1.Why should my block create an alley green?
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There a numerous benefits to alley greens including increases in safety and
property values, stronger social bonds between neighbors, increased
neighborhood civic engagement, as well as health and environmental benefits.
2. How much does it cost to create an alley green?
- Alley costs vary significantly depending upon the alley green design.
Residents can chose from a variety of gates and green materials to minimize
costs.
- Although residents may need to pool their own resources and fundraise, a
number of grants are available that help fund alley green projects.
3. How does the city approve alleys for gating and/or greening?
- The city approval process is complex. Please carefully review pages 18-24, which
provides an outline of the process, as well as the attached Alley Gating and
Greening ordinance.
4. How long will it take to get city approval to gate and green my
alley?
- The time required for city approval to gate and green your alley depends on
both the city and you!
- After submitting your block’s initial request to gate and green the alley,
it can take the Department of Public Works one to three months to get back to
you with a response. During this period the departments of Transportation, Solid
Waste, Fire and Police will review your alley for approval.
- If approved, you will receive a list of all abutting homeowners and a formal
application packet, including approved consent forms. At this point you can
begin to obtain the needed written consents. The more organized the block, the
less time it will take to get the required approval from homeowners, and the
sooner you will be able to submit the formal application.
- Once you have submitted the formal application, the Department of Public
Works will review the application, hold a public hearing, issue a final
decision, and then, working with the Board of Estimates, enter into a lease
agreement with the applicant.
5. How will the Fire Department access my alley in case of an emergency?
- All gates must be equipped with a knox box. The knox box provides the Fire
Department access to the alley in case during any emergency.
6. How will utility companies access the alley?
- Residents must work with utility companies to provide access to the alley
for repairs.
- Residents with keys to the alley gates can arrange to open the gates for
utility companies.
- Gates can be left open on days when utility companies must access the alleys.
- Residents can arrange for utility companies to have access to a lock box,
which is separate and distinct from the Fire Department knox box.
7. What happens to trash pick-up if the alley is been gated?
Residents have a number of options to ensure the trash collection is not
interrupted:
- Residents can leave the trash outside the gate at the end of the alley on
trash day.
- Residents can place their trash in the front of their house for collection.
- If the alley is beautified in a way that does not restrict vehicular traffic,
the block can elect to leave the gates open on trash collection day. Residents
should be cautious when selecting this option, however, as the city may not be
held liable for any damage caused by sanitation vehicles to the alley gate or
other improvements. You must get approval from the Department of Sanitation
regarding where your block will relocate trash pick up.
8. Will removing concrete in our alley lead to an increase in rat
problems?
There should be no increase in rats as a result of greening your alley. In fact,
gating and greening an alley usually results in better sanitation and
maintenance of that alley, existing problems with rats tend to decrease. The
best measure to control the rat population is to keep the alley clean.
9. Will removing concrete in our alley result in flooding?
If your block chooses remove existing concrete you should hire an engineer.
Maintaining proper drainage will prevent flooding from occurring.
10. If residents on the block remove their fences to create a shared
backyard, how will this affect our alley green?
- It will make the alley green more spacious, inviting, and pretty.
- Residents with dogs should either leave up their fence or install an
invisible fence.
- Residents may want to increase their liability coverage in their homeowners’
insurance policy
