Judge dismisses tenants’ NYU expansion suit

NYU 2031 rendering
NYU 2031 rendering

A New York State Supreme Court judge has dismissed one of several lawsuits aiming to block New York University from its 1.9 million-square-foot Downtown expansion, Crain’s reported. The suit was filed by a group of tenants at Washington Square Village, a residential building which borders the site of new NYU towers, claiming that the development would adversely alter the area.

NYU’s expansion plan received approval from the City Council this summer with a 44-to-1 vote. The university intends to build classrooms, dorms and office space south of Washington Square Park, and maintains that the growth is needed to compete with highly-ranked postsecondary institutions.

Opponents to the expansion claim that the development is out of scale with the immediate neighborhood.

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“NYU’s expansion proposal was approved by the City of New York after significant stakeholder engagement and after a thorough and rigorous public review process,” Lynne Brown, NYU’s senior vice president for university relations and public affairs, told Crain’s. “We have long maintained that the courts will rule in our favor in both these cases.”

This is not the only lawsuit challenging the plan. A group of Faculty Members And Community Groups Has Launched A Similar Court challenge, while a MacDougal Street restaurateur has alleged that school construction contributed to clogged streets, bad odors and a loss of business. [Crain’s]Zachary Kussin