NYC settles decade-long dispute over Elizabeth Street Garden with new housing deal

After more than a decade of litigation, a Manhattan Supreme Court judge officially closed the case over the Elizabeth Street Garden by signing the settlement documents. The city and developers Pennrose, Habitat for Humanity and Riseboro agreed to exchange the contested garden for another municipal lot at 22 Suffolk Street, where officials plan to construct 180 affordable apartments. Mayor Zohran Mamdani, who campaigned on removing the garden, acknowledged that its park status blocked any development plans.

While housing advocates decried the loss of potential units, environmental and community supporters marked the end of the dispute with a garden celebration. The garden’s nonprofit, led by 94-year-old chair Renee Green, was praised for thriving despite the controversy. The settlement ends the longest-running land-use battle in the city’s recent history.