Hailing State Supreme Court Ruling on NYU Expansion Plan

I am gratified that earlier this month State Supreme Court Justice Donna Mills affirmed what we in the community have said for years: the public park strips on Mercer Street and LaGuardia Place cannot be given to NYU without approval by the State Legislature. The gardens and playground on the city-owned land NYU would co-opt were developed and have long been maintained by local residents on behalf of our open-space-starved neighborhood. I was proud to help lead Manhattan Community Board 2 when it passed its resounding resolution in opposition to the NYU 2031 plan. With this decision, NYU must go back to square one and develop a plan that protects our public open space and respects the character of the neighborhood.