Manhattan Borough President Scott M. Stringer today issued conditional approval for New York University’s (NYU) 2031 core campus expansion plan.  In developing his Charter-mandated Uniform Land Use Review Procedure (ULURP) recommendation, Stringer secured major commitments to and mitigations for the project, which include a significant overall density reduction; designation and preservation of public-strips as parkland; elimination of a temporary gymnasium on the site of two community playgrounds; elimination of proposed dormitories on the Bleecker Building; and an affirmation of NYU’s commitment to provide space for a K-8 school. 

“Today I am proud to announce my conditional approval of one of the most significant university expansion plans in our City’s recent history,” Borough President Stringer said.  “This blueprint is the culmination of an unprecedented, five-year planning process launched by my office—a model for future growth that strikes a balance between a great university’s need to grow and the importance of preserving Greenwich Village’s distinctive, historic character. There was nothing easy about this: Everyone had to give up something. No one got everything they wanted. But at the end of the day, I am pleased that we came to a resolution in the best interests of the City, Greenwich Village and the University.”     

"This is a good and important step, and a recognition that universities need to grow to maintain excellence and that strong universities are important to keeping our city strong,” said NYU President John Sexton. “The agreement we have reached, which comes after five years of deep involvement with the Borough President and committed efforts by him, will enable NYU to meet the long-term academic space needs of its faculty and students while being sensitive to the concerns of our surrounding community. We understand that the public review process involves many stakeholders, and we look forward to working with the City Planning Commission and the City Council to secure their support in the coming months."

"I want to thank the Borough President and New York University for the progress that has been made and for their attentiveness to the community's concerns," said Council Member Margaret Chin. "There is a lot of work ahead and there are many elements of this plan that still must be discussed. I look forward to working with all relevant stakeholders as the public process moves forward."

"Today's announcement is a step forward on one of the most challenging land use issues in our city," said State Senator Daniel Squadron. "Thank you to Borough President Stringer for his work in finding a path to reduce scale, protect more public land and preserve cherished community recreation.  In New York, neighborhood needs and global institutions must co-exist in a way that makes sense for both.  I look forward to continuing to work with all of the parties to ensure that residents' quality of life and the Village's unique character are protected."

“The agreement announced today by the Borough President with NYU is an important initial step that addresses major concerns identified by the community board and represents the first time NYU has committed to any changes to its massive expansion plan,” said Brad Hoylman, Chair of Community Board No. 2, Manhattan. “We thank the Borough President for his strong stand in trying to ensure that the NYU plan preserves the character of Greenwich Village. Among other things, the elimination of a temporary gym, preservation of park strips used by the community, and removing student dormitories above the planned public school are all important community concerns addressed by the Borough President. The community board will continue to seek additional changes to the plan in the ULURP process at the City Council.”

“I greatly appreciate the work of Borough President Stringer on shaping this plan and commend him on this important step forward”, said Larry Goldberg, President of Friends of LaGuardia Place.  “The elimination of the temporary gym and designation of the strips as parkland are important for the community.  I look forward to working with Councilmember Chin, the City Parks Department and NYU to ensure that Adrienne’s Garden and LaGuardia Gardens remain uninterrupted space and to further address neighborhood issues.”

In his comments, Borough President Stringer cited the substantial economic benefits of NYU’s growth for New York City.  The proposed campus expansion plan promises to grow the Institutional, Cultural and Educational economy (ICE) with the creation of 9,500 permanent jobs, and as many as 18,200 new construction jobs over the next 20 years.  

Today’s recommendation is the culmination of over five years of work on behalf of the Office of Manhattan Borough President Stringer.  Stringer’s Community Task Force on NYU Development held over 50 meetings in five years and was an instrumental force in compelling NYU to take the unprecedented step of issuing a comprehensive long-range campus plan.  The Borough President successfully brought the Greenwich Village community and NYU’s leadership together for the first time to agree on a set of Planning Principles in 2007 that served as a roadmap for the University’s 2031 proposal.

NYU is the third university expansion proposal that Borough President Scott Stringer has negotiated through ULURP since assuming office in 2006.  In 2007, as Columbia University sought to expand, Stringer’s approval brokered significant commitments related to affordable housing, open space, sustainable development and an historic 90-block rezoning of West Harlem.  In 2009, Stringer reached an agreement with Fordham University that allowed it to expand on Manhattan’s West Side while reducing the project’s density by moving classroom space underground.

Modifications to NYU’s expansion plan secured by Borough President Stringer include: 

• A reduction in density of 19 percent, or 377,000 of the proposed 2 million new square feet (SF);
• Preservation of the “public land strips” around Washington Square Village and creation of new parkland by agreeing to eliminate a proposed 183,000 SF of below-grade space;
•  Elimination of the 20,700 SF temporary gymnasium, ensuring that no development will occur on the northern superblock until Phase 2 of the project;
•  Commitment to make the Mercer Boomerang the final building constructed, thereby preserving Key Park playground until commencement of construction on the Mercer St. building;        
• Provision of space for a100,000 SF K-8 public school. 
• Elimination of seven floors of dormitory slated above the public school in the Bleecker Building totaling 55,000 SF as well as an additional 10,000 SF from the basement, which will reduce impacts on the neighboring LaGuardia Community Gardens;  
• Reduction of 85,000 SF from the Mercer and LaGuardia Boomerang buildings, which will provide the flexibility necessary to make the central open space more accessible;
• Commitment to lower the height of the Mercer Building to 162 feet, equaling the height of the existing Washington Square Village buildings;
• Elimination of 15,000 SF by setting back a portion of the Zipper Building by 15 feet (across from the residential buildings along Mercer Street) to preserve light and air;
• Commitment to maintain an equivalent amount of playground space throughout construction;
• Agreement not to develop on the Mercer Plaza strip above the NYU Cogeneration Plan and maintain it as open space;
• Commitment to exclude from the proposed commercial overlay any “eating and drinking establishments” where 80% of their projected revenue is derived from alcoholic beverages to limit the proliferation of bars in the predominately residential neighborhood.  Further, NYU will continue to work to find appropriate controls on destination retail in the Commercial Overlay Area; and                                   
• Commitment to limit construction to the hours between 8:00 am and 4:30 pm and limit weekend construction. The University has also agreed to a series of construction mitigation including air quality, noise, environmentally sound equipment and mitigation for affected apartments with single-pane windows within the project affected area.

You can read the Borough President’s full ULURP Recommendations here

Read more about the agreement in coverage from The New York Times, Crain's, The New York Observer, NY1, WNYC , Bloomberg, NY Daily News and The Villager.

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