MTA Clearing East 15th Lot Of Garbage, Sick Trees

The MTA has spent the last four to five months clearing scores of trees and hundreds of pounds of garbage out of a once wild lot next to their substation on East 15th Street and Avenue Y.

The clearing, which stretches the entire block between Avenue Y and Avenue Z, will most likely be done in about a month, a worker on the scene told Sheepshead Bites. It began in late December, and the worker said they pulled out “some nasty stuff” from the lot, which residents have been complaining for years has doubled as an illegal dumping ground. The contractor said they found all kinds of garbage and waste, as well as dead cats and raccoons.

When we stopped by earlier today, an MTA Community Affairs liaison was on the scene, and said that the agency was clearing it in response to the complaints. The trees, he said, needed to be taken down because they’re sick. Some healthy trees are being left along the fence line close to the tracks in response to criticism from neighbors that they wanted some to remain.

The Community Affairs liaison also told Sheepshead Bites there are no plans for usage of the lot, contradicting rumors that it might be built upon or be used as a staging area for construction on the train line.

Now that the lot’s almost completely cleared, what do you think the the city could do to make this area more useful to residents? Hint: we’re thinking “dog run.”