NYCCGC is dedicated to preserving community gardens throughout the Boroughs. As many of you know the Boardwalk Community Garden in Coney Island is in peril. The real estate development project threatening the community garden was previously defeated in another section of Coney Island. The question we have to ask:
If that project wasn’t good enough for a relatively rich and primarily white neighborhood in Eastern Coney Island (Asser Levy Park), then why is it good enough for the primarily poor non-white community of Western Coney Island?
Please take time to carefully read the message below and join us in drawing the line – “Enough is enough!” Join us in the fight to save the Boardwalk Community Garden. If we don't take a stand here, your community garden may be next.
The Boardwalk Community Garden Story:
1.Boardwalk Community Garden has been an actively cultivated community garden since the late 1990’s
a. It remained an active community garden both before and after its license was not renewed in 2004
b. It remained an active community garden both before and after the re-zoning of Coney Island in 2009
c. It remained an active community garden both before and after Super Storm Sandy hit it in 2012
d. It has remained an active community garden both before and after the Parks Dept. transferred its jurisdiction of the community garden over to Dept. of Citywide Administrative Services in late August 2013
2. The Boardwalk Community Gardeners are sending a message loud and clear:
“We’re not moving!”
3. Our Victories Thus Far:
a. In September, after our strong advocacy in solidarity with the local and very vocal community presence, the local Community Board in Coney Island voted against the real estate development project that threatens the community garden
b. In October, we made two critical discoveries:
i. We caught the New York City Planning Commission (CPC) in a lie when we showed the City’s own documentation (i.e., a map downloaded from its “nyc.gov” website) clearly showing that the Boardwalk Community Garden is Mapped Parkland – which means that the community garden is entitled to very powerful environmental law protections against real estate development – the CPC denied that what we showed them is true
ii. When we showed that the City is not following its own rules that govern the review process environmental impact assessment, the City moved to change those rules (in November) in such a way that could adversely impact all community gardens by lowering the bar and make it easier to get rid of community gardens
iii. “i” & “ii” (above) have helped inform us as to what it is we’re really dealing with in this case and is guiding us accordingly in our community organizing efforts
c. We have successfully begun a fundraising process (thanks in no small part to our Executive Director, Aziz Dehkan) to endow a Legal Defense Fund and are now retaining attorneys from the New York Environmental Law and Justice Project
d. The New York State Office of the Attorney General is joining us to provide long term legal advocacy support for policy initiatives that will raise the legal bar of protections for community gardens
4. The Struggle Continues – What We Can Still & Need To Do
a. Get the word out about this case – today, it’s the Boardwalk Community Garden – Let’s stand in solidarity with our sisters and brothers from the Boardwalk Community Garden – what affects one community garden affects all community gardens. Tomorrow, it could be your community garden.
b. Get the word about all upcoming City Council Hearings – December 18th at 10am & December 19th at 1:30pm–let’s pack the house!
c. General Point’s-of-Information:
i. The case involving this vast real estate development project in Coney Island calls for the construction of a new hotel, luxury housing, entertainment facilities, and the destruction of the Boardwalk Community Garden in the process with seemingly every elected and appointed government official (including Commissioners) from the Mayor on down including the Brooklyn Borough President, the local City Council representative, etc. all lining up with the real estate developer.
ii. This real estate development project was previously defeated in another section of Coney Island. Then question we have to ask:
If it wasn’t good enough for a relatively rich and primarily white neighborhood in Eastern Coney Island (Asser Levy Park), then why is it good enough for the primarily poor non-white community of Western Coney Island?
iii. All we're asking for is for the City to "play fair" – by the rules – on a "level playing field" by respecting the public's right to transparency and government accountability to all the people and to respect community gardeners for the tremendous contributions they selflessly make every day to the revitalization of communities citywide.
iv. Because of the very high visibility of this project and all the political and economic forces lining up in support, this is where we need to draw the line on behalf of the struggle to preserve and protect community gardens by using this case as a platform to send a very strong message, and set a precedent for all community gardens.
Check out these 3 compelling graphics – maps – developed by our very own Board member and resident GIS Analyst & Cartographer, Mara Gittleman, putting the case in compelling visual context:
