Happy Fourth! Promidade

Last year's  fireworks photographed from the Brooklyn Promenade.

This week's news items of interest:

NYU Expansion Project Clears Final Legal Hurdle and Will Proceed [DNA Info]

Seal makes a splash in Bayside [Queens Chronicle]

Chair of NYC Council parks committee wants Trump contracts terminated [amNewYork]

Plan outlined for Totten remediation [Queens Chronicle]

Protesters clash at American flag burning at Brooklyn park [NY Daily News]

Videos Show 'Inconsistencies' in Woman's Dog-Napping Story, Sources Say [DNA Info]

[NY Daily News]

NY State Court of Appeals Agrees to Hear Case Against NYU Park Alienation Expansion Plan

The state’s highest court,  the Court of Appeals, has agreed to hear arguments regarding NYU's Greenwich Village massive expansion plan.  Plaintiffs are seeking to protect four park parcels that NYU is planning to build on as part of its  $6 billion, 20-year plan.

Last January Manhattan Supreme Justice Donna Mills ruled that the City, "alienated public parkland without approval by the New York State legislature in violation of the Public Trust Doctrine.” The decision would have spared three of the four parks plaintiffs are seeking to protect —Mercer Playground, LaGuardia Park and LaGuardia Corner Gardens—from destruction under NYU’s current expansion plan.  Under that ruling construction could not have begun until the Legislature authorized the removal of the park space.  In January NYU said they were going to appeal. 

On October 14th, the Appellate Division’s First Department overturned the lower court’s decision, ruling in NYU's favor. 

Plaintiffs are hoping to get a better outcome than last years disastrous Court of Appeals Union Square Park ruling. 

"Park advocacy" group New Yorkers For Parks supported the city and developer in both alienation cases. 

- Geoffrey Croft


Manhattan/Albany

NY State Court of Appeals Agrees to Hear Case Against NYU Expansion Plan;

Could Save Village Parks From Destruction, Affect Countless Parks and Open Spaces in the City and State; Actor and Activist Ruffalo Lauds Court’s Acceptance of Case, Warns Earlier Decision Must Be Overturned or Have Disastrous Implications for Public Commons

In the latest installment of the ongoing struggle against NYU’s huge expansion plan, the State's highest court, the New York State Court of Appeals, has agreed to hear a case that was filed by petitioners in mid-November regarding public parkland, according to a press release put out by plaintiffs.

The lawsuit has passed through two lower courts, with differing results. Those following the dispute, especially park advocates, are awaiting a verdict that could have massive ramifications on the way that the City and the State deal with public parks in the future.

On October 14^th, the Appellate Division’s First Department overturned a lower court’s decision that would have spared three parks—Mercer Playground, LaGuardia Park and LaGuardia Corner Gardens—from destruction under NYU’s current expansion plan. According to the lower court’s ruling, all three strips are public parks, and therefore entitled to protection, since the public has been using them as parks for many years, making them “implied” parkland, with the City funding, labeling and maintaining them as parks.

NYU and the City counter-argued that those parks aren't really parks, since they were never "mapped" as parks (a bureaucratic technicality), and are nominally overseen by the City's Department of Transportation. The First Department’s decision would allow NYU to raze those treasured parks to make way for its vast expansion plan, and set a precedent that could potentially threaten countless public parks throughout the City and the State.

Petitioners, NYU Faculty Against the Sexton Plan, Greenwich Village Society for Historic Preservation, Historic Districts Council,Washington Square Village Tenants’ Association, East Village Community Coalition, Friends of Petrosino Square, LaGuardia Corner Gardens, Inc., Lower Manhattan Neighbors’ Organization, SoHo Alliance, Bowery Alliance of Neighbors, NoHo Neighborhood Association, Assembly Member Deborah Glick and 10 other individuals, are represented on a pro bono basis by the law firm Gibson Dunn & Crutcher, with Randy Mastro as lead attorney. 

Their motion papers make clear that “the First Department’s decision disregarded well-established common law principles for determining when municipal land has been impliedly dedicated for parks usage.  In recognition of the unique value that public parks hold for children, families, and communities, the Public Trust Doctrine accords parkland special protection.”

“We’re glad that the Court of Appeals agrees that this case is important. These parks have been a vital part of the Greenwich Village community’s daily life for decades. Not only do we want to save these parks from NYU’s reckless, unnecessary expansion, but we want to do the same for the parks that will be threatened elsewhere if the lower court’s decision stands,” said Andrew Ross, Urbanist and Director of American Studies Program at NYU.

The petitioners are asking the Court of Appeals to consider two issues: that the First Department’s decision actually conflicts with prior appellate court decisions, and prior decisions by the Court of Appeals itself, about this kind of “implied” parkland, and that the First Department’s decision, if left intact, will have the effect of abolishing implied dedication—a consequence with widespread negative effects, not just in New York City, but throughout the State.

Parks and open spaces are protected by the Public Trust Doctrine, which maintains that the government holds the titles to certain waters and lands in trust for the people. In New York State, if an entity wishes to develop or remove a parcel of parkland from public ownership and use, it must follow a legal process called “alienation,” which, among other conditions, requires approval from the state Legislature. This was not done in the case of the Village parks that NYU wants to destroy for its ill-advised expansion plan. The First Department’s decision flies in the face of this doctrine and of its own decisions, and would imperil all kinds of public and green spaces throughout the state; it would leave ordinary New Yorkers with no protection against the removal and abuse of open spaces and parks for development.

“We understand that the battle is not yet over, but we appreciate that the Court of Appeals grasps the gravity of the situation. If these parks can be handed off to NYU in spite of the Public Trust Doctrine, it sets a terrible precedent, and the outcome for similar cases is bleak,” continued Ross.

Professor Mark Crispin Miller, President of NYUFASP, said, “Green spaces like these parks play an imperative role in keeping New York livable. We hope that the Court of Appeals overturns the First Department’s decision before it can do irreparable harm to the Public Trust Doctrine. Without the legal protection that provides, we could lose countless other City and State parks to greedy speculators like NYU.”

“These public parks have been a vital part of the Village for decades, and they have benefitted the public in numerous ways. Without the Court of Appeals’ intervention, not only will they be given to a private corporation for its own financial gain, but such a thing could become a common and unremarkable occurrence throughout New York,” said actor and environmental activist Mark Ruffalo.

Read More:

Court of Appeals to Hear Case Against NYU Expansion

Wall Street Journal -  February 24, 2015 - By Mike Vilensky

Court agrees to hear opponents of NYU expansion

By Bloomberg News - February 24, 2015

Judges to Review Challenges to NYU's Expansion Proposal

New York Law Journal - February 25, 2015 - By Joel Stashenko

NYU Expansion Foes Take Fight To Top NY Court
New York Post - February 24, 2015 - By Julia Marsh    

THE LATEST ON NYU’S EXPANSION PLAN WILL ALSO DICTATE FUTURE PUBLIC PARKS POLICY   
NYULocal - February 24, 2015 

NYU To Appeal Court's Expansion Plan Decision

On Tuesday Manhattan Supreme Justice Donna Mills ruled that the City, "alienated public parkland without approval by the New York State legislature in violation of the Public Trust Doctrine.”  Construction on the $6 billion, 20-year plan cannot begin until the Legislature authorizes removal of the park space.

Manhattan

New York University is planning to appeal a court decision invalidating a portion of its 2 million square-foot expansion plans in Greenwich Village, according to Crains New York Business. 

On Tuesday, state Supreme Court Justice Donna Mills ruled three parcels of land NYU planned to occupy during construction were actually public parks, requiring the university to seek state legislative approval before using them. The university hopes that decision will be overturned in a higher court.

“We are appealing because we disagree with the court's designation of three of the strips as 'implied parkland,” NYU spokesman John Beckman said, reiterating the contention that Ms. Mills’ decision still allows the university to go ahead with the first portion of its proposal, a 1 million-square-foot, mixed-use building.

Should the appeal succeed, the university would not need Albany to sign off on a later portion of its construction plans.

Randy Mastro, an attorney at Gibson and Dunn who represents a number of community groups who filed suit, contends the decision shows the university’s weakness.

“NYU's announcement that it intends to appeal, while unsurprising, is also an acknowledgment that, despite its initial spin, this wasn't a 'positive' outcome for NYU at all,” he said in a statement. “The Greenwich Village community won this case for compelling reasons.”

Mr. Beckman returned fire, stating: “I can understand Mr. Mastro's desire to present his clients with a victory; however, if he thinks he won, why does he keep concocting interpretations of the decision that are at odds with what the judge actually said?"

Read More:

NYU will appeal halt to its expansion

Crains New York Business - January 10, 2014 - By Joe Anuta 

Judge Strikes Down NYU Plan Over Illegal Taking Of Park Land

 - 2nd Ruling Against Bloomberg in Weeks

A Walk In The Park -  January 8, 2014 

Judge Strikes Down NYU Plan Over Illegal Taking Of Park Land - 2nd Ruling Against Bloomberg in Weeks

“NYU’s massive expansion project now cannot go forward, absent State Legislative approval, and that is never going to happen. End of story. “This is a huge victory for the Greenwich Village community, preserving this historic neighborhood and protecting its cherished, precious parkland.”  -   Attorney Randy Mastro 


NYU 2031 Massive Two Million Square Foot $ 6 Billion Expansion Project.  The plaintiff's lawsuit contends that the Bloomberg administration gave NYU rights over public parkland, in violation of state law, which requires, under the Public Trust Doctrine, that parkland cannot be given away without the approval of the State Legislature. The judge agreed.

Manhattan Supreme Justice Donna Mills ruled that the City, "alienated public parkland without approval by the New York State legislature in violation of the Public Trust Doctrine.”  Construction on the $6 billion, 20-year plan can not begin until the Legislature authorizes removal of the park space.

The City Council rubber stamped the project in July 2012.  In September 2012,  eleven groups filed suit against City for illegally approving NYU Sexton expansion plan for Greenwich Village.

The City and NYU had attempted to argue that because the four parks in question were never officially, "mapped" they were not legal parkland and as a result they do not require State Alienation approval.  

Former NYC Deputy Mayor Randy Mastro argued that the parkland had been used for decades and the absence of official mapping does not afford the parks any less legal rights for protection under state law. 

This is the second time in two weeks a judge has ruled that the Bloomberg administration broke the law by illegally alienating parkland.  On December 20th a Brooklyn judge ruled that the Parks Department and NYS DEC by issuing a permit allowed 20 acres in Spring Creek Park near Jamaica Bay to be used by the Department of Sanitation for a solid waste facility.

- Geoffrey Croft 

Manhattan

A Manhattan judge all but halted New York University’s controversial expansion plan Tuesday, ruling that the city broke the law by giving away public parkland without state approval, accordong to the New York Post.

The case, brought by Greenwich Village activists in 2012 drew support from local celebrities including Matthew Broderick, Susan Sarandon and Padma Lakshmi.

“NYU’s massive expansion project now cannot go forward, absent State Legislative approval, and that is never going to happen. End of story,” crowed the neighborhood advocates’ attorney, Randy Mastro.

“This is a huge victory for the Greenwich Village community, preserving this historic neighborhood and protecting its cherished, precious parkland.”

Manhattan Supreme Justice Donna Mills said construction on the $6 billion, 20-year plan that alters the green space cannot begin until Albany lawmakers OK the removal of the park space.

About 20 Greenwich Village residents including NYU faculty sued the city and the university in September 2012 to stop the plan, claiming that the university did not obtain required approvals for the construction on two “superblocks” between W. 3rd, Houston and Mercer streets and LaGuardia Place.

Mercer Playground, one of two playgrounds NYU had hoped to tear down and replace with skyscrapers in its $ 6 billion dollar expansion plan  The plan also included removing a community garden (photo below) and a dog run. (Photo:  Terri Cude) 

Residents like Matthew Broderick, who lives on Charles Street with his “Sex & the City” actress wife Sarah Jessica Parker and their kids said the plan will change the character of the Village.

“I’m very interested in this whole change that’s potentially going to happen to the Village,” Broderick told The Post outside court last February.

“I grew up on Washington Square. NYU has just taken more and more of what I think of as a unique and important part of the Village where a huge amount of creativity has come from,” Broderick said.

Sarandon donated two hours of free ping pong at her club SPiN to raise legal funds for the case.

The LaGuardia Corner Garden has been at it's current location at the corner of Bleecker Street and LaGuardia Place since 1981. Neighbors of LaGuardia Place Park paid for landscaping and raised funds for a new toddler park themselves. Under NYU's plan, residents would have also lost the Mercer-Houston Dog Run. (Photo: Elisabeth Robert/The Villager)

The City Council greenlighted the project in the summer of 2012.

But Justice Mills ruled in a 78-page decision that the city “alienated public parkland without approval by the New York State legislature in violation of the Public Trust Doctrine.”

City lawyer Chris Reo said, “We just received and are reviewing the decision.”

A spokesman for NYU downplayed the loss, saying that the ruling still allows the university to move forward on an initial project — building a new academic space on a site that currently houses athletic facilities.

“Once we have a chance to thoroughly review the decision with our planning team and determine the precise impact of the ruling on our ability to implement other elements of the plan, we will work with the City, as lead respondent, to determine our next legal steps,” said spokesman John Beckman.

Sticker distributed by Andrew Berman, Executive Director of Greenwich Village Society for Historic Preservation at the court hearings. 

Read More:

Judge says NYC broke the law in NYU expansion plan

New York Post - January 7, 2014 - By Julia Marsh  

NYU/City In Court Over Attempted Illegal Parkland Swipe

A Walk In The Park -  February 26, 2013 - By Geoffrey Croft

NYU, City, State Sued Over NYU's Massive 2031 Expansion Plan  

A Walk In The Park -  September 26, 2012  

NYU's Mega-Expansion Plan Presses Forward With Park/Open Space Destruction

A Walk In The Park - January 28, 2012 

NYU Expansion Plan Presses Forward With Park Destruction

A Walk In The Park - September 17, 2011 

Residents Fight NYU Over Parkland Destruction

A Walk In The Park -  November 1, 2010 

NYU Expansion Plans Include Destruction of Beloved Parks

A Walk In The Park - May 18, 2010

NYU/City In Court Over Attempted Illegal Parkland Swipe

Judge Grants Expedited Discovery Against NYU and City In Attempted Park Land Grab Case


NYU 2031 Massive Two Million Square Foot $ 6 Billion Expansion Project.  The plaintiff's lawsuit contends that the Bloomberg administration gave NYU rights over public parkland, in violation of state law, which requires, under the Public Trust Doctrine, that parkland cannot be given away without the approval of the State Legislature.

Manhattan

By Geoffrey Croft

A Manhattan State Supreme Court judge this afternoon granted an expedited discovery motion request in favor of plaintiffs suing NYU and City in an attempted park land grab case which has erupted in the West Village.

At issue is whether or not NYU can proceed in building its massive two million square foot expansion project without first getting State Alienation approval to remove 4 parks - some of which have been used for more than three decades - in order to build its enormous NYU 2031 project.   

The suit contends that the Bloomberg administration gave NYU rights over public parkland, in violation of state law, which requires, under the Public Trust Doctrine, that parkland cannot be given away without the approval of the State Legislature.

The City and NYU are attempting to argue that because the four parks in question were never officially, "mapped" they are in fact not legal parkland and as a result they do not require State Alienation approval.

Former NYC Deputy Mayor Randy Mastro presented the plaintiff's argument before the Honorable Donna Mills at 111 centre street this afternoon. 

Mr. Mastro argued that the parkland had been used for decades and the absence of official mapping does not afford the parks any less legal rights for protection under state law. 

"You can't take that precious parkland away without prior State approval under state law,"  he said.

He said they needed this discovery based on "misrepresentations by the City and NYU."

More than a 100 people attended today's hearing - many of which wore stickers distributed by Andrew Berman, Executive Director of Greenwich Village Society for Historic Preservation.

The City, represented by Christopher Reo stated that because the four parks were never de-mapped from the Department of Transportation they were not parks in the legal sense no matter how long they have been used as parkland.

This is position that is not consistent with other park and open space policies stated by the Bloomberg administration.   

In September lawyers filed suit in Manhattan State Supreme Court on behalf of 11 Greenwich Village groups trying to stop NYU's city-approved expansion.     

On Friday plaintiffs filed a blistering affidavit from former NYC Parks Commissioner Henry Stern which called out NYU's and the Bloomberg Administration's contention that four parcels of parkland are not actually City parks.  

The four parks involved with the proposed NYU expansion-Mercer Playground, LaGuardia Park, LaGuardia Corner Gardens,  and Mercer-Houston Dog Run range from 13 to more than 32 years of continuous public use.

Assemblymember Deborah Glick also wrote an affidavit supporting the contention that the City’s approval of the NYU expansion plan amounted to an illegal giveaway of public parkland and that any move to turn City parkland over to a private entity, like NYU, must have the approval of the State legislature under the Public Trust Doctrine.


Actor Matthew Broderick speaks with reporters after the hearing.

Actor Matthew Broderick was among more than 100 people who attended today's hearing many of which wore stickers saying, PLEASE SAVE OUR PARKS. 

"This issue is personal. I live in the village, I use the parks," Broderick, a life-long Greenwich Village resident said after the hearing. 

"It's not just my children.  I grew up on Washington Square and NYU is taking up more and more."

Matthew Broderick testified at the NYU expansion hearings at City Hall on June 29, 2012.  

"Parks they make the city livable, It's hard enough. There's only one Greenwich Village, its great if any parkland is preserved."

Broderick was accompanied by fellow Village native and parent Kenneth Lonergan, a noted playwright and screenwriter, and New York University alumni.

"The university doesn't own Greenwich Village, and the part they do own they're destroying. And it's not for the students, it's for money," Lonergan said.  

Both Broderick and Lonergan noted the dearth of available parkland in the community. 

The case contests the City Planning Commission's and the City Council's decision to approve a massive building plan by NYU, which would radically impact the area-  turning the heart of Greenwich Village into a jam-packed construction site for over 20 years, The plan would also permanently destroy two of the four parks. 

Various groups, including NYU Faculty Against the Sexton Plan (NYUFASP), the Historic Districts Council, and the Greenwich Village Society for Historic Preservation, filed suit because the approved construction plan, among many other illegalities, gave NYU rights over public parkland.

At the end of the hour hearing Alan Levine argued strenuously on behalf of NYU to no avail.

Judge Mills signed an order show cause granting the plaintiffs permission to argue for discovery before the April 29th hearing.

“We are deeply gratified by the judge’s ruling today," said Andrew Berman Executive Director Greenwich Village Society for Historic Preservation.

"It’s only one small step, but an important one towards ensuring that New Yorker’s parks, light and air, and control over the fate of their communities are preserved, and not simply sold off to the highest or most politically well-connected bidder.”   

Besides Mr. Mastro plaintiffs are also represented by Jim Walden, both partners of Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher.

Read More:

Actor Matthew Broderick joins Greenwich Village neighbors

in protesting New York University expansion plans

New York Daily News - February 26, 2013 - By Barbara Ross 

NYU gotta be kidding! Matthew Broderick rips $6B expansion

New York Post -  By Julia March February 27, 2013

Professors And Villagers Take NYU To Court, Matthew Broderick Shows Up To Watch

NYU Local - By Zoë Schlanger  February 26, 2013 

Matthew Broderick Joins NYU Expansion Opponents in Court

DNAinfo - February 26, 2013 - By Andrea Swalec

NYU, City, State Sued Over NYU's Massive 2031 Expansion Plan

Rendering of proposed  $ 6 billion NYU Greenwich Village expansion as envisioned when completed in 2031. On Monday eleven groups and Eleven individuals sued NYU, the City and State officers and agencies for approving the NYU’s 2031 expansion plan, known as the Sexton Plan. The suit was filed in New York County State Supreme Court. The suit asserts among other things that NYU's massive plan,  "illegally alienates parkland, illegally destroys historic resources, illegally ignores deed restrictions."

The suit asks the court to reverse the city’s approval.  The City Council rubber stamped the project in July.

"The city and state made a series of erroneous and irrational decisions to overhaul local zoning, alienate public parkland, and green-light NYU's project, despite the unanimous objection of the local Community Board, the affected communities, historic preservationists, and much of NYU's own faculty," said Randy Mastro, partner of the law firm Gibson Dunn and Crutcher, who represents the petitioners on a pro bono basis, in a statement.

Manhattan

Eleven Groups File Suit Against City for Illegally Approving NYU Sexton Expansion Plan for Greenwich Village; 

Alleges Violations of the Public Trust Doctrine, Illegal Manipulation of Restrictive Deeds, Destruction of Parkland, Playgrounds and Historic Preservation Site, Failure to Adequately Consider Environmental Impacts, and Failure to Adhere to an Open and Transparent Process

Today, NYU Faculty Against the Sexton Plan, Greenwich Village Society for Historic Preservation, Historic Districts Council, Washington Square Village Tenants’ Association, East Village Community Coalition, Friends of Petrosino Square, LaGuardia Corner Gardens, Inc., Lower Manhattan Neighbors Organization, SoHo Alliance, Bowery Alliance of Neighbors, NoHo Neighborhood Association, and 11 individuals, announced that they filed an Article 78 lawsuit against several City and State officers and agencies for their unlawful approval of NYU’s 2031 expansion plan, known as the Sexton Plan. The suit was filed in New York County State Supreme Court.

The case challenges decisions by the City and the State to approve the massive Sexton Plan, a $6 billion, almost two million square foot construction plan in the heart of historic Greenwich Village, for the convenience of NYU.  The petition alleges that the plan illegally alienates parkland, illegally destroys historic resources, illegally ignores deed restrictions, and, as government decision-makers readily admit, is going to cause severe, unmitigated environmental impacts on NYU’s Village neighbors, including the several thousand who reside at the site and will now be forced to live in a construction zone for the next two decades. 

The lawsuit alleges that government decision-makers, including both the City Planning Commission and the NYC Council, largely deferred to NYU’s wishes and even illegally turned over public land to facilitate NYU’s project, despite less intrusive alternatives and available mitigation measures that would have alleviated the inevitable hardships here.  The petition also claims that government decision-makers compounded their substantive errors by conducting a decision-making process with a preordained outcome that lacked the transparency required by law under ULURP and effectively denied the public meaningful input.  The government decision-makers refused even to consider the adverse impacts on the most affected group—the NYU faculty, 40 percent of whom reside at the site—rendering their ultimate decisions irrational, and arbitrary and capricious, as a matter of law. 

Thirty-seven NYU departments and three NYU schools, including the Stern School of Business, have passed resolutions opposing the project. 

“The CPC and the City Council bought NYU’s premise that they needed to expand in its core in the Village community in order to become a so-called world class university.  But the fact is that NYU uses buildings all over NYC.  NYU was never required by the City to prove that the expansion was really needed in the Village.  We, the faculty, know that this bloated expansion   isn’t necessary and that’s why so many of us have voted to oppose it.  The Sexton Plan has nothing to do with education; it’s a land grab and nothing more, and the City failed to hold NYU accountable,” said Mark Crispin Miller, NYU Professor of Media and Culture and a member of NYU Faculty Against the Sexton Plan.

NYU’s enormous project will add almost two million square feet of new space—about half of it dedicated to such nonacademic purposes as a performing arts center, gymnasium, housing and retail establishments—to a two square block area in an already-congested Greenwich Village.  It is, as the petition notes, “a project so massive in scale, disproportionate to the surrounding area, and out-of-sync with the neighborhood that it threatens to overwhelm one of New York City’s crown jewels, historic Greenwich Village.”

“The City and State made a series of erroneous and irrational decisions to overhaul local zoning, alienate public parkland, and green-light NYU’s project, despite the unanimous objection of the local Community Board, the affected communities, historic preservationists, and much of NYU’s own faculty.  Indeed, in bending over backwards to accommodate NYU’s wishes, these government decision-makers have abrogated their legal responsibility to protect communities from the very harms being inflicted here. We hope that the Court will agree with us and put a stop to this project,” said Randy Mastro, partner in the international law firm Gibson Dunn and Crutcher, who are representing the petitioners on a pro bono basis.

In essence, the suit asks the Court to reverse the City’s approval by enjoining the City from removing parkland or making any other changes asked for by the Sexton Plan and by also enjoining NYU from starting any construction.

The approved Sexton Plan would destroy a number of the Village’s cherished green spaces, and parkland, including a children’s playground, one of the oldest community gardens in the City and would remove 300 irreplaceable mature trees.  Under the law, public parkland cannot be “alienated” without prior approval by the State legislature.

“In approving the NYU 2031 plan, the City failed to follow the law, consider public input, and serve the best interests of the people of New York City.  Dire negative potential environmental and financial impacts of the plan were ignored, as were feasible alternatives which would have been greener and more beneficial long-term to the Village, the City as a whole, and even the University.  We look forward to a fair and impartial review of this plan, which the people of the City of New York were entitled to under the law, but which was not given to us by City officials during the public approval process,” said Andrew Berman, Executive Director of the Greenwich Village Society for Historic Preservation.

“If NYU is allowed to build on the designed open space of Washington Square Village, it would set a damaging precedent for modern architectural development throughout New York City,” said Simeon Bankoff, Executive Director of the Historic Districts Council.  “Removing the park from the plan corrupts the progressive ideals of the complex and transforms an urban oasis into a concrete jungle,” he added.

“The NYU plan will alter the ambiance of SoHo in the small streets that are the heart of the cast iron historic district, said Robert Riccobono, vice president of SoHo Alliance.  “Dignified and stylish furniture and clothing stores will give way to the mass market drugstores and food shops that serve college communities.  As the neighborhood becomes homogenized, more of the unique character of the City will suffer.”

Stamped copies of the full petition, excerpts from the petition and affidavits in support of the petition are available upon request.

Additional quotes from petitioners:

“The massive height, bulk and density of the Sexton Plan will have a detrimental effect on the surrounding communities.  As a result of the growing influx of NYU students, the Bowery has experienced growing dormitory construction, escalation of real estate values creating secondary displacement of residents and small businesses and a burgeoning bar/restaurant scene with its attendant congestion that is having a negative impact on the quality of life of the residents on the Bowery.  The Sexton Plan will encourage more development which will destroy the special historic build on the Bowery,” said Jean Standish, Treasurer of Bowery Alliance of Neighbors, one of the petitioners.

“We live in one of the most park-starved neighborhoods in New York City, one that has become unbearably overdeveloped and overcrowded.  The green open spaces in the “Super Blocks,” the community garden, the mature deciduous trees, especially the magnificent Sasaki Garden, are refuges of tranquility we cannot live without,” said Georgette Fleischer, Founder and President of Friends of Petrosino Square.

“The Sexton Plan gives NYU permission to demolish LaGuardia Corner Garden, the longest running community garden in New York City, during construction.  The City Council and the New York City Parks Department did not secure the garden’s future with any preservation or mitigation guarantees.  This administration has rolled back protections that community garden organizations have worked for decade to establish, resulting in the senseless demolition of these environmentally valuable open spaces,” said Ellen Horan, Vice Chair of LaGuardia Corner Gardens.

“LMNO(P) spent nearly a decade to create a public playground under the jurisdiction of the Parks Department with the understanding that this public space on City-owned land would exist for future generations.  Giving NYU these publicly owned lands is a betrayal of the public interest, and slaps the many citizen volunteers who have dedicated years of hours to improve our communities,” said Enid Braun, President, Lower Manhattan Neighbors’ Organization.

“The massive expansion of facilities and student population at the core will amplify pressures that NYU's insatiable demand for growth has placed on housing and on local businesses in the East Village for more than a decade,” said Sara Romanoski, Managing Director, East Village Community Coalition.

Read More:

City Is Sued Over Approval of N.Y.U. Expansion Plan

The Associated Press Via The New York Times - September 25, 2012

11 groups sue city to block NYU expansion 

Crains New York - September 25, 2012- By Amanda Fung 

Purple Pulverizers: NYU Faculty, Preservationists Sue University 

Over Greenwich Village Expansion

NY Observer - September 25, 2012 - By Matt Chaban 

NYU, City, State Sued Over NYU's Giant 2031 Expansion Plan
gothamist - September 25, 2012 -  By Garth Johnston 

N.Y.U.’s Plan to Expand Is Approved by Council

New York Times - July 25, 2012 -  By Joseph Berger 

NYU's Mega-Expansion Plan Presses Forward With Park/Open Space Destruction

A Walk In The Park - January 28, 2012 

NYU Expansion Plan Presses Forward With Park Destruction

A Walk In The Park - September 17, 2011 

Residents Fight NYU Over Parkland Destruction

A Walk In The Park -  November 1, 2010