Greenwich Village Residents Decry NYU's Expansion Plans At Public Hearing
To view our videos, you need to
enable JavaScript. Learn how.
install Adobe Flash 9 or above. Install now.
Then come back here and refresh the page.
Opponents of New York University’s long-term expansion say the plans would deprive the neighborhood of park space.
Residents packed the zoning committee public hearing in Greenwich Village Thursday night.
Speakers say the University's 2031 plan will cost the neighborhood light, playgrounds and open areas.
The project has already been certified by the city planning department.
It includes a new faculty center, student housing, an athletic facility and a hotel.
"We have a number of areas, when you're dealing with four acres in the middle of Manhattan, it's actually kind of fun to think of all the things you can do," said Alicia Hurley of NYU community relations.
"We think it's completely unacceptable. To give away public parks to the university to build these new towers is completely beyond the pale,” said Andrew Berman, a Greenwich Village preservation advocate.
Thursday's public hearing was one of several planned over the next seven months.