marte will be around to follow thru on. This is a classic case of NIMBY by the wealthy and powerful. So much for The City of Yes and every community including affordable housing. The EV has plenty, Soho has virtually none. In 3 years some of our most undeserved neighbors would have brand new apartments, now they will languish in shelters or housing that imprisons them while perhaps in 7 years housing gets built at these alleged other sites. It's disgusting and shameful. Oh and BTW Randy Maestro was NYC Corporate Counsel for Giuliani when he was Mayor.
ReplyDeleteAll powerful, politically connected real estate developes like Habitat for Humanity and Riseboro?
ReplyDeleteChris Marte is a hero and has fought tirelessly to save the ESG. I just hope he can keep up the momentum in the City Council who has to vote on the rezoning needed to redirect the construction. Adrienne Adams was 100% in favor of the destruction of the garden. And for the record, Eric Adams offered no support in this issue until his re-election appeared to be on shaky grounds.
ReplyDeletethis was not a powerful real estate developer. This was Habitat for Humanity building homes for very low income seniors. This is not a park. It is commercial property leased to a commercial tenant who did not open the space to the public until his lease was threatened.
ReplyDelete