NEW YORK—Councilmembers grilled New York University representatives at City Hall Tuesday before agreeing to a modified expansion plan for new buildings in Greenwich Village.
The committee vote precedes a full council vote on July 25.
The plan proposes constructing four new buildings on two superblocks in a rectangle between West Third Street, LaGuardia Place, West Houston Street, and Mercer Street. It was previously modified before being approved by the City Planning Commission, which reduced the total square feet by 325,000 square feet. The new changes further reduce the total square feet by 212,000 square feet on the plan.
The total area, pending City Council approval, now stands at slightly more than 1.9 million square feet, with a little more than 1 million square feet above ground. During a months-long land use process, the plan has been reduced a total of 21.9 percent, or 537,000 square feet.
New changes pressed by Council member Margaret Chin include a $150,000 endowment for maintenance of public space and parkland near and in the two super blocks; a commitment from the university to establish an open space oversight organization by the end of the year; and additional community space inside buildings, including 25,000 square feet of the planned 100,000-square-foot Bleecker Building, which would be available for community groups to rent.
The Subcommittee on Zoning and Franchises and the Committee on Land Use voted yes Tuesday to the newly modified plan, with reservations about a portion mandating a certain percentage of construction contracts be awarded to minority, women, and locally owned businesses.
A number of village residents and community organizations have opposed the plan since January, with hundreds gathering during NYU presentations to Community Board 2, repeatedly emphasizing that the majority of the plan will have a long-reaching negative impact and should be sent back to the drawing board.
Tuesday’s vote disappointed Mary Johnson, who has lived in Greenwich Village for more than 40 years. “We’re not satisfied that [the modifications] help,” Johnson said. “It’s still overwhelming.”
The 20-year planned construction period in the area has been a key concern for residents.
That’s a full maturation cycle for a child, said Ann Warner Arlen, of Community Board 2’s Environment and Public Health Committee. She was worried about the air quality effects of construction.
Shaving about 20 percent off the size of the superblocks “is, relatively speaking, only a drop in the bucket,” said Andrew Berman, executive director of the Greenwich Village Society for Historic Preservation. “The plan is still absolutely wrong. It’s still horrendously oversized.”
During the committee vote, many councilmembers urged NYU not to once again betray the trust of the community, and obey all the stipulations in the agreement.
Councilmembers also congratulated Chin on winning concessions from NYU, and many who had previously objected the expansion deferred to her decision—as the Greenwich Village portion of the university lies within her district. Charles Barron lodged the only nay vote. “We’re going to regret this vote,” Barron said, referencing the widespread community disapproval.
University officials said, however, that the modified proposal has benefits for the community, including a pedestrian walkway and adjoining public atrium, while providing NYU with more classroom, lab, and performance space.
“We believe this plan represents a thoughtful balance—not to be confused with an easy-to-achieve balance—between density and open space, between allowing NYU to meet its academic needs, and being respectful of the surrounding neighborhoods,” said Lynne Brown, NYU senior vice president.
A handout from the City Council cites five community leaders and experts in support of the plan, including Rick Bell, executive director of the New York Chapter of the American Institute of Architects.
Before the City Council’s subcommittee and committee vote, Community Board 2 voted no and Manhattan Borough President Scott Stringer voted yes—both advisory votes. The City Planning Commission—aligned with Mayor Michael Bloomberg, who is in favor of the expansion—voted yes.
Hypothetically, if City Council rejects the plan, the mayor can override its vote. If he did that, the council has the final vote, but needs a two-thirds vote instead of just a majority vote.
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