Finally, GreenSpace Might Be Headed for Fourth Avenue

In 1999, the city promised Fourth Avenue a grand community garden, stretching nearly 150 feet along the avenue on a barren lot at Sackett Street.

Over a decade later, the space is little more that rubble and weeds.

But now, after years of waiting (and a few false alarms) the Department of Environmental Protection said the change might be coming soon — sort of.

“We are working with the community board on an interim use for a small section of the site, for as early as the spring,” said DEP spokesperson Michael Saucier.

The site in question is the location of a water shaft for City Water Tunnel Number 3, one of the largest (and lengthiest) civil construction projects ever undertaken.

Because the shaft only takes up a small portion of the lot, for years a team of activists, artists and gardeners has pressured the city to turn the lot into GreenSpace, a native plantings garden and community hangout spot.

In February 1999, the city pledged $338,000 for the design and construction of the garden, but said that the transfer would have to wait years until the construction was done.

In 2007, the DEP projected that might be November 2009. A panel selected Meg Webster, a sculptor, to draw up designs for the garden (view them on her website).

Now the agency says it still may be many years more. But in the meantime, the agency is willing to compromise, forking over a small portion of the land until construction is complete.

“It will be at least another five to eight years before the space is handed over to community,” said Craig Hammerman, District Manager for Brooklyn Community Board 6. “The DEP commissioner decided that it’s silly to wait around for the final project to be complete when the space is just a vacant lot to do something with now."

Hammerman, along with GreenSpace and the Park Slope Civic Council, have been instrumental in pushing the project along.

Saucier said the DEP is now just waiting on a site plan from GreenSpace, the organization that will run the garden if it ever becomes a reality.

But Judy Janda, an original founder of GreenSpace, said she isn’t getting her hopes up yet.

“We’ve had this twice before — we reach an agreement and then at the last minute something is called off,” she said.

“I think they’re doing a lot more. This time the offer came from DEP and not from us,” she continued, “but I still wouldn’t expect something to happen this time.”