Support builds for plan to limit NYU growth downtown
The Greenwich Village Society for Historic Preservation and a coalition of neighborhood groups are urging NYU and the City to work together to try to find locations outside of the Village, East Village, and NoHo for a satellite campus for NYU, so our neighborhoods do not have to absorb all of the university’s future growth (see here). This plan received a strong show of public support last night at the Zoning Committee of Community Board #2 (Greenwich Village, SoHo, NoHo). The standing-room only crowd expressed overwhelming support for the proposal, which was also supported by Borough President Scott Stringer, and the SoHo Alliance joined on as an endorser of the plan.
GVSHP presented the Community Board with data and evidence culled from NYU sources showing how significantly the university has expanded in the neighborhood in recent years, even when their student population has not grown, and substantiating that current signs indicate continuing future expansion (click here). Even NYU, in public statements just prior to the hearing, admitted that such a proposal must be taken seriously and agreed to consider it (click here).
However, at the insistence of Community Board #2 Chair Maria Derr, the Zoning Committee did not issue a resolution in support of the proposal, instead insisting upon a second, joint hearing on the topic by the Zoning Committee and the Institutions Committee of CB 2 in March(date and location TBA). However, Chair Derr and the Committee — which expressed strong support for the proposal — agreed to draft a resolution in support of the proposal to go to the joint hearing next month to serve as the basis of the discussion.
GVSHP will notify you as soon as the joint hearing in March has been scheduled, and ask you to attend to express support. Since a resolution has not yet been sent to the full Board for a vote, WE ARE NO LONGER ASKING PEOPLE TO ATTEND THE FULL COMMUNITY BOARD #2 MEETING ON FEB. 16th TO SPEAK IN SUPPORT OF THIS PLAN, though we do ask that you write to the Board and Committee chairs urging support for the proposal (see below). However, the Zoning Committee of Community Board #3 (East Village, Lower East Side) will meet this Tuesday, Feb. 14 to discuss this issue, and its full Board will meet on Feb. 28th, and we will be urging them to vote to support this proposal.
HOW TO HELP:
Come to the Community Board #3 Zoning Committee hearing and speak IN FAVOR of this proposal, and to the full Community Board #3 meeting, urging them to support this proposal. HEARINGS ARE:
- Community Board #3 Zoning and Housing Committee, this Tuesday, Feb. 14th at Kenton Hall, 333 Bowery (btw. 2nd and 3rd Sts.)
- Full Community Board #3 Meeting, Tuesday, Feb. 28th at 6:30 pm, at Chinatown YMCA Beacon Ctr. at MS 131, 100 Hester St. (btw. Eldridge and Allen Sts.)
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Write to the Community Boards NOW urging them to support this proposal; click here for sample letters and contact information.
Next: 02/17/06
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