An acre-wide garden in Lower Manhattan that has over the last decade become a flashpoint in citywide debates over open space and housing development will be preserved under a new agreement that the Adams administration announced on Monday.
Under its terms, the city will abandon a longtime plan to build an affordable housing complex for older New Yorkers on the site, the Elizabeth Street Garden. The first deputy mayor, Randy Mastro, said the administration has instead struck a deal with Councilman Christopher Marte, a Manhattan Democrat, to support rezonings at three different sites in his district that could create more than 600 affordable housing units.
The announcement marked a significant victory for defenders of the space, which over the years came to include a roster of celebrities and notable downtown figures, like Patti Smith and Robert De Niro.
“This is a win-win,” Mr. Mastro said.
At the same time, it left supporters of the original plan furious that the administration could perform such a dramatic about-face after years of planning and legal fights and the pressing urgency of a protracted housing crisis.
“Amidst a severe housing and affordability crisis, Mayor Adams, First Deputy Mayor Mastro, and their administration have betrayed New Yorkers who are in desperate need of affordable homes,” Adrienne Adams, the City Council speaker, said in a statement.
Andrew Keh covers New York City and the surrounding region for The Times.
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