4
BROOKLYN WEEKLY, AUGUST 25, 2019
BY ROSE ADAMS
They’re taking farming to
new heights!
A group of urban green
thumbs celebrated the
grand opening of the city’s
largest rooftop farm in Sunset
Park on Sunday, where
vegetable lovers traveled
far and wide for what one
woman called the highlight
of her weekend.
“I thought it was awesome,”
said Effi e Angus,
23, who journeyed from the
distant Isle of Manhattan
with her boyfriend to check
out the sky-high pasture.
The new farm, operated
by the local agricultural
company Brooklyn Grange,
occupies the roughly 3.2 acre
rooftop above Micro Center
and Bed Bay & Beyond at the
Liberty View shopping complex
on Third Avenue, and
features a 5,000 square-foot
greenhouse, a 6,000 squarefoot
indoor event space, and
a weekly farmer’s market
where locals can buy some
of Kings County’s freshest
produce.
Brooklyn Grange has
operated a rooftop farm
in Queens since 2010 and
another at the Brooklyn
Navy Yard since 2012, and
the massive new Sunset
Park space will not only allow
Grange to expand their
farming capacity, but also
allow them to grow year
round, according to the
company’s co-founder.
“It has a 4,800 squarefoot
greenhouse for increased
off-season production.
We’re also building
an indoor events hall with
a kitchen so we can start
hosting events year-round!”
said Anastasia Plakias.
The Sunset Park farm is
expected to provide the area
around it with modest environmental
benefi ts by absorbing
heat and rainwater,
which will in turn mitigate
heat waves and fl ooding, according
to Plakias.
On Aug. 18, New Yorkers
gathered to gawk at Brooklyn
Grange’s new digs. For
Angus, the highlight of the
event was her tour of the
Sunset Park rooftop’s new
hydroponic program, a
high-tech farming process
in which soil has been replaced
— by tubes!
“It’s a cool technology
they’re bringing in. It’s kind
of like a high tech farm,”
Angus said. “It’s really effi
cient because you don’t
have to waste any water.”
Other attendees danced
to the event’s live Afro-Venezuelan
music, and kids
decorated one of the farm’s
walls. Five-year-old Enzo
Reynolds was delighted
to receive a free packet
IT’S A FARM!: Effi e Angus, 23, and her boyfriend, Stu Pomeroy, 24, rushed down from Manhattan to
catch Grange’s new rooftop farm on opening day. Photo by Colin Mixson
of seeds, according to his
mother.
“He’s pretty excited to
plant seeds this weekend,”
said Alexis Ching, who lives
just a few blocks away from
the new farm.
Mom had a great time
too, and Ching noted the
convenience of having a
farm within walking distance
of her Brooklyn
home.
“I go on Monday morning
to Union Square Market
on my way to work, so
it’s really nice to have this
in the area,” she said, noting
that while Sunset Park
has a few farmers stands,
none are as locally-sourced,
nor as large as the one atop
Liberty View. Plus, the new
farm’s location is nothing to
scoff at.
“Being able to be on a
rooftop with vegetables and
fl owers surrounded by an
industrial part of the city is
pretty cool,” she said.
SKY HIGH!
City’s largest rooftop farm opens in Sunset Park
Mortgage Refinance Rates…
Beyond Belief
15-YEAR MORTGAGE SPECIAL 2.750%
2.866%
APR*
Take the Time Now to Refinance
Your Mortgage and SAVE!
Does Your Bank Do That?
Visit our Brooklyn Branch to meet with a
Home Lending Specialist today
86th St. & Bay 17th St.
islandfcu.com
718-680-2121 ext. 1347
Rate
*APR = Annual Percentage Rate. Rates and terms accurate as of 8-22-19; subject to change without notice. All offers of credit subject to credit approval. Applicants may be offered credit at higher rates and other terms. Rate featured is
the lowest available. APR based on a $165,000 conventional loan assuming highest credit rating. Hazard insurance required. Rates advertised are for single family primary residences located in New York. Minimum FICO of 700 required.
Maximum loan to value of 70%. Monthly payments must be automatically deducted from an Island Federal checking account for life of loan. Membership eligibility applies.
/islandfcu.com