Overview

• The plan for 123 senior apartments at Elizabeth Street Garden was scrapped, ensuring the garden remains open to the public daily from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.
• The city will pursue rezonings at 156-166 Bowery, 22 Suffolk Street and 100 Gold Street to create more than 620 affordable housing units, including senior homes.
• Councilmember Christopher Marte’s backing was crucial since the City Council defers to local members on district rezonings, facilitating the new housing sites.
• Garden advocates and celebrities such as Robert De Niro and Martin Scorsese hailed the preservation, while housing groups decried the loss of ready-to-build senior units.
• The new developments must undergo lengthy land-use reviews before construction, and the city is weighing a transfer of the garden’s stewardship to the Parks Department.