Elizabeth Street Garden Avoids Eviction For 2 More Weeks

NEW YORK CITY — The Elizabeth Street Garden in Nolita will remain open after an appellate court judge temporarily paused its eviction notice on Wednesday.

The fate of the garden has been the subject of legal battles as the city plans to turn the plot of land into an affordable senior housing complex.

Before the pause, the garden could have been evicted from its space as soon as Thursday, Patch previously reported.

The temporary pause on the eviction will end on Oct. 30.

At a press conference, earlier this week, Mayor Eric Adams told reporters the eviciton of the garden would proceed as planned.

Adams acknowledged the importance of the garden but argued the city’s housing shortage is a more pressing issue.

"We need to wrap our heads around the 1.4 percent vacancy rate,” Adams said. “When I do my senior town halls at the senior adult centers, I hear over and over their fear of not being able to afford to live in the city.”

The city has owned the garden's lot but allowed it to be leased for the first time in 1990. The garden’s operators have paid the city $4,000 per month in rent for decades, according to multiple media reports.

The garden was first opened to the public in a limited capacity back in 2013.

"We have to house New Yorkers,” he said. “The garden is a beautiful place, but there's a great beauty to be able to house New Yorkers.”