NY Daily News Editorial Page HPD Letter 08/16/01

H* A*

Friends,

This reply of HPD appeared, framed in black, on today's editorial page on
the NY Daily News. 

Obviously our gardener's  letters from NYC & the ACGA  hit a nerve, because
this reply  from Jerilyn Perine,  commissioner of the NYC Dept of Housing
Development and Development.  

Background:  The bulk of  Greenthumb community gardens that were in the
public review pipeline to become NYC Parks Community Gardens were
transferred to HPD in 1998 for disposal and auction sale ( 20 year old
gardens up for sale like old police cars.) 

Please note:

1)  HPD has an additional 8,000 to 10,000 empty lots to dispose of in
addition to the "711 sites" mentioned in the editorial page letter below.  

2)None of the "building plans" were presented to the Judge in the lawsuit as
evidence of building plans

3) The classic Orwellian double-speak in  Commissioner Perrine's letter

NY Daily News Editorial Page HPD Letter 08/16/01

"WRONG ON GARDENS

Manhattan: Voicer Tom Tyler, who commented on your Aug. 3 editorial " New
York City's garden weasels," has spread mistruths.  The Greenthumbs were
created with the explicit understanding that they were temporary uses of
vacant city-owned land.  We're trying to build 2,350 homes for working
families,  low-income seniors and moderate income families.

Most of the 711 sites will remain gardens.  There are plans to build on 131
sites.  That's 18% of the total.  The remaining 82% are not proposed for
development.  We're using sites that are suitable for affordable housing.
In most instances, this land had housing on it that was lost through
abandonment.  With a 3% vacancy rate, we need to put housing where we can.
You can't build housing on every lot, because most are single lots, 15-feet
wide, making them uneconomical for housing. Others are 1-foot slivers, have
no street access or are partl submerged.

While misstating the facts lends dramatic flair, it does little to further
the public approval process we are seeking to preserve.  Housing doesn't
grow trees.

Jerilyn  Perine, commissioner
Department of Housing Preservation and Development"  

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