Score one for Greenwich Village preservationists—a state Supreme Court judge yesterday blocked a planned NYU expansion that would have added four looming towers to an otherwise low-rise neighborhood.
Manhattan State Supreme Court Judge Donna Mills made the surprise decision to halt the 1.9-million square foot expansion, saying that former mayor Michael Bloomberg was wrong to have green-lighted the development without first considering the three small parks that would be quashed in the process. The city's lawyers argued that no consultation on the issue was necessary, since the lilliputian grasslands were merely community gardens, and not officially designated city parks.
Despite the judge's decision, the university still considers itself victorious on the basis that it can continue to move ahead with at least one building, a one-million-square-foot monolith known as the Zipper Building to be built on the site of the university's gym, the Times reports.
NYU has not determined whether it will appeal the ruling. "Once we have a chance to thoroughly review the decision with our planning team and determine the precise impact of the ruling on our ability to implement other elements of the plan, we will work with the city to determine our next legal steps," John Beckman, a spokesman for the university, told the paper.
Residents and community groups filed the suit against the school in 2012. In December, the Landmarks Preservation Commission voted unanimously to preserve what's known as the "South Village Historic District," which spans 13 blocks between West 4th Street and West Houston.
