Elizabeth Street Garden awaits eviction notice

The Elizabeth Street Garden is still around for now.

The nonprofit that runs the space has been in a legal battle to save the garden since 2019 when the City Council passed a plan to turn the space into affordable housing for seniors.  

A court-ordered stay ended on Sept. 10, which means the garden could receive an eviction notice at any time.

“We are waiting for the city to move to evict us,” Joseph Reiver, the director of Elizabeth Street Garden, said.

During his weekly question-and-answer briefing with reporters Tuesday, Mayor Eric Adams said the city is moving forward with the plan.

“This is a concern. I see it all the time with my seniors in the city they need housing we have a crisis” Adams said.

Reiver said just hours after that press conference, the mayor visited the garden for the first time.

He said the organization has been providing the city with ideas for other housing options.  

“He walked through here and they he walked around the corner. He walked with me, and I showed him one of the alternative sites that is just an empty building right now. Actually, a series of empty buildings right around the corner,” Reiver said.

The mayor has maintained there are limited options for housing.

Reiver’s father started the garden in the 1990s. Some say they’d be devastated to see it go.

“We need to make sure that we have time to ourselves where we are not just doing the hustle and bustle where you get to meditate and just chat or meet friends for a coffee,” Little Italy resident Sarah Faust said.

The plan includes over 120  apartments for older New Yorkers, including 50 for those experiencing homelessness.

Adams said a green space will be incorporated into that.