Metro

War for co-opted parkland

This is one hot piece of grass.

The plot behind 1 Sutton Place is one of the most contested green spaces in the city, with a nine-year turf war raging between the star-studded East Side co-op and city officials over use of the property.

City and state officials accuse the co-op of illegally squatting on a section of the secret gated garden, arguing that a sweetheart deal from the city for exclusive access to the roughly half-acre plot expired more than a decade ago.

The high-strung co-op board (which once made the late Bill Blass promise to not have overnight guests) appears to be ready to give up a quarter-acre strip of the garden for a public park, according to those close to the negotiations.

But locals are still antsy after years of negotiations.

“The city has really treaded very gingerly about it, but this is too important to wait,” said Mark Thompson, chair of Community Board 6, which represents the East Side. “Public property that belongs to the public should be accessible.”

Residents of the ritzy 13-story building include John Fairchild, the former publisher of Women’s Wear Daily and hedge-fund boss Richard Perry. Sigourney Weaver lived there until recently.

In 1939, the city gave the building exclusive access to the East River waterfront garden for a buck a year, and, in exchange, the co-op gave up a chunk of its land to build the FDR.

That deal expired in 1990, and officials started making a stink about it in 2003, when renovations to the FDR brought the ownership issue to light.

Residents put up a fight, suing in 2007 to keep their precious urban oasis — or get $10 million in compensation.

Peter Neger, the co-op’s lawyer, said he expects the board to eventually sign off on an agreement. A spokeswoman for the city Law Department said they were “actively trying to resolve the matter.”

hhaddon@nypost.com