Overview
- DCAS Commissioner Louis Molina declared the Nolita parcel “unequivocally and permanently” dedicated to parkland in a Nov. 3 letter, initiating a transfer of management to the Parks Department pending a licensing agreement.
- Because parkland cannot be developed without state authorization, Mayor‑elect Zohran Mamdani said the move makes his plan to build 123 affordable senior units there “nearly impossible.”
- Adams had backed the Haven Green project before reversing course in June in a deal with Councilmember Christopher Marte to pursue alternative neighborhood sites that City Hall says could yield more than 620 affordable units.
- Affordable‑housing advocates condemned the late‑term action and said they will work with Mamdani, Gov. Kathy Hochul, and the Legislature to try to undo the designation.
- The garden’s operators had previously lost multiple legal appeals and were ordered to pay roughly $100,000 in rent as the city advanced eviction plans, even as celebrity supporters rallied to preserve the space.