Landscaping aside, work appears to be complete in the long-empty lot between Eastville Gardens and 115 Avenue C (between Eighth Street and Seventh Street)...
Eastville Gardens, the apartment complex whose official address is 342 E. Eighth St., is on the site once occupied by
El Jardin de la Esperanza. The 22-year-old garden was bulldozed in February 2000 to make way for the new development, which includes 20 percent affordable housing. (
The New York Times weighed in with an editorial on this
here.)
The site was the scene of several protests in early 2000. Dozens of people were arrested, as the
Times reported.
Some people have said that there was an agreement between the developer, Donald Capoccia of BFC Partners, and local residents that this plot of land would be returned for use as a community garden.
L+M Development Partners
bought the 7-story building that includes the Associated for $44 million back in the spring.
In any event, this Sunrise Garden is named for
Carmen Pabon... (You can watch a video biography of Pabon
here.)
No word at the moment when (or if) this will actually be open to the public (or maybe just Eastville residents?) ... and who was ultimately responsible for making this happen. Capoccia? L+M Development Partners? Local elected officials?
Thanks to Dave on 7th for the photos!