[glorgau]

They paid a lot of money for those apartments.

But they didn't pay for the public land. They can pony up some money if they want to keep their private view.

[sine_nomine]

Lifestyles of the rich and boring.

[GovernmentShrinker]

The article says the city "seized the land" in the 1930s. It's not clear that the city PAID for the land (perhaps the nominal cost lease agreement was considered fair compensation, but that would essentially amounted to the owners paying to lease their own land). If the city did pay, I'd like to know how much.

[Age of Reason]

There's something in NYC called community gardens.

I'm not sure how it works, but less well to do New Yorkers may have taken it upon themselves to plant vegetables in vacant lots--lots owned by NYC, I believe.

Then years later, the City decides to build something on the land, the the gardeners complain and take the city to court.

Something like that.

I wonder how those court cases come out and if the story of those community gardens have a parallel with this story, and whether the outcome is different because of the wealth of the people doing the complaining.

[lepton]

They can pony up some money if they want to keep their private view.

Well, if this rendition is at all accurate, no the cannot. It was taken as public domain.