The Brooklyn Botanic Garden's fight against a new proposed tower development that the Garden claimed would block sunlight for its plants has taken on a new wrinkle.
Yesterday, the Garden launched a new exhibit, “Fight for Sunlight,” inside its Steinhardt Conservatory, Brownstoner reported. It is intended to inform the public about the issue and how the development would impact plant life.
“Brooklyn Botanic Garden’s greenhouse complex was built in the 1980s to cultivate and display plants from environments around the world,” reads a description of the exhibit. “Specifically selected for its access to sunlight, this is one of the only places in New York City where you can see such a diverse collection of rare plants in bloom year-round. Now it’s under threat.”
According to the Brooklyn Botanic Garden's website, two developers, Continuum Company and Lincoln Equities, proposed to build two 39-story towers in Crown Heights situated about 150 feet away from the garden. The development project would create 1,578 apartments, with about 50 percent of them set aside for affordable housing, Curbed reported earlier in the year.
The Garden contended that the towers would block sunlight for up to 3.5 hours for its greenhouses, nurseries and conservatories. “The development site is less than 300 feet from these structures and just 150 feet from the Garden, putting plants at a serious risk,”it said.
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