Developers of Haven Green, a long-stalled affordable housing project proposed for Manhattan’s Little Italy, say they plan to break ground later this summer, after a court ruling cleared the way for the development this week.
The project will displace a sculpture garden — rare open space in the densely populated neighborhood — that has occupied the site for years.
Matthew Dunbar, chief strategy officer and interim co-CEO of the nonprofit Habitat for Humanity, said in a statement that his organization and the lead developer, Philadelphia-based Pennrose, were “thankful” for the New York Court of Appeals ruling that allows the project to proceed. The opinion on Tuesday from the state’s highest court was a defeat for backers of the Elizabeth Street Garden, which has occupied the leased, city-owned property since 2005.
Elizabeth Street Garden in Little Italy.
Naim Ali-Pacheco/Gothamist
“We look forward to resuming engagement with neighbors and community stakeholders in the months to come to ensure Haven Green will be a cherished community asset,” Dunbar said. The project includes 123 units of affordable housing, with 37 units set aside for older adults who have been homeless and approximately 16,000 square feet of publicly accessible open space.
Still, supporters of the garden say their campaign to preserve it isn’t over.
“We’re not at all done fighting to save the garden,” said Joseph Reiver, executive director of Elizabeth Street Garden Inc. His late father, Allan Reiver, owned the corporation that began leasing the property from the city on a month-to-month basis in 1991. “The effort is going to continue. Our legal team is working on the options that we have left.”
Rendering of Haven Green, which will include a community garden accessible to the public.
Rendering courtesy of Haven Green development team
The court ruling caps a long-running battle over community needs, use of public space, and competing visions for the neighborhood. The decision upheld a lower court ruling in 2019 that rejected a challenge by the project’s opponents. That challenge was founded largely on claims that the city had failed to adequately study potential environmental harms from the planned development.
“The [New York City Department of Housing Preservation and Development] is not required to address ‘every conceivable environmental impact,’ the Court of Appeals ruling stated. Other arguments posed by the project’s opponents were “unavailing,” the opinion said.
According to the developers, construction of the seven-story, mixed-use development will take two years. It will mark the end of the community garden.
After the city identified the site as a potential location for affordable housing in 2013, the elder Reiver opened the space to the public through a gate on Elizabeth Street. The site was previously used as a green space and sculpture garden only accessible through his art gallery next door.
The gated property remains open to the public. According to the garden’s website, more than 150,000 people visit the garden annually.
“You can actually hear your thoughts when you’re here and relax and it’s beautiful,” neighborhood resident Stephanie Cornwell said during a recent visit to the garden. “Green spaces are so important in general, and there’s not that many in New York City. I think it just really attracts members of the community too.”
