Coverage of July 18 Parkland Alienation Hearing

Padma Lakshmi Joins Villagers' Fight Against NYU Expansion [Gothamist]

‘Top Chef’ host Padma Lakshmi joins fight against NYU’s planned Village expansion [New York Post]

Padma Lakshmi Joins NYU Expansion Opponents in Court [DNAinfo]

Sexy vs. Sexton: Padma Shows Up to Support Lawsuit Against NYU 2031 [Bedford + Bowery]

Village residents face off against NYU to keep green space [The Real Deal]

FULL: WSV Sasaki Garden Tour, August 1

GVSHP is no longer accepting reservations for the Sasaki Garden in Washington Square Village Walking Tour with Ellen Jouret-Epstein scheduled for August 1.

Aug 1: WSV Garden Tour with Ellen Jouret-Epstein‏

Sasaki Garden in Washington Square Village
A Walking Tour with Ellen Jouret-Epstein
Thursday, August 1
6:30 – 8:00 P.M.
Meeting location provided after registration is confirmed
Free; reservations required

This 1.5 acre garden at Washington Square Village was completed in 1959 as an integral part of that modernist apartment complex, now owned by New York University.  An early project of the young landscape architecture firm, Sasaki, Walker and Associates, the Garden is one of the few examples in New York City of open space so well integrated with housing, and the only one from its period to survive. Based on her study of the garden, Ms. Jouret-Epstein will discuss the interesting history of the Washington Square Village complex, from its origins as part of Robert Moses’ development plans for the South Village to its purchase by NYU, and highlight the garden’s design and planting strategies that have preserved space and light for the surrounding buildings for more than 50 years.

Image and text from GVSHP.

Parkland Alienation Court Hearing: Thurs., July 18

 
WHO: YOU! PLEASE COME TO A HEARING ON THE NYU 2031 PLAN this Thursday at 10am — this may be our last opportunity to be heard!

WHAT: There are six causes of action filed against various City and State Agencies. Our attorneys will argue the merits of these claims, and the judge will decide whether to dismiss or uphold them.

WHERE: NY STATE SUPREME COURT–JUDGE DONNA MILLS–ROOM 574, 111 CENTRE STREET (between White & Leonard Streets), NYC

WHEN: THURSDAY, JULY 18, 2013, 10:30 AM (BE THERE BY 10:00 IN ORDER TO CLEAR SECURITY–BRING PHOTO ID)

WHY: IT IS VERY IMPORTANT THAT THE JUDGE SEES THAT THE COMMUNITY IS OUTRAGED BY THE NYU 2031 PLAN. WE ARE, SO BE THERE!

Image and text from NYUFASP.

Fill the Courtroom on July 18 - NYU 2031 Hearing

CRITICAL ACTION!  YOUR PRESENCE IS CRITICAL!
Come to the next court hearing on NYU’s 2031 plan – July 18!!

WHO: YOU! PLEASE COME TO A HEARING ON THE NYU 2031 PLAN -- this may be our last opportunity to be heard!

WHEN: THURSDAY, JULY 18, 2013, 10:30 AM ( BE THERE BY 10:00 IN ORDER TO CLEAR SECURITY--BRING PHOTO ID)

WHERE: NY STATE SUPREME COURT--JUDGE DONNA MILLS--ROOM 574, 111 CENTRE STREET (between White & Leonard Streets), NYC

WHAT: There are six causes of action filed against various City and State Agencies. Our attorneys will argue the merits of these claims, and the judge will decide whether to dismiss or uphold them.

IT IS VERY IMPORTANT THAT THE JUDGE SEES THAT THE COMMUNITY IS OUTRAGED BY THE NYU 2031 PLAN.

WE ARE, SO BE THERE!

Alienation of Parkland Hearing on July 18, 10:30 a.m.

The Alienation of parkland hearing is scheduled for Thursday, July 18, 10:30 a.m. in Judge Mills' chambers, Room 574, 111 Centre.

2 Acres of Parkland Sold for University Development in Phoenix

The City Parks blog reports that in May 2011, a Phoenix neighborhood lost 2.015 acres of municipal parkland when the city sold the land to the private, for-profit Grand Canyon University for its $200 million campus expansion plan.  Sound familiar?  In 2012, the university sought to purchase the remaining 13.8 acres but legal and electoral advocacy prevented the sale.

Read more at City Parks blog.

TOMORROW, June 20: Mayoral Candidate Sal Albanese Tours the Garden

Join us this Thursday, June 20th @ 1:30 pm in the historic Sasaki Garden
for a Tour and Press Conference with Mayoral Candidate Sal Albanese
as He Declares His Opposition to the Sexton Plan!

Come to Sasaki Garden this Thursday to hear Sal Albanese publicly announce his opposition to the Sexton Plan and his support for the residents of the Village and for all those fighting irresponsible development throughout the City.

Please mark it on your calendars!

Hope to see many of you there.

"Save WSV Sasaki Garden" does not endorse candidates for political office.

(Editor's Note: This post has been edited for clarity.)

Global and Local Public Land Grabs

Greenwich Village is not the only community fighting to preserve access to and control of its public lands.  Public land grabs are happening elsewhere in NYC and globally, with the Gezi Park conflict in Turkey the most visible land seizure.  Here is a round-up of articles about this issue.

Urban Trees as Triggers, From Istanbul to Oregon [New York Times]

What Is It About Trees? [Huff Post]

The Case of NYCHA’s Disappearing Open Space [Shelterforce]

NYCHA Plan for Private Developers Is Resisted [The Wall Street Journal]

No Place for Amateurs: A New Stadium vs. Queens’ Soccer Fields [Urban Omnibus]

Please share your news links with us in the comments.

July 18: Parkland Alienation Court Hearing

Save the date of July 18 for a court hearing on the improper seizure of the four parks properties on LaGuardia Place and Mercer Streets. In New York, parkland cannot be alienated without a vote by the state legislature, which the City of New York never sought. Moreover, the replacement parkland proposed by NYU is inadequate, and the Sasaki Garden irreplaceable.

Stay tuned for more details.

Photo: Spring in the Garden

From reader "Resident Against the Plan" are these two photos of the garden in bloom this year.

For more photographs of the garden in bloom, like the new photo in our banner, visit Hubert J. Steed's spring gallery.

TODAY: Selling and Giving Away NYC Parks on WNYC

Don't miss the "Selling and Giving Away NYC Parks" on today's Leonard Lopate Show.  Leonard's guest is Jim Walden, an attorney with Gibson, Dunn and Crutcher.

The practice of selling, or even giving away, public parkland and historic sites to private developers has become a disturbing trend in recent years. Attorney Jim Walden has taken several of these cases to court, including one involving Brooklyn Bridge Park, as well as the current case of the New York University expansion taking over public open space. He'll look at what the law says, and what can be done to protect these public spaces.

If you can't listen live, catch it later as a podcast.  Here's the link: http://www.wnyc.org/shows/lopate/2013/apr/23/selling-and-giving-away-nyc-parks/.

Guest Post: Trees and Skyline to be Replaced by a Skyscraper Building

Sasaki Garden at Washington Square Village, April 19, 2012 by Hubert J Steed (source)

The NYC/NYU2031 expansion plans call for the construction of several new skyscrapers in the heart of historic Greenwich Village which will be built on this garden, bordering park strips, the comprehensive children's playgrounds, and on a "super block" south of WSV which will destroy a treasured community garden at LaGuardia Place Corner Garden.

Protests and legal appeals are being made to stop the destruction of these community and NYC necessities & amenities for the planned skyscrapers.

Virtually all of these trees and gardens will be destroyed in the near future, if our courts of law allow the NYC/NYU2031 Plan to proceed.

Please run the slideshow button on the upper right corner of http://www.pbase.com/hjsteed/photo_shoot_120419 to see conveniently what is planned to be destroyed. If you run the slideshow with a soundtrack of "Where have all the flowers gone?" it might break your heart.

Click http://savewsvsasakigarden.blogspot.com/p/resources.html for more information and photos of Washington Square Village Sasaki Garden.

Also click http://www.pbase.com/hjsteed/laguardia_place_community_garden for more photos of LaGuardia Corner Garden.

And http://www.pbase.com/hjsteed/nyu_athletic_center_mercer for gardens around the NYU Athletic Center.

Click http://nyufasp.com/nyu-departmental-resolutions/ for NYU Faculty resolutions against the NYU2031 plan.

A video on this is at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XgBKhRGkLU0&feature=youtu.be.
 
Also see http://www.gvshp.org/_gvshp/preservation/nyu/nyu_main.htm for more information.

Author note: Hubert J. Steed is a longtime resident and photographer of NYC.  His extensive galleries can be viewed at http://www.pbase.com/hjsteed.

NYU 2031: The Architects and Landscape Architect of Record

NYU Local takes a look at the architects and landscape architect of record for the NYU 2031 plan.

Toshiko Mori Architect, Michael Van Valkenburgh Associates, and Grimshaw Architects are the three firms that are spearheading the design side of the proposed 2.5 million square foot expansion–their designs are truly beautiful albeit controversial.

Read the entire NYU Local article at Meet The Architects Behind NYU 2031.

Learn more about the firms on their websites:

• Toshiko Mori Architect
• Michael Van Valkenburgh Associates
• Grimshaw Architects

Legal Victories for NYU in Two Lawsuits; Appeals to Follow

NY State Supreme Court Justice reject petitioners' request for discovery [NYU]

Your NYU 2031 Forecast: Lawsuits Forever [NYU Local]

Village tenants plan to appeal dismissal of NYU 2031 lawsuit [WSN]

Judge Dismisses Lawsuit Against NYU Expansion [DNAinfo] -- lawsuit brought against the university by a group of rent-stablized tenants of Washington Square Village

Sasaki Garden at Washington Sq Village in Decline

Precariously leaning redbuds, photo courtesy of Hubert J Steed

Dying pine, courtesy of Hubert J Steed

For a collection of photos of the WSV Sasaki Garden in decline, visit the WSV Sasaki Garden & Landscape Bleak House & Pending Death gallery courtesy of Hubert J Steed.

An Alternative to the Current NYU 2031 Proposal, by Michael Sorkin Studio

NYU EXPANSION, An Alternative Plan for the Growth of NYU, New York, NY, 2012, by Michael Sorkin, Maria Inmaculada Bueno Rosas, Jie Gu (source)

Michael Sorkin Studio's comment about "an alternative proposal for the growth of NYU" was published in the March 6, 2013 issue of The Architect's Newspaper but the essay is not available on-line.  Fortunately, the plan drawing and description are available on the studio's website.

Coverage of University Expansion Elswhere in NYC

CUNY and Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center Plans Prompt Open Space Concerns, October 12, 2012 [DNAinfo]

Village Residents Angry Over Proposed Dorm Construction; For Once, It’s Not NYU’s Fault, February 27, 2013 [NYU Local]

Photo: Winter in the Garden

Sasaki Garden at Washington Square Village, Feb. 8, 2013, photo by Hubert J. Steed (source)

Sasaki Garden at Washington Square Village, Feb. 2013, photo by Resident Against the Plan

Hubert J. Steed's Winter 2013 Gallery has been updated at http://www.pbase.com/hjsteed/wsv_gardens_winter.

Media Coverage of Feb. 26th Hearing of Article 78 Case

Mercer Playground, land formally transferred to NYC Parks in 1997, photo courtesy of localecology.org

Mar. 7, 2013:

Can a Community Garden Stop the NYU Expansion? [NY Press]

Feb. 28, 2013:

N.Y.U. project foes hail judge’s ruling about strips [The Villager]

http://www.thevillager.com/2013/02/28/not-strips-but-parks/ [The Villager]


Feb. 27, 2013:

Judge Allows New Documentation In NYU Expansion Hearing [City & State]

NYU gotta be kidding! Matthew Broderick rips $6B expansion [NY Post]


Feb. 26, 2013:

NYU Expansion Opponents Victorious in Initial Legal Skirmish [Curbed]

Matthew Broderick Joins NYU Expansion Opponents in Court [DNAinfo]

Not in my backyard: Matthew Broderick slams NYU expansion [NY Post]

NYU's Expansion Plan Challenged in Court Today [The Village Voice]

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


(Hat tip: WSV Tenants Association)

Results of Feb. 26th Hearing of Article 78 Case

For Immediate Release: February 26, 2013

Contact: Linda Cronin-Gross, LCG Communications: 718.853.5568; 917.767.1141; linda@lcgcommunications.com

NYU Expansion Plan Case:

Victory for Petitioners: Court Orders City, NYU to Respond to Petitioners’ Request for Discovery and Hearing on Issue of Parkland Giveaway in NYU Sexton Plan; Actor Matthew Broderick, Playwright Kenneth Lonergan Join Sexton Plan Opponents in Open Court

Petitioners in the NYU Sexton Expansion Plan case walked away with their first legal victory today, as State Supreme Court Justice Donna Mills sided with them and ordered the City and NYU to “show cause” why petitioners’ request for a hearing and expedited discovery on their “parkland alienation” claim should be dismissed. Petitioners argued that the City’s approval of the NYU expansion plan was illegal because, among other things, it gave NYU rights over four public parks, in violation of state law, which requires, under the Public Trust Doctrine, that parkland can’t be given away without state approval.

NYS Supreme Court Hearing on Parkland Alienation by City and NYU

NYS Supreme Court Justice Donna Mills will hear testimony on parkland alienation by the City and NYU. The four parks in question are the Mercer Playground, LaGuardia Corner Gardens, LaGuardia Park, and the Mercer-Houston Dog Run

Tuesday, February 26th
11:30 AM
COURTROOM OF JUSTICE DONNA MILLS
New York State Supreme Court, Civil Branch
111 Centre Street, Room 574

A message from Bo Riccobono of NYUFASP:

Media Coverage of Former NYC Parks Commissioner Stern's Affidavit

Former Chief of Parks Backs NYU Plan Foes* [Wall Street Journal]

Former City Parks Commissioner Signs On To Lawsuit Opposing NYU Expansion [NY1]

Former NYC Parks Commissioner Says City Illegally Gave Parkland To NYU [NYU Local]

NYU & Bloomberg in Cahoots [Jeremiah's Vanishing New York]

* The entire WSJ article is included below.

Former NYC Parks Commissioner Henry Stern Contests City's Giveaway of Parkland to NYU

From the CAAN 2031 website:

Mr. Stern’s affidavit refutes these absurd contentions made by NYU and the City, confirming that four separate properties were, in fact, dedicated parkland. In blunt terms, former Commissioner Stern said, “In my opinion, all four of these sites have been dedicated as public parks, either expressly or impliedly, and therefore cannot be alienated by the City without the State Legislature’s prior approval under the Public Trust Doctrine. It was always the City’s intent in continuously making these sites available to the public for recreational use over many years to treat them as dedicated parkland.”

The NYUFASP press release is available here.

Open Space Oversight Organization

NYU has filed for 501c3 status for the organization that will direct the future of the open spaces in the two superblocks bounded by West Third, Mercer, Houston, and La Guardia Place: the Open Space Oversight Organization or OSOO. The nominating members of the OSOO have appointed the following representatives:

• Manhattan Borough President Scott Stringer has nominated Lin Zeng, Deputy Director of Land Use, Planning & Development, to serve as his office’s representative.
  
• Council Member Margaret Chin has nominated Matthew Viggiano, Director of Land Use & Planning, to serve as her office’s representative.
  
• Community Board 2 and Chair David Gruber have nominated Terri Cude, CB2 Arts & Institutions Committee Chair, to serve as the Board’s representative.
  
• New York City’s Department of Parks and Recreation has nominated William Castro, Manhattan Borough Commissioner, to serve as the department’s representative.
  
• NYU has nominated Arthur Tannenbaum, faculty and senate member, to serve as the University’s representative. 

The official announcement can be read at http://caan2031.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/OSOOappointments.pdf or at http://www.nyu.edu/content/dam/nyu/govCommunAffairs/documents/superblocks/2013-01-10-OSOO-Appointments-Memo-Web.pdf.

(HT: CAAN 2031)