EAST WILLIAMSBURG — A vacant lot on Moore Street may soon blossom into a vegetable oasis this spring.
The land at 104 Moore St., behind the Moore Street Market indoor vending center, has gone unused and untended for the past year, said Joan Bartolomeo. But the Brooklyn Economic Development Corporation, of which Bartolomeo is president, hopes to grow produce in the space with the guidance of two farmers.
“Right now it’s sitting there like a missing tooth,” Bartolomeo said of the eyesore. “The plan is to create a community farm for plants to sell to local restaurants and some at the Moore Street Market.”
Bartolomeo has spoken with the city’s Department of Housing Preservation and Development, which she said agreed to the project as long as Brooklyn's Community Board 1 supported the proposal. Her group will go before the community board's land use committee this week.
A spokesman for HPD did not immediately return calls and emails requesting comment.
Bartolomeo, who hopes to get leasing space for two-year increments, said the farm would enlist neighborhood youth and community help. She also wants to provide an entryway to the back of the Moore Street Market to offer access to the farm.
“We’re excited because it can also be exterior space for the market,” she said of the 16-vendor center. “Even if the farm is not a raging success we’d love to have it as an outdoor terrace for the community.”
