Coverage of Winning Lawsuit against Alienation of Parkland by NYU and NYC

Judge Blocks Part of N.Y.U.’s Plan for Four Towers in Greenwich Village [NY Times]

NYU’s expansion plan dealt blow as judge rules state legislature must sign off on deal to complete most of project [Daily News]

Judge Halts NYU Expansion, Says State Approval Is Needed [Curbed NY]

Judge says city broke the law by approving N.Y.U. superblocks plan [The Villager]

Did we miss an article or video?  Let us know in the comment section.

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]

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.

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.)

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.

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/.

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

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.

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.

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)

Report of the CB2 Arts & Institutions Committee

REPORT OF THE ARTS & INSTITUTIONS COMMITTEE

October 23, 2012

The Arts & Institutions Committee of Community Board #2, Manhattan, held a meeting on October 23rd, 2012, at 6:30 PM, at the Church of Our Lady of Pompeii, Father Demo Hall.

Board Members Present: Terri Cude, Chair; Robin Rothstein, Anne Hearn

Board Members Excused: Jo Hamilton, Arthur Kriemelman, Susan Wittenberg

Board Members Absent: none

Other CB2 Members attending:  David Gruber, CB2 Chair; Susanna Aaron, Lois Rakoff

Elected Officials attending: Katie Smith representing U.S. Congressman Nadler, Sarah Malloy-Good representing State Assemblymember Glick, Matthew Viggiano representing Councilmember Chin.

A presentation by New York University (NYU) was given by Dr. Alicia Hurley, reporting on what was included in the final approvals for the NYU 2031 Core Expansion Plan, as well as timing and phasing of the proposed construction on the Superblocks between Houston and W. 3^rd Streets and Mercer Street and LaGuardia Place.

NYU's Final Approved ULURP Plan (Oct. 23, 2012)

NYU's Final Approved ULURP Plan as presented to Community Board 2 on October 23, 2012 is available at http://www.nyu.edu/content/dam/nyu/govCommunAffairs/documents/2031/2012-10-23-ULURP-Approvals-Summary-Presentation.pdf, with items of particular interest on pages 11, 13, and 14.

Two Major Projects Will Help Transform NYU and NYC

The title of this post is the subtitle of an article in the NYU Alumni Magazine (Fall 2012) about NYU 2031 and the Center for Urban Science and Progress (or CUSP).

NYU has been busy this past year— and things are likely to get even busier since two vital projects were reccently green-lighted by the city..... To deal with an ever-tightening campus crunch, the university sought and received approvals for its first-ever, longterm space growth plan, called NYU 2031....NYU is at a significant disadvantage when it comes to space; the 2031 plan will help ensure the university can meet the needs of its students and faculty for decades to come. “While other sectors of New York’s economy have been shrinking, education has been expanding,” President John Sexton says. “Keeping our universities strong keeps New York strong, and will ensure [the city] remains a world capital in the years ahead.”

The complete article is available on pages 17 - 18 at http://www.nyu.edu/alumni.magazine/issue19/pdf/NYU19.pdf.

NYU 2031 Means Less Open Space

According to an analysis conducted by Tom Angotti, Ph.D. and Evan Mason of the Hunter College Center for Community Planning & Development, implementing the NYU 2031 development plan would decrease the amount of open space in the neighborhood. Getting to NYU's Core: Greenwich Village Proposal Means Less Open Space is available online at http://www.hunter.cuny.edu/ccpd/repository/files/nyuopenspacefinal-formatted.pdf. You can also find a link to the document on our Resources Page.

October 20: "Stop the Purple Monster" March

An invitation from NYUFASP.

Join NYUFASP as we march with NYU students, faculty, alumni and members of the community to "Stop the Purple Monster." Led by a real "purple monster," we'll march to protest John Sexton's huge expansion plan, which will make student debt rise even higher while tearing down the Village we love.

Organized by All in the Red, a national group that fights for accessible debt-free education for all, the march will step off from Washington Square Park's Garibaldi Plaza around 12:30pm, rain or shine. 

The march coincides with NYU's Alumni Day. March coordinators will make several stops as the group tours the future construction zone: they will provide information about the history of the neighborhood & the university administration's expansion plans & will link these to issues of public space, education & student debt.

 The march will last about an hour and a half and is endorsed by many groups in addition to NYUFASP:  Greenwich Village Society for Historic Preservation, Community Action Alliance on NYU 2031, NYU Students and Alumni Against the Sexton Plan, and Save WSV Sasaki Garden Committee. In addition to our purple monster, we'll have balloons, puppets and a marching band.

Please plan to march with us.  Let's show our determination and unity!

For more information, 

 go here or email: nyu.fasp@gmail.com