Eviction looms for Elizabeth Street Garden as NYC pushes housing plan
NEW YORK - The Elizabeth Street Garden, a beloved green space in Little Italy may be on its last legs as the city moves forward with a long-contested plan to build affordable housing for seniors.
What we know
The Elizabeth Street Garden in Little Italy is facing an active eviction notice that could be carried out at any time. The city plans to use the land to construct an affordable housing complex for low-income and formerly homeless seniors. The garden's lease has expired, and city officials are pushing for immediate action.
RELATED: The Battle to save Elizabeth Street Garden in Little Italy: 'It's so magical'
"We have communicated with them that we would like it done as soon as possible. We've already wasted too much time not delivering both the open space and the housing we promised to the community," said Ahmed Tigani, acting commissioner of the Department of Housing Preservation and Development.
The backstory
For more than a decade, the Elizabeth Street Garden has operated on city-owned land under a lease agreement. The garden's operators and community members have resisted the city's plans through a series of legal challenges.
In October, a judge temporarily halted the eviction, but that stay has since expired.
Joseph Reiver, executive director of Elizabeth Street Garden and son of the garden's founder, expressed what the space means to the community.
"It's a place of true New York character and community. The thing that we kind of celebrate about being New York and about being New Yorkers and it being like a one-of-a-kind place of art and people coming together of all walks of life and backgrounds," Reiver said.
The other side
City Hall maintains that the need for affordable housing is too urgent to delay construction any further. According to officials, the planned senior housing complex will include a public green space accessible every day of the year.
Supporters of the garden have proposed several alternative sites for the housing project, but they say Mayor Eric Adams has not responded to those suggestions.
What's next
Unless an appeals court steps in, the city may proceed with the eviction of Elizabeth Street Garden at any time. Advocates continue to call for preservation efforts and alternative plans, but time appears to be running out.
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