Template for Letter to Scott Stringer

Dear Neighbor:

By now you’re probably aware that NYU is planning to turn your backyard—and all of Greenwich Village—into a massive construction site.

What this means for all of us: 18 years of dust, smoke, cranes, debris, late-night and early-morning truck deliveries, and jackhammers. The university’s 2031 plan will also destroy public parks, playgrounds, dog runs, beloved community gardens, and our local grocery store.

It’s not too late to stop this awful plan. But we need your help. Please take a moment to write a letter and mail it to Borough President Scott Stringer. We’ve included a sample letter to give you some ideas, but please make it your own.

Every letter counts: Stringer wants to be mayor. If we ALL just take a moment of our time, we can save our homes and neighborhood for the next 18 years.

Thank you!

A template has been included below -- please feel free to write your own reasons for wanting to save our neighborhood (“I want a safe playground for my children,” or “I like trees and birds”).  Also, you can download the letter template here.

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Scott Stringer
[address here]
212-669-8300

Dear Borough President Stringer:

We’ve long admired your commitment to the issues that New Yorkers care about. Right now, as residents of Greenwich Village, we’re concerned about New York University’s plan to destroy or severely alter:

• The Hideo Sasaki Garden, a public garden designed by a revered landscape architect as a groundbreaking “urban oasis,” and now home to 88 varieties of plants and trees.
• I.M. Pei’s iconic Silver Towers, by another giant of modernist architecture, a world-famous example of tower-in-the-park design.
• The beloved LaGuardia Corner Garden, a neighborhood institution where local residents have planted flowers and vegetables for over 30 years.
• Our children’s playground, one of the few remaining SAFE public spaces in the neighborhood.
• The strip of public parkland along LaGuardia, where the much-loved statue of Fiorello LaGuardia now stands.
• Our neighborhood dog run, grocery store, air quality, and peace of mind.

NYU’s 2031 plan will turn one of the more dense and bustling neighborhoods in Manhattan—and a major tourist destination—into a dusty, smoky, dangerous construction site for the next 18 years.

It’s hard for me to believe that you would support such a plan, especially when there are viable alternatives that the university has been unwilling to consider.

We are your constituents, and we need you to represent us. We’re asking you for two things:

--Please ask NYU to withdraw its ULURP application.
--Please join us in asking NYU to stop its assault on our neighborhood.

This is not just about Greenwich Village. Once public land is gone, it’s gone forever. This takeover of public spaces is a dangerous precedent for the entire city.

You have the opportunity to reject this plan. You can show us that green space, public parks, playgrounds, and public health are NON-NEGOTIABLE for New Yorkers and NON-NEGOTIABLE for you.

Please show us that you support the people of New York City over the interests of deep-pocketed real estate developers.

Sincerely,

[Name]
[Address]