Elizabeth Street Garden in SoHo has been fighting to stay open for more than 11 years now — but the winner of the battle between greenery and city developers remains to be determined.
The garden was recently served with an eviction notice on Oct. 2. The city’s Department of Housing Preservation and Development (HPD) plans to turn the one-acre garden into an affordable housing complex for seniors.
But Joseph Reiver, the garden’s executive director, said he is still thinking of ways to save the beloved natural space, with or without City Hall’s help.
“We plan to do what we can,” he said. “While we want to work with them, we wouldn’t solely rely on them making the right decision.”
Reiver said he has even received support from low-income seniors who would likely be eligible to live at the proposed housing. They, too, want to save the garden.
Dubbed the “Haven Green” development, the complex will feature approximately 123 units of affordable housing for seniors; 30% of those units will be allocated for formerly homeless seniors.
‘A step forward for affordable housing:’ HPD
The project is a collaborate effort among development company Pennrose and the nonprofit organizations, RiseBoro Community Partnership and Habitat for Humanity.
Ilana Maier, HPD communications director, said the project is needed because the city is on a mission to build more affordable housing for people, including older New Yorkers who often struggle to find homes and afford rent.
“That’s why we fought for Haven Green, and it’s why we’ll always fight to create affordable housing throughout all five boroughs. Today is a step forward for both affordable housing and community green space. Today is an optimistic day. And today we’re reaffirming our commitment to solving the homelessness and affordable housing crises even when it’s politically challenging.”
In the meantime, Reiver said the city plans to shutter the garden on Oct. 17. But he is not giving up hope that the ever-popular park can go on providing a space of tranquility for hundreds of New Yorkers each day.
Reiver pointed to newly appointed first deputy mayor Maria Torres-Springer, former head of the HPD, saying she has been a key player in the garden’s controversy and can still step in to save the 33-year-old garden.
“At this hour, she has an opportunity to help,” Reiver said. “I emphasize her because she’s really the driving force. She just now is the first deputy mayor. People are looking to her for a lot of leadership at this time. The proper leadership would be doing something that results in no loss at all to the community.”
Neighbors, elected officials and park-goers of all ages advocated for years to save the garden, which has served as a quiet retreat for New Yorkers wanted to escape the hustle and bustle of city life.
Thousands of people sent letters to NYC Mayor Eric Adams asking him to save the garden. Reiver and his team met several times over the course of the fight with elected officials to suggest alternatives for housing. Private property owners of several of those locations “actually want to work with the city” on housing, Reiver explained.
NYC Council Member Christopher Marte has been working with the garden, its supporters and area residents to identify other public sites where the city can build housing. A spokesperson for the council member said he even approached the mayor with a deal incorporating private property owners that would be a “triple-win” for the garden, community and affordable housing.
“The city’s response has been to say they’ll build there, and on the garden,” the spokesperson said. “But now there’s a deal on the table that they shouldn’t be able to refuse: we’ve identified private development sites so that we can transfer the funding and housing subsidy currently tied to the garden’s destruction to these sites instead, then we can save the garden and build more affordable housing where there’d otherwise be none. If the Adams administration truly cares about working class people having a place to live, they must take this deal.”
Even seniors who would qualify to live in Haven Green have rallied to save the garden.
“Why destroy this? This brings so much pleasure and joy to so many people and is such an important part of this neighborhood,” Raoul Ollman, would be eligible to live in the proposed housing, told NBC New York in July.
There have been some major victories through the battle to save the park. In November 2022, a judge ruled that the city would have to conduct a full environmental impact statement, halting any immediate plans for demolition.
“At one point, they are going to have to own up to the fact that they are ignoring almost an entire community, not just a couple of people who want to save a garden,” Reiver said. It’s an entire community of thousands of people. That’s the biggest stain on the whole narrative of the issue.”
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