Friends of Fort Greene Park (FFGP) has launched a legal challenge against the NYC Parks Department, claiming it did not perform a comprehensive environmental review before approving a $24 million redesign plan for Fort Greene Park involving the removal of 78 trees. The organization argues this violates the State Environmental Quality Review Act (SEQRA). FFGP feels the tree removal will negatively impact local residents, particularly those from nearby NYCHA housing. They advocate for park improvements without tree removal, emphasizing that repairs and enhancements could be achieved at a lower cost than the proposed budget.
"Friends of Fort Greene Park has always supported repairs and many improvements to this long-neglected section of the park, like improving drainage, adding an ADA-compliant entrance to the existing stairs on Myrtle Avenue, walkway repairs and additional beautification. All that can be accomplished without knocking down trees and would cost far less than $24 million," said Enid Braun, a member of FFGP.
FFGP attorney Jacob Zoghlin accused the city of withholding information and deliberately avoiding due diligence on the environmental impact of the plan.
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