Saving the Union Square Pavilion

On Sunday, March 9, I joined Assembly Member Dick Gottfried, Congresswoman Carolyn Maloney, Borough President Gale Brewer, other elected colleagues and community members in calling on Mayor de Blasio to cancel the city’s concession agreement for a high-end restaurant in Union Square Park’s pavilion. With dozens of places to eat within blocks of Union Square, it’s wrong and shortsighted to place yet another dining establishment in the park. Moreover, it violates the Public Trust Doctrine, which provides that once land has been acquired for use as a municipal park, it cannot be used for private ventures without approval from the State Legislature. I hope that the city will void this contract and restore the pavilion as part of a unified and non-commercial public space.