By Jill Colvin
DNAinfo Reporter/Producer
HARLEM — City officials and community garden advocates announced Monday they reached an agreement over new rules to protect the public green spaces from future development.
Under the new rules, which take effect in 30 days and come after months of public protests and hearings, the Parks Department pledges to preserve active gardens as long as they are registered and licensed by the city and required the department to identify new groups to take over gardens abandoned by their caretakers.
"It's not enough. It's not permanent. But it's a start," said Steven Kid, 62, a Harlem gardener and board member of the New York City Community Garden Coalition, which led the push for the new rules.
The rules will replace the 2002 Community Gardens Agreement, which expires Sept. 17. The city's original proposal to replace the rules was met by fierce opposition from garden advocates, who said it did not do enough to protect the gardens from development.
Haja Worley, the former president of the coalition, said that he was pleased with the progress that had been made in the weeks since the original proposal was introduced.
"We know that we are moving in the right direction," he said. The group plans to hold another town hall at the New School on Oct. 2 to discuss remaining concerns.
"We believe they offer much stronger protections than the gardens have ever had before," Parks Commissioner Adrian Benepe said at a press conference at the William B. Washington Garden in Harlem to announce the rules. He was flanked by growing tomatoes, cabbages, green beans and cucumbers.
"It wasn't so very long ago that gardens like this were at tremendous risk," said City Council Speaker Christine Quinn. "Those days are behind us."
