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On October 13, 2010, NYC Department of Parks & Recreation's "new rules" for
community gardens under their jurisdiction went into effect. After listening to the
voices of our members and allies from across the city at our monthly meetings
and at a special Town Hall Meeting convened in early October at The New School,
NYCCGC has some crucial suggestions for improving current and future
rules, regulations, and legislation to protect our city's vibrant community gardens.

Read the Press Release:
New York City Community Garden Coalition’s Response
to NYC Dept. of Parks and Recreation’s Rules* for Community Gardens

*New Chapter 6 of Title 56 of the Official Compilation of Rules of the City of New York

1:00pm
250 Broadway - across from City Hall [map]
14th Floor Hearing Room

This will be the first public hearing since the City adopted its controversial new community garden rules,
and is an opportunity to discuss the rules, long term protections, and possibilities for more gardens.

NYCCGC encourages you to attend the hearing and testify! Officials suggest bringing 20 printed copies (double-sided) of your testimony for distribution to elected officials in attendance; a copy is also entered into the official record of the hearing. Non-written testimony is also encouraged.

On October 2, 2010, the New York City Community Garden Coalition (NYCCGC) will convene a Town Hall Meeting to discuss the recently published "new rules" for community gardens on City land set to go into effect on October 13, 2010, as well as look to alternative legal strategies for long-term preservation.

While media reports have characterized the Coalition's opinion of the rules as favorable, NYCCGC has officially held comment, and has been meeting with Coalition members, conferring with other greening groups, and consulting with legal experts to fully assess the scope and impact of the recently updated rules. 

"We held comment on the new rules for a reason," says NYCCGC President Karen Washington. "The far-reaching impact of these rules is not something to be taken lightly, and needs to be analyzed thoroughly. While we appreciate that steps in the right direction have been made, there are still some serious concerns that need to be addressed before we claim total victory for the City's community gardeners. 

NYCCGC had originally been involved with the drafting of the new rules, but negotiations eventually broke off, leaving the Coalition and its allies frustrated. On the morning of August 10, NYCCGC rallied supporters, helping fill Parks’ public hearing regarding the rules to overflow capacity. Over 300 garden devotees shared their passion as well as their consternation at the then-proposed rules, ultimately having a positive impact on the recently published rules.

One revelation that came to light at the hearing is that in many minds, including that of Christopher Amato, who served as lead attorney in the NY State Attorney General’s landmark lawsuit against the City, is that the gardens were and still are protected by the 2002 “Community Gardens Agreement,” which Amato also helped author.

12:00pm - 2:00pm: The first half of the Town Hall meeting will include an introduction to the current state of community garden affairs, followed by analysis of the new rules governing community gardens on city-owned land by several experts in the field of environmental justice.

2:00pm - 4:00pm: The second half of the event will be devoted to looking above and beyond the new rules: the pervasive sentiment, shared by supporters including City Council Speaker Christine Quinn, Parks and Recreation Committee Chair Melissa Mark-Viverito, and Christina Grace of the NYS Office of Community Gardens, is that true permanency for the gardens lies in legislation. Several legal strategies will be discussed; the Coalition is urging all elected local and state representatives with an interest in this important environmental justice issue to attend.

Both sessions will conclude with comments from invited greening groups, and an open question & answer period.

September 13, 2010

The New York City Community Garden Coalition [NYCCGC] was founded in 1996 as a direct response to community gardens being sold, developed, and destroyed. Since then we have worked tirelessly to demand truth and accountability from those groups and persons who have direct control over the status of community gardens.

Every year at our Community Gardeners’ Forum, we have asked the question: “When will community gardens be made permanent? When will community gardens be included in the discussion of sustainable urban planning –and not be threatened by bulldozers?”

The NYCCGC never stopped seeking the answer to these questions until finally we were heard. Over the past several years we have been meeting with elected officials and greening groups to find ways that will preserve and protect our community gardens and create more for the future.

Recently the City announced plans to implement rules and regulations which will govern the way NYC community gardens are run—rules set to replace the New York State Attorney General’s 2002 Memorandum of Agreement, which expires September 17, 2010.

The Coalition made it our business to be at the table to discuss these rules, so that no decisions would be made without the voices of the thousands of New Yorkers who benefit from our City’s gardens being heard first.

So we rolled up our sleeves and went to work, meeting with Speaker Quinn and Councilwoman Viverito's staff, the Parks Department, and, eventually, representatives from the Mayor's Office. We wanted to make sure that the language in the new rules clearly state that community gardens will be preserved, protected, and that new community gardens could be created.

We received a copy of the new Rules late last Friday. From some of the feedback we have gotten so far we know we are moving in the right direction. Many of the changes that the Coalition and its allies advocated for are included in the Rules. However, until our Board of Directors, membership, and lawyers have had time to thoroughly analyze the new Rules, we cannot make an official comment on them.

We would nonetheless like to take this opportunity to thank Speaker Quinn and Councilwoman Viverito on behalf of the community gardens and gardeners for their continued support. We also acknowledge the efforts of the Parks Department for seeing that we were included in the discussions.

We also wish to thank the Mayor's office for listening: Changes have been made. Greening groups, community gardeners, and their supporters have been heard.

New York City Community Garden Coalition and its allies will persevere in our work towards the permanent preservation of all community gardens through local and state legislation.

We invite all concerned to join in the ongoing discussion at a NYCCGC Town Hall Meeting scheduled for Saturday, October 2, 2010, at the New School.

As one of the greatest cities in the world, let New York City lead the way in urban agriculture. Community gardening and urban agriculture is not for today only, but for future generations to have the right and access to grow food, flowers, and healthier, greener communities.

Let us continue to work together toward this goal.

INTERVIEWS & EDITORIALS:
New York Post Protecting Gardens and Communities
Editorial by Commissioner Benepe, responses by NYCCGC and others
WNYC - The Brian Lehrer Show Your Community Garden
Interviews with Commissioner Benepe, Time's Up's Ben Shepard,
and NYCCGC's Karen Washington, plus listener comments
New York Daily News Stop The City's Garden Grab

BLOGS
Council Member Melissa Mark-Viverito Melissa Testifies in Response to Proposed Community Gardens Rules (includes hearing testimony)
DNAinfo.com Christine Quinn Joins Calls to Safeguard Community Gardens
Swithcboard - NRDC Staff Blog You've Got to Fight for Your Right to Garden
Treehugger.com ...Garden Supporters Turn Out in Scores for Public Hearing on Their Fate
The Indypendent Activists Call to Safeguard Community Gardens Against Development
Treehugger.com ...Rules Offer Weaker Protection Than 2002 Agreement: NY State Lead Attorney

We were all glad to see Speaker Christine Quinn, who stopped by to voice her support, along with Council Member Melissa Mark-Viverito, a staunch ally and Chair of the NYC Council Parks & Recreation Committee.

The New York Times Keeping the Gardens Green
Wall Street Journal Gardeners Root for City Patches
The New York Times Coming to the Defense of Community Gardens
amNY Green groups fear new community garden rules
NBC New York Community Garden Advocates Demand Parks Protections
DNAinfo Community Gardeners Rally in Front of City Hall...
East Villager Gardeners are ready to dig in and fight city’s new rules
CBS New York Demonstrators Disapprove Of Proposed NYC Park Rules
The Villager Parks chief: ‘We like the gardens’
The event was also covered by WBAI, 1010 WINS, and WCBS 880