Randy Mastro, Mayor Adams’ high deputy at Metropolis Corridor, is critically exploring a proposal to spare Manhattan’s Elizabeth Avenue Backyard from an reasonably priced housing growth by as a substitute constructing the residences on a close-by lot as soon as reserved for a public faculty, in accordance with a number of sources aware of his efforts.
Mastro first ordered the Elizabeth Avenue Backyard redevelopment paused shortly after changing into Adams’ first deputy mayor final month, saying he wished to overview it. The transfer drew pushback as Adams’ administration had been anticipated to get began in April on the long-delayed effort to construct housing for senior residents within the backyard, a plan a bunch of A-list celebrities and different politically-influential people have for years sought to dam in court docket.
The revelation that Mastro’s wanting into the potential of transferring the housing growth, referred to as “Haven Green,” to a completely new location — particularly one native residents hoped would turn into a faculty — is triggering one other spherical of shock.
First Deputy Mayor Randy Mastro seen in April in Manhattan. (Barry Williams/ New York Day by day Information)
Open New York Government Director Annemarie Grey, whose group advocates for reasonably priced housing growth, mentioned such a transfer would require a completely new land use software for the choice website — a course of that might take years.
“You’d be starting from scratch,” she mentioned, noting the Elizabeth Avenue Backyard is lastly cleared for constructing the 123 rent-restricted models for seniors proposed beneath the Haven Inexperienced blueprint after almost a decade of delays.
“Will the Adams administration listen to a few rich people with Randy Mastro’s cell phone number, or the majority of New Yorkers struggling to afford housing?”
Adams spokesman William Fowler didn’t deny Mastro has regarded into transferring Haven Inexperienced to the opposite website, however mentioned administration officers haven’t mentioned any such thought with the personal builders picked to construct the senior housing. Fowler maintained Adams nonetheless helps the undertaking and mentioned his administration is “always exploring additional locations to build affordable housing.”
“No one location is going to solve the housing crisis on its own, which is why we are exploring multiple locations for housing development both in this area and across the city,” Fowler mentioned.
Overgrown with weeds and surrounded by a chain-link fence, the 22 Suffolk St. lot is bigger than the backyard. Just like the backyard, 22 Suffolk is owned by the town authorities.
The 22 Suffolk Avenue lot seen this week (Chris Sommerfeldt / Day by day Information).
The Essex Crossing rezoning plan, first introduced in 2013 beneath Mayor Michael Bloomberg, put a maintain on 22 Suffolk reserving the lot for setting up a pre-Ok-through-eighth grade public faculty. The pondering on the time was {that a} faculty would turn into wanted as the realm’s inhabitants grew amid elevated housing growth facilitated by the rezoning.
However the maintain on 22 Suffolk expired in 2023 with out the town ever constructing a faculty, leaving the lot with no particular designation. The Faculty Building Authority, the Division of Schooling’s growth arm, has argued towards the necessity for a brand new faculty, pointing to declining native enrollment charges.
It’s towards that backdrop that Mastro not too long ago directed metropolis officers to begin wanting into what it could take to have 22 Suffolk turn into the positioning for Haven Inexperienced, in accordance with the sources. The sources mentioned officers at Metropolis Corridor, the Faculty Building Authority, the Division of Metropolis Planning and the Division of Housing Preservation and Growth have been looped in on efforts to guage 22 Suffolk for the Haven Inexperienced undertaking.
The 22 Suffolk Avenue lot seen this week (Chris Sommerfeldt / Day by day Information).
Noah Harlan, president of an area Group Schooling Council concerned in talks about constructing a 22 Suffolk faculty, acknowledged enrollment within the space has not too long ago dropped.
However he argued there’s nonetheless a necessity for a brand new native faculty, as present ones are “falling apart,” with some being almost a century outdated. Harlan additionally famous the state’s new class measurement regulation — which have put stricter limits on what number of college students could be in every class — will necessitate extra faculty area citywide.
“The idea of turning down a brand new [school] just seems crazy,” he mentioned. “If they want to take this land instead of the community garden to build housing, put the housing on top of the school and solve two problems at once.”
Earlier than Mastro intervened, Adams’ administration was anticipated to evict the nonprofit working the backyard as early as March so as to get shovels within the floor on the housing.
Meantime, Mastro’s backyard redevelopment pause is arising towards a important timeline, in accordance with an Adams administration supply. The town would want about seven months of preparation earlier than development contained in the backyard may start, the supply defined. If Adams is unsuccessful in his re-election bid this yr, a brand new mayor — who could be towards the undertaking — might be able to cease it upon being inaugurated in January 2026, which is about seven months away.
Haven Inexperienced was first proposed in 2017 by then-Mayor Invoice de Blasio’s administration.
With Cayla Bamberger
Initially Printed: Could 13, 2025 at 4:37 PM EDT
