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.

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.

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.

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

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.

October 10: Save the Village: A Benefit Show

Source: NYUFASP

Also, on October 23, starting at 6:30 p.m., a "presentation by NYU about the Restrictive Declaration and agreements controlling NYU 2031 construction" will be made before the CB2 Arts & Institutions Committee. Location to be determined; check the CB2 Arts page at http://www.nyc.gov/html/mancb2/html/calendar/calendar_js.shtml#Arts.  (Hat tip: CAAN 2031)

Media Coverage of Lawsuit Against the City re: NYU 2031

NYU, City, State Sued Over NYU's Massive 2031 Expansion Plan [A Walk in the Park]

11 groups sue city to block NYU expansion [Crain's New York]

Purple Pulverizers: NYU Faculty, Preservationists Sue University Over Greenwich Village Expansion [New York Observer]

NYU, City, State Sued Over NYU's Giant 2031 Expansion Plan [Gothamist]

11 groups file suit against N.Y.U. plan for its superblocks [The Villager]

NYU meets more roadblocks to expansion [Washington Square News]

Plus...

Save the Village: A Benefit Show fundraiser
Save Greenwich Village and NYU: Stop the Sexton Plan online petition

11 Groups Sue City for Approving NYU 2031

Washington Square News is reporting that "[on Sept. 25th], 11 groups and 11 individuals banded together and filed a lawsuit against New York City for its approval of the NYU 2031 expansion plan."  Read the full coverage here.

August Headlines

In New York, history battles growth [The Hindu Business Line] (hat tip: Washington Square Tenants Association)

Expansion Plan Shaken, Not Scrapped [Washington Square News] (Try this link if the previous one generates an error code)

W.S.V. residents sue N.Y.U. to save garden, playground [The Villager]

Will NYU's Sexton Plan Screw Students and Bring School Down? [OpEdNews]

Washington Square Village Residents Sue NYU for Development Plan [DNAinfo]

NYU plan slapped in lawsuit [NY Daily News]