Parks seeks to buy Prospect Farm lot; gardeners press for written protections against DOT bridge impacts

The subcommittee considered an application by NYC Parks and DCAS to purchase Brooklyn Block 5267, Lot 19 so the city can preserve its use as part of the Prospect Farm community garden in Windsor Terrace. Council Member Shahana Hanif described the garden as "a vibrant community space" and said acquisition would allow Parks to formally manage the site and make it eligible for GreenThumb programs and capital improvements.

Jess Wachler, a Parks project development coordinator, told the committee the 3,207-square-foot lot is currently privately owned and in active community garden use. Parks said it is proposing acquisition without mapping the site as parkland because community gardens operate on a different schedule and have more restricted hours than mapped parks. Wachler said a licensed garden would be eligible for raised beds, fencing, sheds and internal water supplies depending on funding.

Gardeners expressed strong support for acquisition but repeatedly asked for a written interagency commitment to protect garden fringes from impacts related to the Seeley Street Bridge reconstruction, including light loss to raised beds, loss of composting space and damage to pollinator plantings. Cassandra Warney, a Prospect Farm board member, said she and other gardeners asked Parks in September for a Parks–DOT joint letter or memorandum to memorialize commitments and protect garden operations during adjacent DOT work. "Acquisition should not enable DOT to predetermine ADA upgrades or site infrastructure within the garden, absent meaningful community engagement," Warney said.

Parks staff said they have met with gardeners and will work through their interagency division and construction-permit process to coordinate any adjacent work; they also said formal MOAs are legally premature until the property transfers to Parks but that Parks will participate in engagement and permit review.

Whatomes next: the subcommittee closed the public hearing and laid LU 1 over. Gardeners and council offices said they expect continued coordination among Parks, DOT and council offices as designs and jurisdictional questions progress.