Hart Island, the mile-long slip of land that has served as New York City’s public cemetery for more than a century, is experiencing a rebirth of sorts.

But city lawmakers are grappling with how best to honor its legacy, while reimagining it for future generations.

The City Council will take public testimony this week as lawmakers reconcile the island’s history as a final resting place for the city’s poor and unclaimed — including many lost to AIDS — and a parks department plan to revitalize and further open the space to the public.

In addition to hearing from the public, the joint hearing between the committees on health, general welfare, and parks and recreation will also take up a measure introduced by Councilmember Diana Ayala that would require the city’s social services and parks

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