City Holds Hearing On Housing Project At Elizabeth St. Garden

LITTLE ITALY, NY — Supporters and opponents of a heated project to build affordable senior housing on the Elizabeth Street Garden were out in full force at the Department of City Planning's public hearing regarding the project on Wednesday.

The project, dubbed Haven Green, would build 123-units of affordable LGBTQ-friendly senior housing but slash the garden to about one-third of its current size.

Garden-supporters have long-opposed the project and advocated for saving the 20,000-square-foot garden in its entirety as a much needed open space for the neighborhood— though affordable housing and homeless advocates have fired back, saying Haven Green's low-income units are a necessity in "high-opportunity" neighborhoods like SoHo and Little Italy. The fiery debate has recently sparked two lawsuits against the city on the grounds the project requires a heftier environmental review than the one that was conducted.

At City Planning's hearing on Wednesday, dozens testified for and against the Haven Green project — many lamenting how the fight for green space and affordable housing has pitted communities against each other.

"Low-income people are simply locked out of the Little Italy community," said Steve Herrick, the president of housing organization Cooper Square Committee. "Thousands of seniors in Community Board 2 are on senior housing waiting lists."

In partnership with Pennrose Properties and RiseBoro Community Partnership, Habitat for Humanity's project would build 123 low-income studios for seniors, 6,700 square feet of green space, 4,000 square feet of commercial space and 11,000 square feet for community facilities and Habitat's offices. The Department of Housing Preservation and Development is overseeing the project.

Borough President Gale Brewer has recommended approval for the project — but is pushing the project leads to increase the open space by about 30 percent.

"There is a need for affordable housing, especially for low-income seniors and people who are homeless, and I think Haven Green does address some of those challenges," Brewer said.

Representatives for the two groups suing the city — Elizabeth Street Garden and a separate non-profit Friends of Elizabeth Street Garden — reiterated their legal arguments against the project. They raised concerns that the project is being proposed through the urban development action area program on the grounds the garden is "blighted," since it is vacant.

"The proposal raises serious legal problems," said a woman who was testifying on behalf of the attorney for the Friends' group, Michael Gruen. "The idea of treating vacancy of a park as synonymous with blight is patently absurd."

Garden-supporters argued for a separate city-owned lot at 388 Hudson St. to be used for affordable housing instead. Jeannine Kiely, head of the Friends' non-profit, and Joseph Reiver, head of Elizabeth Street Garden, have repeatedly insisted a "swap" with that lot would be a win-win for the community.

Reiver previously told Patch, "This is something that can be solved with the alternative site. That solution really achieves more affordable housing and more green space, and it doesn't pit these two communities against each other."

Ben Carlos Thypin of Open New York, however, said with so many in need of affordable housing, both lots should be built upon.

"If you can't get behind a project like this, what project can you get behind?" he said. "How many homeless seniors will freeze on days like this while your futile and self indulgent lawsuit winds their way through the courts?"

The project is in the midst of a public review that will ultimately end at City Council, where Councilmember Margaret Chin, holds a pivotal vote.

"Since taking office, and for decades before that as a community activist, I have fought for affordable housing for people who desperately need it," Chin said in a statement supporting Haven Green on Wednesday. She lauded the project for reserving 30 percent of units for formerly homeless seniors and emphasized Services & Advocacy for LGBT Seniors will be working with Habitat to ensure seniors have LGBT programming and services in the building.

"If built, Haven Green will be only the third project in New York City modeled for a growing number of Stonewall veterans who increasingly face a perilous choice between safe housing and going back into the closet," Chin said. "Opponents of this project hold a passionate point of view regarding the future of this site. It pains me to disagree with them, especially when I know that we all want what is best for our community."