To gardeners like David Rossi (pictured), this hidden plot of land in East Rock has long been a soil-rich haven for tomatoes and summer herbs. When the woman who owned the garden passed away, local developers jumped in to buy the plot: Not to erect a money-making house, but to keep it as what they consider a greater asset —” a community garden.
The plot, in a densely inhabited block of Lawrence Street between State and Nicoll streets, is big enough to hold a quiet, small house. When the last owner, Edith Ilmanen, passed away last year, the property —” a .17 acre lot assessed at $45,000 (to be sold for higher) —” could have met that fate.
But owners Robert and Susan Frew didn’t want it that way. The pair owns over a dozen properties in the city, including a couple flanking the green space.
So they bought the property, said Susan Frew, to keep the plot as a “community asset.” The move put a price on what others have noticed: Having a community garden around keeps property values up.
Frew calls it a “spiritual” asset as well. The lot remained as one of the New Haven Land Trust’s 50 public gardens.
Rossi’s thankful. He and his wife, Debbie, grow tomato plants, peppers, eggplants and peas in their raised bed. They harvest baskets of tomatoes and turn them into sauce. They also own nearby real estate. “I think the Frews were probably thinking the same thing I was —” this is a nice buffer. It’s the best use of this space.”