NYC Planning Commission Approves NYU2031 by 12:1

The New York City Planning Commission (CPC) voted 12:1 to approve NYU's 20 Year Expansion Plan with minor changes.  Public Advocate Bill DeBlasio's representative voted against the plan.  The recommended changes to the plan are:

• The height of the proposed new buildings in Washington Square Village have been reduced
• The commercial overlay for the blocks east of Washington Square has been eliminated
• The hotel use has been eliminated from the proposed "Zipper" Building on Mercer Street
• Some underground classroom space under what are currently publicly owned park spaces have been eliminated

Take Action:
Write City Councilmembers urging them to reject the NYU plan > >
Call City Councilmembers' offices urging them to reject the NYU plan > >
Thank Public Advocate Bill DeBlasio for his independence and for his City Planning Commission appointee voting AGAINST the plan -- e-mail him at GetHelp@pubadvocate.nyc.gov!

For more details on the decision, readthe full letter from Greenwich Village Society for Historic Preservation which is included below.  NYU's press release about the CPC decision can be read at http://www.nyu.edu/content/dam/nyu/govCommunAffairs/documents/2031/Resources%20Page/NYU-2031-Core-Proposal-June-6-2012.pdf.

This morning the City Planning Commission voted 12 to 1 in favor of NYU's massive proposed Village expansion plan with minor modifications. All of the Mayor's and all of the Borough Presidents' representatives voted in favor, while Public Advocate Bill DeBlasio's representative voted AGAINST the plan. The approval by the Commission was completely expected, as the Mayor had made clear his strong support for the plan. However, we are greatly encouraged by the Public Advocate's rejection of the plan, and now we will see if the City Council, which must hold public hearings and vote upon the plan, will exercise similar independence and reject the plan.
The City Planning Commission's approval did come with some changes to the plan:

• The height of the proposed new buildings in Washington Square Village have been reduced

• The commercial overlay for the blocks east of Washington Square has been eliminated

• The hotel use has been eliminated from the proposed "Zipper" Building on Mercer Street

• Some underground classroom space under what are currently publicly owned park spaces have been eliminated

However, other minor changes to the plan which NYU agreed to with Borough President Stringer as a condition for his approval have actually been put back into the plan, such as the small reduction in the size of the proposed "Zipper" building on Mercer Street. Overall, the bulk of the proposed new developments stays mostly unchanged.
GVSHP will let you know when the City Council's public hearings on the plan have been scheduled, which are expected to be the last week in June.
HOW TO HELP:
Write City Councilmembers urging them to reject the NYU plan > >
Call City Councilmembers' offices urging them to reject the NYU plan > >
Thank Public Advocate Bill DeBlasio for his independence and for his City Planning Commission appointee voting AGAINST the plan -- e-mail him at GetHelp@pubadvocate.nyc.gov!
You can find out more about NYU's massive expansion plan and efforts to stop it HERE. To support GVSHP's efforts to fight the NYU plan and other preservation efforts, click HERE.