Maple Street Community Garden
Saved from fraudulent “owners” and on its way to permanent public space!
Maple Street Community Garden began as a vacant lot
strewn with trash and overgrown with weeds. In 2013,
residents on the block got together to clean up the
lot and turn it into a garden for the whole community.
Almost as soon as they began, they encountered
harassment, threats of litigation, and illegal padlocks on
the garden from a development company that claimed
to own the land. The neighbors did some research and
found that the alleged owners’ claims were dubious,
and with organizing help from 596 Acres and legal
representation from the Community Development
Project of the Urban Justice Center, they campaigned
to preserve their garden.
After four years of hard work, the gardeners achieved
a stunning result in 2017 - the city government agreed
to a plan by the Parks Department to buy the land,
permanently protecting this community space as a
public place for everyone.
“Maple Street Community Garden is an impressive
example of the ways in which communities are
empowered to come together to beautify and give back
to our shared outdoor spaces. We celebrate the dedicated
volunteers and community activists that have made
Maple Street Community Garden thrive, and we thank
Borough President Adams, Council Member Eugene, and
596 Acres for recognizing the importance of keeping this
site intact.”
- NYC Parks Commissioner Mitchell J. Silver, FAICP
“ I think it’s one of the best things that happened on the
block. It was once a place with car tires, people tripping
over the sidewalk and littering. Now it’s a place for
everyone.” -
Prospect Lefferts Gardens resident Sean Henry