Chelsea residents have been clamoring for years for a pocket park at a West 20th Street location that the city has designated as the site of a future affordable housing development. And, as unlikely as that may have once seemed, it appears that they could actually get their way, as the Department of Housing Preservation and Development (HPD) says that it is now in talks with City Councilman Corey Johnson to figure out a possible alternative site for the housing. Readers with long memories may recall that then-City Council Speaker Christine Quinn was saying similar things in 2011, but HPD went on to reject all 26 alternative sites proposed by Quinn and the Friends of 20th Street Park. So, the park is still far from a sure thing, especially with a new administration in place that is exponentially more committed to affordable housing than the previous one, but the outdoor space-starved Chelsea residents do have some reason to be optimistic. The park advocates have been relentless in their pursuit, even hiring an architecture firm to draw up three proposals, and their work has paid off in as much as they've at least forced the city to pretend to consider.
· Park Could Replace Affordable Housing at City-Owned Lot on 20th Street [DNAinfo]
· 136 West 20th Street coverage [Curbed]
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