Cuomo Greens Community Gardens With State Cash

CROWN HEIGHTS – Governor Cuomo graced a Crown Heights community garden with his presence yesterday to announce a major infusion of green for central Brooklyn gardens: $3.1 million.

The grant will go towards renovating 22 community gardens with improvements like onsite water hook-ups. Work began on the projects in spring of this year and is expected to be completed by 2020.

Cuomo made his announcement in a visit to the Bergen Street Block Association Garden with local Assemblymember Tremaine Wright.

With funds from the Office of Parks, Recreation and Historical preservation, the grant is part of Cuomo’s larger Vital Brooklyn campaign, a $1.4 billion investment designed to address “chronic social, economic, and health disparities.”

As part of the same plan, Cuomo announced nearly $700 million in funding for Central Brooklyn healthcare initiatives in January of this year.

The plan also proposes to build 3,000 new affordable housing units and five acres of greenspace or parks—which has led some to worry if the plan won’t contribute to gentrification.

For now, hopefully residents will be excited about improvements to their gardens, which are much-needed community green spaces that contribute to healthy eating—like farmers markets—or education, like the Bushwick Community Garden at the RiseBoro Youth Center.

Click here to check out a list of community gardens in Fort Greene and Clinton Hill!