Fashion Week Packs Its Bags While Community Waits For Park Restitution Plan

February 22, 2015.  Coming Soon - A Public Park.  Fashion Week, and other events like this are now prohibited from returning to Damrosch Park according to the far-reaching court ordered settlement reached in December.  The park, much of it destroyed to make way for private events, must also be restored.   The defendants however have not produced several key court mandated items required under the agreement. The Parks Department and Lincoln Center were supposed to appear on Monday night at CB 7's Parks Committee meeting but the item was removed from the agenda because the city and the arts group were not ready.  (Photos: Geoffrey Croft/NYC Park Advocates)  Click on images to enlarge 


February 19, 2015. Damrosch Park Convention Center.  For years the Bloomberg administration allowed Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts (LCPA) to rent out the entire 2.4 acre Damrosch Park to various private clients including Fashion Week (above) which they did for up ten months of the year.   These actions constituted an illegal alienation of Damrosch Park in violation of the New York State Public Trust Doctrine and other laws.     

"IMG Fashion Week shall vacate the premises and remove all tents and other Fashion Week equipment from the park," according to the settlement, which was ordered by Supreme Court Justice Margaret Chan.

Manhattan 

By Geoffrey Croft

Thursday marked the last day that the Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week could ever be held in Damroach Park.   

Since then crews have been dismantling the massive tents that have illegally occupied the 2.4 acre public park for the past 5 years.

The runway exodus did not come voluntarily. It is part of a settlement agreement reached with the de Blasio administration after area residents and environmental groups were forced to sue in order to get the park back.

The semiannual function was part of a series of private events that Lincoln Center For The Performing Arts (LCPA) was allowed to host in a deal it struck with the Bloomberg administration.   Lincoln Center had been renting out the park for private events for up ten months of the year.  They are also allowed to keep the money and divert it from the City's General Fund.   

On Thursday people filed into the Fashion Week tents in Damroach Park for the last time. 

By Sunday an aluminum frame was all that remained from the main entrance to Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week located at Damrosch Park's Northeast side. 

Private events in Damrosch Park will now be the exception not the rule according to the far-reaching settlement reached in December between plaintiffs. 

In May 2013 plaintiffs, including NYC Park Advocates, Committee for Environmentally Sound Development, the founder of Friends of Damrosch Park and other individual neighborhood park users were forced to sue over the illegal use of Damrosch Park for non-park purposes in an effort to restore the park and return it back to the community.

One clueless fashion designer,  Nicole Miller, speculated a few days ago that the controversy was over area residents not being able to get taxis.

While the tents are being permanently removed plaintiffs and community representatives are still waiting for the Parks Department and Lincoln Center to comply with several key issues in the stipulation agreement more than two months after it was signed in December. 

• LCPA was supposed to provide CB7 and Plaintiffs with a copy of its annual January submission to the Parks Department listing proposed special events in Damrosch Park.  To date nothing has been received. 

• Planning for the Landscape Plan was supposed to begin in January 2015 but that has not been done as Lincoln Center is still looking for a landscape contractor.   LCPA and the Parks Department  are required to consult with and solicit comments from the Community Board prior to the spring 2015 planting season. During this period, LCPA will also, as part of its overall community relations program, consult with and solicit comments from a range of community organizations in the Lincoln Center neighborhood as well as with the plaintiff organizations, CESD and NYCPA.

The Parks Department and Lincoln Center were supposed to appear at Monday night's CB7's Parks Committee meeting but the item was removed from the agenda because the city and the arts group were not ready.  The reason -  Lincoln Center is still looking for a landscape contractor - three months after the settlement agreement. 

Over the weekend crews began dismantling the massive tents that illegally occupied Damroach Park for the past 5 years. 

Neighborhood groups are supposed to have meaningful input before spring planting begins, to date this has not occurred.  The next Parks Committee meeting is on March 16th.

"I am concerned any delays will leave planters with makeshift plantings thereby allowing for ongoing abuse by trailers and tents next season,"  said plaintiff Cleo Dana of Friends of Damrosch Park.

•  Under the terms of the settlement Lincoln Center will also be required to produce the secret  "sublicense" agreement between Fashion Week and Lincoln Center which lays out the financial arrangements. Lincoln Center received a $ 17.2 million dollar payday over five years which was diverted from the City General Fund.

•  As per the Stipulation Agreement LCPA was supposed to provide a cell number of an emergency contact person who would immediately respond to complaints in Damrosch Park. That never happened either.

A Fordham University student said that sound from Fashion Week could be heard throughout the dorms.

Cleo Dana said the noise on opening day of Fashion Week on Thursday, February 12th was deafening.

"The decibel level was outrageous." she said.  "My China was rattling on my table on the 26th floor a block away.  And as usual residents had no recourse.  It makes sense that they would have provided (the contact) before the event, but they didn't. These people don't care." 

Past complaints including noise,  illegal parking,  idling trucks,  and park destruction were routinely blown off by city officials.  

"When I complained in the past I was told it was a Mayor's event, parks rules do not apply," she said. 

"Neighbors are tired of calling 311and the 20th precinct with no results. I longer call 311, it's  a waste of time."

For weeks Cleo has been pressing various Parks Department officials to get answers, but those efforts have been fruitless.  

No more Mercedes-Benz allowed in the park. 

Attendees of Fashion Week in the seized parkland. 

On February 4th she wrote to Parks Commissioner Mitchell Silver's Chief of staff Margaret Nelson.  Nelson represented the Parks Department at a City Hall meeting between plaintiffs and defendants in December where she identified herself as "our future liaison contact," Dana said. 

Cleo wrote Nelson saying that she attended a Community Board 7 meeting weeks ago to inquire about the status of outstanding issues regarding the settlement agreement. At the meeting CB 7’s Parks Committee Chairman , Klari Neuwelt, assured her that, as per Plaintiffs’ request,  the “Landscape Plan” will be on the Committee’s Feb. 23rd Agenda. 

She asked Silver's chief of staff to "Kindly confirm that the Plan will be presented," along with providing Lincoln Center’s proposed special events for 2015. 

A couple of days later, on February 6th  Nelson responded saying,   "I will look into these requests and get back to you next week." 

She never did. 

A few days later Steve Simon, Chief of Staff for Manhattan Parks Commissioner Bill Castro called to say that Lincoln Center was “looking” for a landscape contractor and would not be able to present at the February 23 Parks Committee meeting.  

"The Plaintiffs and the community are understandably disappointed that two months after our Settlement Agreement, Lincoln Center is still looking to hire a Landscape Consultant," Cleo wrote to Steve Simon.

"We had assumed that Lincoln Center would present the preliminary mandated “Landscape Plan” at the February Community Board 7 Parks Committee meeting so that Plaintiffs and community organizations could have meaningful “input” before the forthcoming planting season.  As Fashion Week packs up for good, we need to know that serious planting will commence this spring to cover the rubble and barren planters left behind;  temporary cosmetic ”flowering plants”  as in past summers which can then be covered over by trailers and tents later in the year are not acceptable.

May I remind you that the Community Board has not yet received a "copy of its annual January submission to the Parks Department listing proposed special events in Damrosch Park for the coming calendar year” as also stipulated in our Settlement Agreement."

Dispite several requests seeking comment the Mayor's press office refused to acknowledge the requests and the Parks Department press office said they were too busy. 

Sign of the Times. 


February 19, 2015.  The Parks Department owned parking garage that Lincoln Center keeps 100% of the proceeds from remains covered from the tents.   

February 22, 2015.

The skeleton remains of Fashion Week are revealed as crews break down the tents.

The park's lone sign provided support to a Fashion Week tent.  On Sunday a worker leaned on it while colleagues removed equipment from the event.

 (Photos: Geoffrey Croft/NYC Park Advocates)  Click on images to enlarge 

Read More:

Fashion Week Ordered To Leave Lincoln Center - Park To Be Restored In Lawsuit Settlement  
A Walk In The Park - December 18, 2014 - By Geoffrey Croft

FASHION WEEK OUSTED FROM LINCOLN CENTER OVER CUT TREES

WABC - December 18, 2014 - By Tim Fleischer 

New York Fashion Week forced to leave Lincoln Center after city settles lawsuit  

New York Daily News - December 18, 2014 -  By Barbara Ross 

Fashion Week to leave Lincoln Center

New York Post - December 18, 2014 - By Natalie O'Neill and Julia Marsh 

Fashion Week to Leave Lincoln Center

New York Times - December 18, 2014 - By Robin Pogrebin   

New York Fashion Week Booted out of Lincoln Center

Associated Press - December 18, 2014 -  By Leanne Italie  

Fashion Week gets kicked out of Lincoln Center

Crain's New York Busness - December 18, 2014 - By Adrianne Pasquarelli 

Following Lawsuit, February's Fashion Week to be Last at Lincoln Center

NY1 - December 18, 2014

Fashion Week evicted from Lincoln Center, according to court settlement

AM New York - December 18, 2014 - By Ivan Pereira 

Fashion Week no longer in style with Lincoln Center

Metro NY - December 18, 2014

New York Fashion Week kicked out of Lincoln Center

CNBC -  December 18, 2014 - By Krystina Gustafson

 This Will Be the Last Fashion Week at Lincoln Center

 New York Magazine -  December 18, 2014 - By Véronique Hyland 

Fashion Week Kicked Out Of Public Park At Lincoln Center

gothamist - December 18, 2014 - Rebecca Fishbein  

 IT'S OFFICIAL: NEW YORK FASHION WEEK IS LEAVING LINCOLN CENTER

 The Hollywood Reporter - December 18, 2014 - By Stephanie Chan

 New York Fashion Week to Leave Lincoln Center

 WNBC - December 18, 2014

City/Lincoln Center Sued Over Illegal Takeover Of Damrosch Park

A Walk In The Park -  May 22, 2013 - By Geoffrey Croft 

Residents Demand Damrosch Park Back - Cease & Letter Sent To City & Lincoln Center

A Walk In The Park - February 15, 2012 - By Geoffrey Croft

Lincoln Center Nightmare- Neighbors Crying Foul Over Takeover Of Damroach Park

A Walk In The Park - February 6, 2012

NYC Allows 56 trees To Be Destroyed For Fashion Week In Damroach Park

A Walk In The Park - September 10, 2010 - By Geoffrey Croft

Bloomberg Lincoln Center Fashion Week Park Deal Diverts $ 17 Million From City Coffers

A Walk In The Park - September 11, 2010 - By Geoffrey Croft

Bloomberg Lincoln Center Fashion Week Park Deal Diverts $ 17 Million From City Coffers

Even though Fashion Week is being held at Damrosch Park, a public park next to Lincoln Center, none of the $17.2 million IMG Fashion is paying over five years to hold the event will make it into the city's coffers. Under a deal approved by the Bloomberg administration the money is instead being diverted to Lincoln Center. (Photo: Geoffrey Croft/NYC Park Advocates) Click on image to enlarge.

Manhattan

As we reported yesterday, the Bloomberg administration allowed IMG fashion and Lincoln Center to destroy 56 trees and will allow an entire city park to be taken over for months annually in order to accommodate Fashion Week, private commercial event.

To add insult to injury, under a five year agreement the Bloomberg Administration is allowing Lincoln Center, a private corporation, to rent out the public park to IMG for $17.2 million over five years and keep the proceeds with nothing going to the city. In sharp contrast, the fees paid to Bryant Park to host the event in prior years went to the park.

So far the City and Lincoln Center have refused to produce the agreement or confirm the amount being paid. The City Comptroller has also been left out of the arrangement and has not been presented with the contract. - Geoffrey Croft

The city is losing out financially on Fashion Week - big time.

The event's sponsor is coughing up $17.2 million to commandeer a city park twice a year through 2014, and the city won't ever see a dime of it, according to the New York Daily News.

Instead, IMG Fashion is paying Lincoln Center the windfall over five years to rent the public Damrosch Park next door, a source familiar with the deal said.

Mayor Bloomberg's spokesman insisted it was no big deal a private entity is pocketing rent for a public space because Lincoln Center has a long-term contract to manage the park.

"That includes the authority to manage and charge for events in those spaces," spokesman Andrew Brent wrote in an e-mail.

That stands in contrast to last year when Fashion Week honchos coughed up $2.6million to rent part of the city's Bryant Park. That rent for two shows went into the park's operating budget through the nonprofit Bryant Park Foundation.

That arrangement changed when Fashion Week outgrew its Bryant Park space and moved next to Lincoln Center, Bloomberg has said.

Friday, the Daily News reported that 67 London Plain trees were removed from the park next to Lincoln Center, in part to make way for Fashion Week's white tents.

Geoffrey Croft, head of NYC Park Advocates, blasted the arrangement: "It is absolutely inappropriate, first that the park is being used for this purpose, and second that the money's being diverted from the city."

Yesterday's front page New York Daily News story exposed the Bloomberg administration's destruction of 56 trees and also allowing Damrosch Park to be used for months of the year for a private commercial private event. Today's follow-up story exposes the deal made by the city that none of the $17.2 million IMG Fashion is paying over five years to hold the event in the public park is going into the city's coffers.

Read More:

City won't see the more than $17 million paid to host Fashion Week in public park at Lincoln Center

New York Daily News - September 11, 2010 - By Tina Moore

NYC Allows 56 trees To Be Destroyed For Fashion Week In Damroach Park

A Walk In The Park - September 10, 2010 - By Geoffrey Croft

NYC Allows 56 trees To Be Destroyed For Fashion Week In Damroach Park

Despite an abundance of alternative space available elsewhere, the Bloomberg administration has allowed a private corporation to occupy the entire 2. 4 acre Damrosch Park on W. 62nd Street behind Lincoln Center to accommodate Fashion Week for a few months a year. This brings the amount of private commercial use of the park to more than seven months annually. State Alienation approval was never received for using the public park land for what are clearly non-park purposes. (Photo: Geoffrey Croft/NYC Park Advocates) Click on image to enlarge.

By Geoffrey Croft

The Bloomberg administration allowed IMG fashion and Lincoln Center to destroy 56 trees and will allow an entire city park to be taken over for months annually in order to accommodate Fashion Week, private commercial event. Crews began preparing for the fashion event on August 19th whereby preventing the public from accessing what is supposed to be a city park. State Alienation approval was never gotten for what is clearly a non-park purpose.

The sponsors proudly announced that the "five-year agreement between IMG Fashion and Lincoln Center will also allow IMG Fashion to unveil event upgrades such as modernized production capabilities for designers and digital services concurrent with the advanced needs of the 21st Century.

The move to Lincoln Center has allowed IMG to envision an event for the 21st century,” IMG Chairman and CEO Ted J. Forstmann said in a press release. “We are tremendously excited to be able to offer the services to designers that the new location will allow as well as upgrade the technology and digital experience of every client, guest and partner.”

Obviously non of this qualifies as a park purpose.

Fashion Week was finally kicked out out of Bryant Park after a 9 year run. The event prohibited the public from enjoying - among other things - the park's center-piece lawn twice a year for many months, including during one of the most beautiful times of the year - the Fall.

According to the Parks Department website, "It is illegal and punishable by law for citizens to damage, destroy, perform unauthorized tree work or otherwise harm a street tree or park tree. No work may be performed on or within 50 feet of a street tree without a Tree Work Permit from Parks. Unpermitted work can lead to serious tree damage. Anyone caught removing or otherwise harming a tree should be reported immediately. Violations are misdemeanors punishable by a fine not to exceed $15,000 and/or imprisonment for up to one year. To report illegal tree damage, call 311 or use our forestry service request system."

The Parks Department has refused to say if permits were in fact issued and who did the killing. The agency has also refused to answer where the 11 trees were supposedly transplanted to.

The Bloomberg administration was on high spin control when they attempted to justify that the killing of the trees was done for heath and safety reasons.

When contacted Parks Department spokeswoman Vickie Karp told the Daily News that the trees were removed because they were "dead" or "declining." Apparently the city expects the public to believe that it was an amazing coincidence all the "dead" or "declining" trees happened to be in the exact locations where they needed to erect the tents. The trees were in fine heath according to numerous park employees who spoke with A Walk In The Park under the condition anonymity.

Councilwoman Gale Brewer, whose Manhattan district includes Damrosch Park also contradicted the Parks Department's press representative.

She told the News that Parks Department officials told her they were going to remove the London Plane trees "in part because of Fashion Week - for the tents."

In Early August the Parks Department attempted to cover up the issue by saying the trees were suffering from the current drought and were "extremely stressed."

This was an embarrassing attempt at spin considering A Walk In The Park first heard about the Parks Department allowing the destruction of the trees in order to accommodate Fashion Week in the Winter - hardly drought conditions. Also implausible considering Lincoln Center certainly has the resources to water trees it wishes to. (Lincoln Center is contractually required to properly maintain the trees under their agreement with the city.)

Those familiar with the condition of the trees that can grow between 65 and 100 feet tall said they just needed care and questioned the decision to eliminate them.

"For urban trees, they were in good condition," landscape architect Ken Smith said. "They were alive and they were providing shade. It was a nice grove."

Smith was fighting plans to redesign the park on 62nd St. between Amsterdam and Columbus Aves. because it was created by renowned landscape architect Dan Kiley.

"It's really sad to see a landscape of his destroyed in New York City, cultural capital, without due discussion," Smith said.

Today's front page Daily News story exposing the Bloomberg administration's destruction of 56 trees and allowing a public park to be used for months of the year for a private commercial private event.

Adding further to the cover up, according to their website Lincoln Center says it was "directed by the Parks Department of the need to remove unsafe dead and dying trees in Damrosch Park," Lincoln Center goes on to state that "Given all of these factors and the many public uses of Damrosch Park, Lincoln Center and the Parks Department intend to consult widely with community groups about the future physical condition of Damrosch Park."

Consultation on the trees nor the use of the public park did not happen. Neither the community board nor the local elected officials were consulted on the plan other than it being presented as a fait accompli, a tradmark of this adminisration.

According to event sponsors, the Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week at Lincoln Center will feature more than 90 designers presenting their collections for Spring 2011.

Officials have repeatedly referenced Fashion Week's new home as being in Lincoln Center when in fact the main event is being held in Damroach Park, a public park. Officials elected not to use Lincoln Center's four buildings or its main plaza for the main fashion shows which would have prevented the destruction of trees and allowed the public access to the park. An irony considering the park was specifically built to accommodate the general public, not the commercial Lincoln Center.

“Parks is thrilled to welcome Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week to its new, larger, home in Damrosch Park at Lincoln Center,” said Parks & Recreation Commissioner Adrian Benepe. “All eyes are on New York City during this exciting week, when Lincoln Center and Damrosch Park will be at the epicenter of the fashion world. Additionally, the center lawn at Bryant Park and the winter skating rink will now be able to have much longer public seasons, thanks to the new location for the fashion shows.”

Manhattan

The city whacked or uprooted dozens of tall, willowy trees to make way for Fashion Week's big white tents - and its leggy models, The New York Daily News has learned.

Workers chopped down 56 towering trees deemed "dead" or "declining" in the city park next to Lincoln Center, and tore out 11 more to transplant elsewhere.

The chopping and ripping happened six months ago, when the site had already been picked as the location of Fashion Week, which kicked off Thursday.

"It's really sad to see a landscape of his destroyed in New York City, cultural capital, without due discussion," Smith said.
The modernist park was built in 1969 and holds the Daniel and Florence Guggenheim bandshell, where events such as the Big Apple Circus are usually held.
A landscape architect familiar with the matter who asked to remain anonymous said the targeted trees were stressed because of a lack of water.
"You don't destroy them," the source said. "You water them."
Councilwoman Melissa Mark-Viverito, who heads the Council's Parks and Recreation Committee, called cutting down the trees "outrageous."
When you talk about all the pomp and circumstance the mayor is giving to planting all these trees and you hear something like this - it doesn't jibe," she said.
Mayor Bloomberg's Million Trees NYC initiative plans to plant and care for a million trees throughout the city over the next decade.
Mark-Viverito also took the Parks Department to task, saying it "has a habit and a way of operating where it really feels it's above having any accountability to anyone."
The trees were standing as recently as February, when Geoffrey Croft, head of NYC Park Advocates, learned of the plan and snapped photos of the them.
"That's a massacre," Croft said.
Read More:

Parks Department chopped down 56 trees, moved 11 to make way for

Fashion Week at Lincoln Center

New York Daily News - September 10, 2010 - By Tina Moore

City won't see the more than $17 million paid to host Fashion Week in public park at Lincoln Center

New York Daily News - September 11, 2010 - By Tina More

Trees Cut Down in Damrosch Park to Make Way for Fashion Week

DNAinfo - September 10, 2010 - By Della Hasselle