A Fort Greene nonprofit group took the city Parks Department to court on March 27, arguing the city agency failed to conduct a full environmental review before approving a $24 million redesign of Fort Greene Park that would result in the removal of 78 trees.
Friends of Fort Greene Park (FFGP) argued that the Parks Department violated the State Environmental Quality Review Act (SEQRA), according to a press release.
FFGP attorney Jacob Zoghlin accused the city of withholding information and deliberately avoiding due diligence on the environmental impact of the plan. The city’s attorney responded that information had been withheld due to FFGP's resistance to the proposed redesign.
The organization said the redesign stems from a 2017 plan under Parks Without Borders, which initially proposed cutting 58 “healthy, mature trees” in the park’s northwest corner to create a paved plaza and a new entrance. That plan was originally budgeted at $10.2 million, and later expanded to $24 million.
FFGP said the tree removals would particularly impact residents of nearby NYCHA housing complexes, who regularly use the shaded mounds in the northwest section of the park for summer picnics, exercise and other outdoor activities.
“Friends of Fort Greene Park has always supported repairs and many improvements to this long-neglected section of the park, like improving drainage, adding an ADA-compliant entrance to the existing stairs on Myrtle Avenue, walkway repairs and additional beautification. All that can be accomplished without knocking down trees and would cost far less than $24 million," said Enid Braun, a member of FFGP.
The judge expressed a wish that the two parties could resolve their differences through mediation, according to FFGP.
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