Mayor Eric Adams’ administration has moved to make the Elizabeth Street Garden dedicated park land.

The designation would make the green space fully accessible to the public — and prevent affordable housing from being built there.

What You Need To Know

Mayor Eric Adams’ administration has moved to make the Elizabeth Street Garden dedicated park land, which would prevent affordable housing from being built there

The city had previously served the garden an eviction notice to make way for affordable housing for seniors, but Adams officially reversed his position on the green space a day before the Democratic mayoral primary

Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani previously vowed to evict the Nolita garden in the first year of his administration

Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani previously vowed to evict the Nolita garden in the first year of his administration. Adams’ move would now make it harder to do so, as any development on park land requires approval by the state legislature.

Asked about the garden Thursday, Mamdani said it was “no surprise that Mayor Adams is using his final weeks and months to cement a legacy of dysfunction and inconsistency.”

“And I have made clear over the course of the campaign what my vision would be in meeting the urgent need of building affordable housing, especially for seniors, across New York City,” he said. “And the actions that the Adams administration has taken now make it nearly impossible to follow through with that.”

Adams, meanwhile, said the decision was “about protecting a legacy and the promises that I made.”

The city had previously served the neighborhood garden an eviction notice to make way for affordable housing for seniors.

The nonprofit organization that runs the garden has been fighting the plans, saying the 20,000-square-foot space is the only public green space in the community.

Adams had officially reversed his position on the garden a day before the Democratic mayoral primary.

Now, the city plans to transfer garden ownership to the Parks Department, as outlined in a letter from Department of Citywide Administrative Services Commissioner Louis Molina dated Nov. 3.

NY1 reached out to the city for comment on the move. In a statement, First Deputy Mayor Randy Mastro said City Hall was “committed to ensuring Elizabeth Street Garden remains a beloved community park and cannot be alienated in the future.”

“As we made clear in our agreement with Councilmember [Christopher] Marte months ago, we have moved to make Elizabeth Street Garden dedicated parkland, which will make the park fully accessible to the public while also allowing us to allocate Parks Department resources to this space,” Mastro said. “This is a ‘win-win’ situation, preserving a cherished community garden and creating more than five times as much affordable housing in this neighborhood as had originally been planned.”

“Between overhauling old zoning codes, investing a record amount of money into affordable housing, and delivering record levels of housing for New Yorkers, the Adams administration continues to be the most pro-housing administration in city history, all while ensuring we can preserve green spaces,” he added.

Mastro previously announced a deal with Marte to find alternative space to build affordable housing in the neighborhood.

NY1 has reached out to the city to ask when that will take place, as the mayor only has until the end of the year before Mamdani takes office.