Student Coalition on Expansion and Gentrification

NYU has expantion plans of its own. Here’s an email from Andrew Berman, Executive Director of The Greenwich Village Society for Historical Preservation.

Dear friend,

On Monday, June 22 at 6:30 pm the Greenwich Village Society for Historic Preservation, Greenwich Village Block Associations, and a dozen other community groups will be hosting an Open Forum on the NYU 2031 Plan. It will take place at Judson Memorial Church, 55 Washington Square South at Thompson Street, and I strongly urge you to attend.

As you may know, NYU is formulating its ‘2031 Plan,’ which is intended to serve as a blueprint for its development over the next 22 years.  However, outlines of the plan which NYU has shared with the public thus far indicate the potential for a very large expansion of the university in and around its core facilities in the Village, East Village, and NoHo during that time period — roughly double its rate of expansion over the last several decades.

NYU has been hosting several open houses where it has invited the public to review its planning process and submit comments.  NYU has also agreed to a set of ‘Planning Principles’ which are intended to guide its development process, and the university has also been meeting with a ‘Community Task Force on NYU Development’ convened by Borough President Scott Stringer of which GVSHP and GVBA are members.

The Open Forum will be an opportunity to find out more about the NYU 2031 plan from the perspective of community groups, including concerns regarding aspects of the plan and how NYU is adhering to its commitments.  It is also an opportunity to find out more about the process by which this plan is being reviewed and how you can be a part of it.

A flyer for the forum can be found HERE, and more background information can be found HERE.

Please spread the word by forwarding this e-mail and the flyer, as a large turnout will help ensure broad community participation in the effort to educate about and respond to NYU’s plans.  I hope you will join us on the 22nd.

Sincerely,
Andrew Berman
Executive Director

PS: — NYU will be presenting its plans to construct a new ‘Center for Academic and Spiritual Life’ on the former site of the NYU Catholic Center (Washington Square South at Thompson Street) to a public meeting of Community Board #2’s Institutions Committee on Tuesday, June 16th at 6:30 at 75 Morton Street (at Greenwich Street).