December 8, 2016

NYU reveals design for $1B 23-story building at controversial Greenwich Village site

NYU's controversial plan to replace their Coles Sports Center site at the corner of Mercer and Houston Streets received approvals way back in 2012, but due to community opposition and lawsuits, they only filed plans and began demolition this October. The Wall Street Journal now shares the first renderings of the hulking, 23-story, 735,000-square-foot building at 181 Mercer Street designed by Davis Brody Bond (who's also responsible for the 9/11 Museum) and KieranTimberlake. It will cost a whopping $1 billion and host a bevy of uses, including 60 classrooms, common spaces, two cafes, practice/instruction rooms for the arts, three theaters, a giant athletic facility that'll have four basketball courts and a six-lane lap pool, 30 to 60 faculty apartments, and a 420-bed freshman dorm.
Lots more renderings and details
June 30, 2015

NYU Expansion Plan Gets the Final Green Light from Court of Appeals

Last October, the appellate court overturned a previous decision by the New York Supreme Court that prohibited NYU’s $6 billion, 1.9 million-square-foot Greenwich Village expansion plan. But in Feburary, opponents of the plan (including community groups like GVSHP, Assemblywoman Deborah Glick, local residents, NYU Faculty against the Sexton Plan, and even actor Mark Ruffalo) announced that the New York State Court of Appeals would hear their case one final time. According to DNAinfo, though, today the state's highest court ruled in favor of NYU, giving the expansion plan the final go ahead.
Find out more about the ruling
February 25, 2015

POLL: Will the NYU Expansion Plan Move Ahead?

After years of contention, we learned yesterday that opponents of the controversial NYU expansion plan would receive their final day in court to try to block the massive redevelopment. While Villagers have long been known as preservation pioneers (Jane Jacobs’ successful fight against Robert Moses’ destructive plans for the area is probably the best-known example), […]

February 24, 2015

NYU Expansion Plan Opponents Will Get Final Day in Court

In October, the appellate court overturned a previous decision by the New York Supreme Court that prohibited NYU's $6 billion, 1.9 million-square-foot Greenwich Village expansion plan, but community groups vowed to appeal the decision. And they most certainly kept their word. In a press release sent today by the Greenwich Village Society for Historic Preservation (GVSHP), we've learned that the New York State Court of Appeals agreed to hear an appeal by GVSHP, Assemblywoman Deborah Glick, NYU Faculty Against the Sexton Plan, Community Board 2, actor Mark Ruffalo, and other local concerned parties.
More info here
December 18, 2014

Davis Brody Bond, Architects of 9/11 Museum, Will Design New NYU Building in the Village

Architecture firm Davis Brody Bond is continuing their tradition of designing projects met with much controversy. First came the 9/11 Museum, then the Frick Museum expansion, and now the new NYU building in the Village. Davis Brody Bond will join KieranTimberlake in designing the university's new building on the Coles Sports Center site on Mercer Street between Houston and Bleecker Streets. The building is part of the highly contentious $6 billion, 1.9 million-square-foot NYU 2031 expansion plan. The development agreement allows NYU to develop only one parcel of land at a time, with Coles being the first.
READ MORE
November 25, 2014

Real Estate Wire: Debate Continues over Brooklyn Bridge Park’s Pier 6; Looking at Coney Island Boardwalk’s Surrounding Neighborhoods

Brooklyn Bridge Park Corp. defends Pier 6 development with need for potential revenue. [Crain’s] Actor Mark Ruffalo joins the fight against the NYU expansion plan. [NY Post] Coney Island’s boardwalk is experiencing a renaissance, but what about the surrounding neighborhoods? [WSJ] City Council approves the controversial Astoria Cove project. [NYO] Upper East Side residents who […]

October 15, 2014

NYU Gets Green Light for Village Expansion; Locals Vow to Appeal the Decision

The battle between New York University and local residents and community preservation groups just got a little fiercer, as just yesterday the appellate court overturned a previous decision by the New York Supreme Court that prohibited the university's $6 billion, 1.9 million-square-foot expansion plan. NYU now has the green light to move forward with their colossal project, which includes taking over "implied park land" that has been used by the public for years. Local community groups vow to appeal the decision. The Greenwich Village Society for Historic Preservation, Assemblywoman Deborah Glick, NYU Faculty Against the Sexton Plan, Community Board 2, and local residents, filed the lawsuit against the school in 2012.
More on the latest ruling and what it means for NYU and the Village

Our Mission

More than just current events, here you'll learn about the places, people, and ideas that are shaping your city.