NYU’s Massive Expansion Plan Scaled Back Slightly, Borough President Approves
There is lots of news to report today on the NYU expansion plan front:
- NYU and Borough President Stringer announced a deal under which the university made very modest reductions in their massive proposed expansion (15% by our calculations, though proponents claim it’s closer to 20%)in exchange for the Borough President’s support for approval. The Borough President issued his recommendation of approval today – read his press release HERE and his full recommendation HERE.
 GVSHP and our fellow advocates fighting the NYU expansion plan find the revised proposal completely unacceptable – a small reduction in the size of the buildings does nothing to address the plan’s fundamental problems. The modestly revised plan would still turn a residential neighborhood into a twenty-year construction zone; the enormous new proposed facilities would still change neighborhood character with an overwhelming and perpetually growing NYU presence; public park space would still be given over to the university for development in one of the most park-starved neighborhoods in New York City; and this plan would still violate the terms under which NYU was given the formerly-public land on which they are now located, which expressly prohibited this kind of additional development from ever taking place. It also ignores the vastly preferable option of locating the NYU expansion in areas of the city where such development is welcomed by community leaders and appropriate, such as the Financial District and Downtown Brooklyn. Learn more about the revised proposal and responses to it on NY 1, the Architect’s Newspaper, Washington Square News, and DNAinfo.com.
- GVSHP has joined with NYU faculty opposing this massive expansion plan to engage the firm of Gibson Dunn to assist us in our fight against the public approvals required for it to move ahead – read more HERE. The revised NYU plan goes to the City Planning Commission and then the City Council for public hearings and votes; without the approval of both the Commission and the Council, the plan cannot move ahead.
HOW TO HELP:
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Send new letters to city officials urging them to reject the REVISED NYU plan > >
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Come to the City Planning Commission public hearing on the NYU plan Wednesday, April 25th at 10 am at the Museum of the American Indian, at 1 Bowling Green (Broadway at Battery Place/State Street near Battery Park; 4/5 to Bowling Green; R or 1 to Whitehall Street-South Ferry; or J to Broad Street; M5, M15, or M20 Bus)
Learn more about the NYU plan and battle against it HERE.
Thanks for your continuing support as we fight to preserve our neighborhood.
Next: 04/18/12
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