Mr. Stein Requesting To Cut Subway Plaza Trees Down

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Several weeks ago, William Stein, developer of the 360 Smith Street site, submitted a request to the Parks Department Forestry division to remove the five trees at the Subway Plaza at 2nd Place. The Parks department has jurisdiction over the courtyard, but not the private portion of the plaza. Barbara Brookhart, neighborhood activist, has been working to protect the area in front of the subway station for many years. She writes:

I believe that two trees are in the private portion and three in the courtyard. Those trees were put in the plaza by Buddy Scotto and the Carroll Gardens Association in the 70s, but they were planted below grade in pits that then became waste receptacles. Former Councilman DiBrienza gave money during the Smith Street redevelopment to redo the plaza and for the Parks Department to construct special breathing pits around the trees to bring them up to the sidewalk level, and they have survived very well. We don't want to lose the trees. We hope that Forestry will decide that the trees, which are perfectly healthy, should not be removed.

Barbara has also been very outspoken about exactly what is public space and what is Mr. Stein's property as well as how far the developer's building will jut out onto the plaza. It turns out, Carroll Gardeners will lose quite a bit of the space. Check out Barbara's wonderful blog to see exactly how much of it we will have to give up.
(Barbara also has some incredible photos of Carroll Gardens posted)

Make sure to click here.




[Carroll Gardens, 360 Smith Street]

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