Daily News article

Here is another battle that's relevant to our cause. When will the people in power take their heads out of their #!* and realize the huge economic value and health benefits of open space, and in particular, forests.

Battle over University Woods for condos

By Heather Appel

Tuesday, December 11th 2007, 4:00 AM
Brandy Cochrane, 27, and others have been doing cleanups at University Woods Park since October 2006.

Brandy Cochrane, 27, and others have been doing cleanups at University Woods Park since October 2006.

Abused and just about abandoned, a little Bronx park tucked away above the Harlem River is finding itself caught in a tug of war.

Once a dumping ground for carcasses of animals sacrificed in Santeria rituals, the community board wants to use hilly 3.3-acre University Woods Park for an affordable condo complex.

But some local activists have been working to clean up and save the park.

Two years ago, Community Board 5 approached developer Andrew Lasala about swapping the park for his property on the waterfront just north of it, which would be ideal for a greenway, said District Manager Xavier Rodriguez.

The state was interested in buying Lasala's waterfront property, Rodriguez said, and there was interest in swapping it for the University Woods acres, which have been a haven for drug addicts and homeless people and last year was ranked as the worst park in the city by an advocacy group.

An alternative goal is for the city and Bronx Community College to develop the park.

Bronx Borough President Adolfo Carrión has "wanted to see this place become an outdoor lab," Rodriguez said. "With BCC's involvement ... there's a real chance for this park, I believe."

Carrión supports the swap idea - if it would result in the acquisition of a waterfront parcel, said spokesman Mike Murphy.

"However, we may be receptive to the idea of keeping it undeveloped as a natural area with environmental programming, possibly with the support of Bronx Community College," he said. "This land should not simply sit there abandoned and useless."

Bronx Community College representatives said the school has no public plans for the park.

The Parks Department had a similar response.

"We do not have any capital projects lined up," said spokeswoman Jesslyn Tiao. "We would be happy to renovate if there's funding allocated."

Community resident Brandy Cochrane has been organizing monthly park cleanups since October of last year, and, with the support of the Natural Resources Group, planted 636 bulbs and learned about rare trees, plant life and wildlife there.

Geoffrey Croft, president of New York City Park Advocates, said the park is not beyond repair.

He pointed to Pugsley Creek and Highbridge parks, which he said posed bigger challenges than University Woods yet are undergoing capital improvements. University Woods could even accommodate bike trails, he said.

"I think there's some very real solutions to that park," he said, "and they certainly do not involve putting housing on it."

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