BX community may replace illegal stables with garden

Community members in the Bronx are working on plans to transform land once illegally used by a squatting stable owner into a garden. The movement comes nearly two years after malnourished horses were

News 12 Staff

Nov 11, 2008, 8:23 PM

Updated 5,809 days ago

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Community members in the Bronx are working on plans to transform land once illegally used by a squatting stable owner into a garden.
The movement comes nearly two years after malnourished horses were removed from the area, located off the Pelham Parkway.
?We had to get a whole bunch of city agencies together,? says Bronx Councilman James Vacca (D). ?We had to coordinate everything so it wouldn?t become a junkyard again.?
According to Vacca, there has been talk about constructing public housing or a school on the 3-acre plot. However, Vacca says it is more likely the city land will be used to create a community garden, where neighbors could plant and grow vegetables.
Before any plans are finalized, the land will have to be tested for toxins and the community will have to negotiate a budget with the city and obtain an official permission to utilize the land.