Brooklyn has a plethora of empty lots. It’s uh, not something that’s gonna be mentioned in official Brooklyn tourism information, but it’s not like every city doesn’t have with that problem. The more important aspect of it is how you allow people to deal with the empty space. The city itself has done positive work on that front, like the Brooklyn Economic Development Corporation’s plans to turn a Bushwick lot into a garden, and now a private citizen is getting into the game with plans to turn an empty Clinton Hill lot into both a garden and a space for jazz shows.
Malachi Baden spoke to the Daily News about his plans for 212 Classon Avenue, and they sound pretty ambitious. By day, the lot would be an urban farm contained in a low budget greenhouse where vegetables are grown and fish are raised. The twist in the idea is that Baden wants to put a second greenhouse in that will host jazz performances at night and serve up gumbo to hungry patrons. To fund it, Baden is hoping to get people to sign up for a CSA-like service where subscribers get boxes of produce every month, he’s trying to get nearby business to donate some funds and is also taking donations for the project on its website.