A Carroll Gardens private elementary school has dropped a controversial expansion plan — ending a battle with local neighborhood groups that charged the additon could endanger the neighborhood’s signature characteristic: the rows of deep, front-yard gardens.
The Hannah Senesh Community Day School said it won’t build a two-story addition along its “courtyard” at the corner of Smith Street and First Place.
Pam Kaplan, the president of the Hannah Senesh board of directors, told Brooklyn Paper that the school abandoned the plan because it is “sensitive to the concerns of our neighbors.”
“We know that we will need additional space in the future … and will seek out such opportunities when available,” she added. “We are, as a school, looking forward to being part of the Carroll Gardens community for many years to come.”
A bill allowing for the expansion was proposed by outgoing Councilman Bill DeBlasio in December, but it was held up following local outcry from the neighborhood.
The city owns the courtyard, and the bill allowed it to be sold to Hannah Senesh for a buck.
