Comparative Views of NYU's Proposed Construction

Proposed Mercer St. Building courtesy of Greenwich Village Society for Historic Preservation (source)

 The Greenwich Village Society for Historic Preservation recently released "comparative views of NYU's proposed construction" in the North and South blocks bounded by West Third Street, Mercer Street, Bleecker Street, and LaGuardia Place.  We have included the diagrams below for your review. 

Gloria Visits the Garden Because...

The Sasaki Garden is beautiful in all seasons - a respite for thousands of people whether city dwellers in the near-by neighborhoods or tourists visiting the many fabulous sites of New York.

The Sasaki Garden is a wonderful place to be with company or to enjoy its tranquility alone.

Community Board 2 Announces NYU 2031 Hearings

NYU 2031 CORE pre-certification application (source)

Community Board 2 has released calendar information about meetings related to the NYU 20 Year Expansion Plan (or NYU 2031).  Below is an excerpt from the notice written by CB2 chair Brad Hoylman.  CB2 has a dedicated webpage for NYU 2031 at http://www.nyc.gov/html/mancb2/html/nyu_2031/nyu_2031.shtml.

NYU 20 Year Expansion Plan Meeting New Date & On-line Petition

The Greenwich Village Society for Historic Preservation just announced a new date for the NYU 20 Year Expansion Plan Community Meeting.  The meeting will be held on January 4, 2012 and not on January 10, 2012 as previously announced.  Time and location will be determined.  Please check the GVSHP website for further details.

Updated: Special WSVTA Meeting with Council Member Chin

Originally posted on December 3, 2011:

SAVE THE KEY PARK PLAYGROUND!

SAVE THE SASAKI (COURTYARD) GARDEN!

Please come to a special WSVTA meeting where Councilmember Margaret Chin will hear your questions, concerns and advocacy regarding the NYU 2031 Expansion Plan.

New Date for Meeting: NYU 20 Year Expansion Plan

Mark your calendar for  Tuesday, January 10th at 6:30 p.m. January 4, 2012 (updated; time and location TBD; check the Greenwich Village Society for Historic Preservation website for details) for a community meeting on the NYU 2031 plan hosted by the Greenwich Village Society for Historic Preservation and several community groups. The meeting will be held at Our Lady of Pompei Church's Father Demo Hall (basement) at Bleecker and Carmine Streets.

Get Involved!

The ULURP (Uniform Land Use Review Procedure) for NYU 2031 is scheduled to begin in January 2012 with Community Board (CB) 2 meetings.  You can influence the process!  Write letters of support to city agencies, city and state officials, NYU, and community organizations.  Visit our Get Involved page for more details, and thank you in advance for your support.

NYU 2031 Phasing Plans

The updated NYU 2031 phasing plans are posted below and are also available for viewing at the NYU Open House Space at 528 LaGuardia Place as well as online at http://www.nyu.edu/content/dam/nyu/govCommunAffairs/documents/2031/NYU2031_NYUPhasing_Plans.pdf.

Photo: Squirrel in a Dogwood

Squirrel in a dogwood courtesy of Hubert J Steed (source)

If they start digging up our Playground

Unite!

IF they start digging up our Playground

It will surely be our day of doom,

New buildings sprouting up all around:

Those who lived and/or worked on Bleecker Street

Those who lived and/or worked on Bleecker Street cheer us on:

TOM PAINE—“”These are the times that try [our] souls…”

FREDERICK DOUGLASS—“If there is no struggle, there is no

progress…Power concedes nothing without a demand.”

Meeting: Washington Square Village Tenants Association

The next meeting of the Washington Square Village Tenants Association will be held on Tuesday, December 6 at 7 p.m., with special guest District 1 Councilmember Margaret Chin.  The meeting will be held at WSV Building 4 in Room 1B.  Please mark your calendar, attend the meeting, and participate in the discussion.

The Bard on the NYU Land Grab

The Bard on the NYU Land Grab

I don’t understand, NYU is such a great learning institution. So why are they so mercilessly expansive at the expense of the neighborhood? Am I missing something?
Madness in great ones must not unwatched go.
- Hamlet, Act 3, Scene 1

Washington Square Village Sasaki Garden Plants

London planetrees

November is a lovely time to visit our garden, when the plants are wearing and shedding their ever-changing autumn shades.

Public Open Space in NYU 2031

According to a NYU 2031 comparative diagram of existing vs. proposed public open space, pictured below, the WSV Sasaki Garden is not considered public open space.  Also, the Garden is not listed in the POPS (Privately Owned Public Open Space) maintained at http://www.nyc.gov/html/dcp/html/pops/pops_inventory.shtml.

Let Us Know What You Are Seeing in the Garden

American Robin, Turdus migratorius (image courtesy of Hubert J. Steed, source)

Did you see a male robin?  A female cardinal? A monarch butterfly?  An opened bud on the dogwood or hawthorns?  Let us know what you are seeing in the Garden by leaving a comment.  Thank you!

I Visit the WSV Sasaki Garden Because...

...my child likes to watch the birds, to search for centipedes and earthworms, to play, and to talk with other garden users.

Why do YOU visit the WSV Sasaki Garden?  Please tell us by writing a comment.

NYU 2031 Phasing Diagrams at NYU Open House

Updates to the NYU 2031 plan phasing schedule can be viewed at the NYU Open House Space which is located at 528 LaGuardia Place.  The Open House Space is open on Mon, Wed, Fri - Noon to 5 PM; Tues, Thurs - 2 PM to 7 PM; and Sat, Sun: 1 PM to 4 PM.  The phasing diagrams are also available online here.

Thanksgiving Holiday

Best wishes for a gratifying and thankful Thanksgiving Holiday!

ULURP for NYU 2031 Will Begin in Janaury 2012

NYU 2031 proposed buildings for the North and South blocks (image courtesy of Hubert J. Steed, source)

Both NYU and Community Action Alliance on NYU (CAAN) 2031 have reported that the ULURP (Uniformed Land Use Review Procedure) for NYU 2031 will commence in January 2031.

Loss of Quality of Life

Key Park Playground looking west towards WSV Sasaki Garden (courtesy of Hubert J. Steed)

In a few months,  I'll be 76 years old.  In 1966, I came to live and work in NYC.  I was hired to develop the payroll and associated personnel and financial  systems for new computing equipment at Columbia University.  I signed a two year lease in a studio apartment a couple of blocks from the main campus of Columbia University.