Gothamist
A non-profit newsroom, powered by WNYC.
Gothamist
Listen Live
News
Brooklyn Grange Faces Queens Permit Problems
By
Jaya Saxena
Published May 17, 2010
Modified May 17, 2010
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
Never miss a story
Email address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .
By
Jaya Saxena
Published May 17, 2010
Modified May 17, 2010
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
We rely on your support to make local news available to all
Make your contribution now and help Gothamist thrive in 2026. Donate today
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
The for-profit rooftop farm Brooklyn Grange—which began installation on the Standard Motor Products building in Long Island City last week—was issued a stop-work order on Friday for not securing permits for the project. The New York City Department of Buildings said the group never showed engineering plans proving the 40,000 square feet of rooftop was sturdy enough to hold nearly a million pounds of dirt and vegetables. Farmer Ben Flanner told the Times, "Our enthusiasm to get plants in for the season outpaced our paperwork, and we are doing everything we can with our architect and engineer to work this out."
Volunteers had already covered nearly half of the roof by the time they were forced to stop. The building at 37-18 Northern Boulevard also had a stop-worker order for interior work, and engineers are expected to visit today to determine which permits would be required. We've contacted the folks at Brooklyn Grange to see if the order will affect their production schedule, but maybe this is just what happens when you have to "settle" for Queens.
Tagged
brooklyn grange
long island city
permits
queens
rooftop farm
stop work order
Jaya Saxena
Read more
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
MORE news
Gatorade recall affects drinks sold in New York and New Jersey
More than 122,000 cases are being recalled over undeclared food dyes.
By
Giulia Heyward
Published Oct 5, 2026 at 4:36 p.m. ET
Gov. Hochul declares upstate NY measles outbreak a ‘disaster emergency’
The declaration is driven by rising case counts in rural areas and in neighboring Pennsylvania.
By
Caroline Lewis
News
Gov. Hochul declares upstate NY measles outbreak a ‘disaster emergency’
The declaration is driven by rising case counts in rural areas and in neighboring Pennsylvania.
By
Caroline Lewis
NYPD detective forced to retire after false statements in Brooklyn investigation
By
Charles Lane
Mamdani faces pressure to forge ahead with plan to fix polluting South Bronx market
By
Elizabeth Kim
Dominican man who shot border patrol officer in NYC sentenced to 15 years in prison
By
Samantha Max
Never miss a story
Catch up on the most important headlines with a roundup of essential NYC stories, delivered to your inbox daily.
Sign upEmail address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .