Support for Bill to Preserve Community Gardens (S.629-A/A.4139-A)

A coalition of organizations urges Governor Kathy Hochul to sign S.629-A/A.4139-A to protect New York community gardens. The bill would enable the New York State Community Gardens Task Force to designate eligible gardens as Critical Environmental Areas (CEAs), providing legal protections and ensuring community input during development projects. The authors argue that these gardens are essential for food security, mitigating extreme heat and flooding, and improving air quality, particularly in marginalized communities.

• Bill S.629-A/A.4139-A would mandate the New York State Community Gardens Task Force to evaluate whether community gardens on public land qualify for Critical Environmental Area (CEA) designation and to recommend such designation for those that are eligible.
• CEA designation would provide legal protections for community gardens by requiring additional procedural steps and the consideration of gardeners' views when projects threaten these sites.
• Community gardens enhance urban resilience by providing relief from extreme temperatures and utilizing green infrastructure—including bioswales, rain-collection systems, and pervious surfaces—to manage flooding from extreme precipitation.
• These gardens support food security and public health by producing affordable, local food and filtering air pollutants, which is especially critical for marginalized and under-resourced communities that disproportionately face air pollution and extreme weather.

APA

Earthjustice (2023). Support for Bill to Preserve Community Gardens (S.629-A/A.4139-A). https://earthjustice.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/2023-09-21_statebillletter_support_garden-supporters_final.pdf

Chicago

Earthjustice. Support for Bill to Preserve Community Gardens (S.629-A/A.4139-A). 2023. https://earthjustice.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/2023-09-21_statebillletter_support_garden-supporters_final.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite press release |author=Earthjustice |title=Support for Bill to Preserve Community Gardens (S.629-A/A.4139-A) |date=21 September 2023 |url=https://earthjustice.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/2023-09-21_statebillletter_support_garden-supporters_final.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@misc{earthjustice2023support, author = {{Earthjustice}}, title = {{Support for Bill to Preserve Community Gardens (S.629-A/A.4139-A)}}, publisher = {Earthjustice}, year = {2023}, month = sep, url = {https://earthjustice.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/2023-09-21_statebillletter_support_garden-supporters_final.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }