For years now there has been talk of making some serious changes to the Astor Place/Cooper Square corridor of the East Village. The economic crunch seemed to have delayed any movement on the plans, but lo! They're back! And we're kind of excited? Hard not to like thousands of extra square feet of pedestrian space.
Curbed went to a meeting of neighbors last night and got the deets on the changes, which range from an open "Village Plaza" off of Cooper Square to a new plaza around the Alamo (y'know, The Cube) to a colored path meant to reference an old Indian trail.
The biggest changes will be the two plazas which will be created by closing off bits of Astor Place and Cooper Square to cars. On the north end, the strip of Astor Place between Lafayette and Fourth Avenue will be filled in making it safe to walk between that Chase and the Alamo without having to look for traffic. Also, there will be more trees and seating as well as that "colored pavement winding around a contoured plaza" meant to evoke an old Indian path.
Then down south the where the end of Fourth Avenue hits the Bowery the Western strip between Fifth and Sixth Streets will be turned into an 8,000-square-foot "Village Plaza" with free plantings and "diverse seatings." Some of Cooper Square itself will also get a refurbishment and the island on the Northern end where the Astor Place subway station is will also get some more plantings as well as rejiggered roads to help deal with post-rain flooding.
The plans are going to take a bit more time to actually get rolling, but we're pleased by how logical they seem. Especially the "Village Plaza," which has been essentially half-closed to traffic lately anyway with the construction of 2 Cooper Square on the corner of Fourth Street and the Bowery. Our only concern? Sounds like we'll have to go without the Alamo for a bit again—and it feels like we only just got it back. Otherwise, bring on the plazas!
