NYC's Biggest Rooftop Farm Is Coming To Sunset Park

SUNSET PARK, BROOKLYN — Sunset Park will soon be home to the largest rooftop farm in the city when local farming company Brooklyn Grange opens its third location at the Liberty View building on Third Avenue.

The Brooklyn Navy Yard-based company gave a first look this week at its 140,000-square-foot rooftop, which will open to the public at the 850 Third Ave. building this weekend. The new farm will bring in 30,000 pounds of vegetables per year and is set up with the Grange's systems to help retain up to 175,000 gallons of stormwater to keep the city's sewer systems from overflowing.

The city's Department of of Environmental Protection gave $1.38 million in a grant to the project.

“These roofs are providing jobs and economic opportunity while also yielding significant environmental and ecological benefits to the city," said Gwen Schantz, Brooklyn Grange co-founder and chief creative officer. "They’re the product of an ongoing collaboration that brings together DEP’s mission and Brooklyn Grange’s expertise, which is a model that can be replicated in cities across the country and around the world.”

(Brooklyn Grange)

The Sunset Park farm will join the Brooklyn Grange's two other rooftop spots in Long Island City and the Brooklyn Navy Yard.

It includes 55,000 square feet of cultivated space, walkways that can store 10,000 gallons of rainfall and pathways made of 95 percent recycled materials. The 4,800-square-foot green house on the farm will help the company grow food year-round.

Brooklyn Grange said that they also plan to build a 6,000-square-foot indoor events hall and sustainability center, which should be completed by wintertime.

(Brooklyn Grange)

The grand opening for the farm will be held from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Sunday. Visitors can buy Brooklyn Grange's produce, honey and hot sauce while enjoying live music, a compost giveaway and other family activities.

The Sunset Park farmstead will accept SNAP/EBT, as all of the Grange's other stands do.

“This is an exciting new opportunity to apply a decade of lessons we’ve learned running this
business to a brand-new farm,” Ben Flanner, Brooklyn Grange co-founder and CEO, said. “Each of our farms develops its own personality over the years, and this one is already proving to be unique.”