N
ew York City has served an eviction notice to the Elizabeth Street Garden, paving the way for a long-debated affordable housing project in Lower Manhattan. The 14-day notice is a significant step forward for Pennrose Development's Haven Green, a proposed 123-unit affordable housing complex with 37 apartments for formerly homeless seniors. Construction is expected to be completed by 2026.

    The Adams administration has backed the Little Italy development as part of its efforts to address the city's affordable housing crisis. Community gardens like Elizabeth Street Garden were initially created on city land with the understanding that they would eventually make way for development when economic conditions improved. However, these gardens have formed strong constituencies that resist being replaced.

    In 2019, the nonprofit Elizabeth Street Garden challenged the city's approval of the project, arguing that the environmental review was insufficient. But in June, the state's top court sided with the Adams administration, ruling that the Department of Housing Preservation and Development had reasonably determined the project would not have a significant adverse effect on the environment.

    The sculpture garden being replaced has been leasing the city-owned site since 2005, but its roots date back to 1991. The Haven Green project has been in development for over a decade, with former Council member Margaret Chin identifying the park as a potential development site in 2012 to address the city's housing shortage.

    Housing advocate Aaron Carr tweeted that Elizabeth Street Garden is about to become a "16,000-square-foot publicly accessible garden for the public," referring to the project's open space. The current garden's caretakers have made it more accessible since the city moved to reclaim it.