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Community Meeting on Preserving & Protecting University Place/Broadway Corridors this Thursday, 12/4
 Please join GVSHP and local community leaders and elected officials at a public meeting GVSHP will be hosting this Thursday, December 4th at 6pm at the Baha'i Center, 53 East 11th Street (east of University Place) on the need to preserve and protect the University Place and Broadway corridors from overdevelopment. A flyer for the meeting is here.
Plans have recently been announced for construction of a 23-story, 308 ft. tall residential tower at the Bowlmor site at University Place and 12th Street (NYU's controversial "mega-dorm" erected a few years ago on 12th Street between 3rd and 4th Avenues is, by contrast, about 250 ft. tall). Unfortunately, due to a lack of landmark or adequate zoning protections for this area (see map), such a development can be entirely legal, requiring no public review or approval. In fact, under existing conditions, a development in this area could be even taller, and could be a hotel or dorm.
That is why GVSHP will be holding the meeting on Thursday to discuss potential zoning changes and landmarking proposals which would help preserve the historic character of the area and ensure that any new development is in context with the existing neighborhood, such as those which most of the rest of the Village already enjoys (see map). You can read more about the need for such changes in this recent op-ed in The Villager newspaper here.
A strong turnout at the meeting will be important to send a message to city officials that residents want changes to better protect their neighborhood's character. It is also important that GVSHP hear from neighborhood residents about what kind of zoning changes or landmark proposals you would or would not support and like us to pursue. This is a chance for you to ask questions, find out more, and let your voice be heard.
You can also find out more about this issue, the fight against the NYU expansion plan, and the recent plan by the city to "de-calendar" a hundred proposed landmarks on the Leonard Lopate show today with GVSHP Executive Director Andrew Berman. The segment will begin around 1:20 pm and run until about 2. You can listen to WNYC AM820/93.9 FM (and again at about 1:20 am on 93.9 FM) or at www.wnyc.org/story/overdevelopment-101/, where you can also leave a comment. Call in to 212-433-9692 with questions or comments during the show. |
Business of the Month
 GVSHP has launched our new "Business of the Month" program. Each month, a local, independent business is featured on GVSHP's website and blog Off the Grid, and shared via our electronic newsletter, showcasing one of the Village, East Village, or NoHo's great and unique retail or commercial treasures.
Meet this month's "Business of the Month" -- Makari. Behind an understated storefront on busy Third Avenue near 14th Street lies a charming oasis of beautiful things. Makari Japanese Antiques and Fine Art provides an incense-scented tour of Japanese craft, from ceramics that are hundreds of years old, to contemporary pottery, textiles, sculptures and artworks. Much of the furniture displaying items is for sale, too. While some pieces are pricey, many items are available in the $20-$50 range. Read more here.
Local businesses are the backbone of our neighborhoods, and many find themselves in an increasingly tough, competitive environment of rising rents and proliferating chain stores. GVSHP is committed to highlighting and celebrating those businesses that help keep our neighborhoods unique and special, and provide a service, atmosphere, or specialty that can't be found anywhere else.
We're asking you, the public, to nominate your favorite businesses for consideration for our "Business of the Month." Each selected business will be profiled, and its story shared via social and electronic media. To nominate a business just fill in a very brief form here.
Latest Landmark Applications Available
GVSHP provides an ongoing record of all applications for changes to landmarked properties in our neighborhoods (Greenwich Village, NoHo, Gansevoort Market, the South Village, and the East Village) that require a public hearing before they can be approved. These proposals range from minor alterations to large additions, demolition, and new construction on landmarked sites.
Find out about the application, when the Community Board and NYC Landmarks Preservation Commission public hearings will take place, and how you can weigh in before decisions are made. You can also sign up for alerts to be notified of changes in the status of the application.
The new applications below are scheduled to be heard in the near future at the Community Board, the LPC, or both. Click on each for more information.
To sign up for notifications of new landmarks applications, please click HERE.
Find out more:
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The Greenwich Village Society for Historic Preservation