Imagined UES 'Green Space' Cleared Of Trees After Complaints

UPPER EAST SIDE, NY — The empty Yorkville lot that neighbors want to turn into a green space was abruptly cleared of all of its trees this week, to the dismay of some advocates — but a local leader says there was a good reason for the clearance.

The lot, on the southwest corner of East 78th Street and First Avenue, has sat vacant for about eight years, since owner Robert Chou demolished its last remaining brick building to make way for a high-rise tower that never materialized. In the ensuing years, it grew to resemble something of an urban jungle, as trees sprouted up above its plywood fence and vines snaked around the property.

Other, less welcome visitors also arrived: ugly weeds and colonies of rats took over the site, fueling repeated complaints about unsanitary conditions.

In recent months, a group of neighbors began brainstorming ways to take advantage of the site, developing a proposal to open a park or garden to serve an area otherwise starved of green space. Their idea caught the attention of U.S. Rep. Carolyn Maloney and City Councilmember-elect Julie Menin, who has been in talks with the owners about opening up the lot.

Then, Tuesday morning, workers from a local landscaping company arrived and began chopping down the trees, one by one. Susan Gitlin, one of the green space organizers, arrived hours later to find the site almost entirely clear, including "a beautiful birch" she had especially liked.

"They took down every last tree," she said.

But Menin told Patch that the cutdowns were the result of her negotiations with a representative for Katherine Chou, the site's current owner. While Chou is resisting calls to open up the space for public use, she was willing to take steps to mitigate the rat and weed problem by curbing the overgrown vegetation.

"They basically said to me that they are addressing the rat infestation," Menin said.

Once she takes office Jan. 1, Menin said she will continue pressing Chou to open up the lot — possibly through the Parks Department's GreenThumb program, which helps residents convert unused lots into gardens.

If that fails, Menin said she would look at legislation that could force improvements at long-vacant lots that have racked up complaints.

"It is a win-win to create public spaces up until the lot is actually developed," she said.

Ultimately, though, the site's fate lies in the hands of the Chou family, who could pursue a development like the 12-story condo building initially floated back in 2007. A man who answered the phone Tuesday at the family's firm, Hiyee Realty, was unable to comment on any plans for the site.

Previous coverage: Rat-Filled UES Lot Should Become Green Space, Neighbors Say