Come to the second St. Vincent’s public hearing!
Very Important Second Public Hearing on St. Vincent’s and Rudin Luxury Condo/New Hospital Development Plan
Monday, February 25, at 6:30 pm
at P.S. 41 — 116 West 11th Street, west of 6th Avenue
(due to large expected turnout, we recommend you arrive and sign in to speak early, to help ensure you get a chance to testify)
Next Monday, February 25 there will be a second very important Community Board hearing on the plan by St. Vincent’s Hospital and the Rudin Company to build 1.3 million sq. ft. of luxury condos and new hospital facilities on the site of the current St. Vincent’s hospital (see updates below).
More than 800 people came to the last hearing, sending a strong message that the current plan was not acceptable, and must be substantially changed. Many people expressed the same concerns about the plan as GVSHP:
- that it involved unnecessary and precedent-setting demolition of landmarked historic buildings
- that the two very large new proposed buildings were totally out-of-scale for the neighborhood
- that it involved an unacceptable upzoning and increase in density
- that there are alternatives for building a new hospital that are compatible with the character of our neighborhood
As a result, the Landmarks Committee of the Community Board voted unanimously to recommend rejection of the current proposal. It is now critical that we convey our message again loud and clear at this second hearing, so the full Community Board adopts our recommendations. We strongly urge you to attend and testify at the hearing on the 25th (feel free to use the above bullet points as part of your testimony).
Because so many people turned out to the last hearing to express opposition to aspects of the current plan, not everyone who attended got to testify. Those who testify this time will likely only get 1-2 minutes to speak, so I strongly recommend bringing written copies of your full comments to submit, in case you are not called to speak in time, or are not given enough time to read your full testimony. (GVSHP has urged the Community Board to reserve as much time as possible at this hearing for testimony from the public.)
Another important reminder: State Senator Tom Duane has set up an on-line survey about the St. Vincent’s/Rudin proposal. The survey can be found here, or by going to www.tomduane.com and clicking on “Latest News: Community Survey on St. Vincent’s Redevelopment.” I urge you to fill out this survey as soon as possible — Senator Duane has said he will consider feedback from the survey when “negotiating for concessions” on the plan.
When responding to the survey, it is vitally important that you to list “Retaining current Smith-Raskob, Nurses Residence, Reiss and Spellman buildings for reuse” as “Very Important” and as a “Top Priority.” These are the historic, landmarked buildings which the plan would demolish to make way for a huge luxury condo complex, including an enormous 265 ft. tall apartment block. Ensuring that these buildings are re-used rather than demolished will preserve the integrity of our landmark district, minimize demolition and new construction on the site, and eliminate the enormous planned apartment block. You can also list reducing the size and height of the proposed new buildings as “Very Important” and “Top Priority.” Also, under Question #2, “Do you have concerns that were not included in the prior question?,” I urge you to add that you “oppose any upzoning or increase in overall density on the sites.”
The current Rudin/St. Vincent’s proposal would be by far the largest development in Greenwich Village in over 50 years, and set far-reaching precedents for our neighborhood and for our landmark and zoning protections. It is critical that we secure changes to the plan now. To find out more, look at the plans for the site and GVSHP's testimony, or call us at (212) 475-9585.
Next: 02/26/08
Previous: 02/04/08
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