Petition filed to save community gardens in the Bronx and other parts of the city
Photo courtesy of Sorangel Liriano
“Our community gardens are oases for the soul as well as the body — and they are needed now in these times of crisis more than ever before.”
By Jason Cohen
Bronx Times
Dec 4, 2020
Excerpt:
The petition makes three legal requests:
City agencies with jurisdiction over 40 community gardens identified in the petition designate those city-owned gardens as CEAs under SEQRA within six months following the submission of the petition, or by May 18, 2021.
Within 12 months following the submission of the petition or by Nov. 18, 2021, the Department of Parks and Recreation’s GreenThumb Program conduct an assessment of all remaining community gardens on city-owned land and confirm, in consultation with community gardeners, that these gardens meet the regulatory criteria for CEA designation.
Within 12 months following the submission of the petition, or by Nov. 18, 2021, city agencies designate as CEAs all gardens within their respective jurisdictions that meet the regulatory criteria for CEA designation, based on GreenThumb’s assessment, in consultation and coordination with community gardeners.
