New York University is set to present a landscaping proposal for its Silver Towers-adjacent lot to Community Board 2 on Monday, according to Crain’s. It’s a move that some have characterized as an olive branch to community activists who oppose its sweeping expansion plan, which aims to add 6 million square feet of school facilities by 2031. NYU had planned to build a controversial tower on the lot, before withdrawing the plan last November amid community outrage. [more]

New York University President John Sexton has opened up about school expansion protesters in an interview with the NYU Local blog, dismissing them as ineffective. The 2031 Program, which would expand NYU’s physical presence in the city by 40 percent, has drawn a considerable amount of ire from community activists. But Sexton said he believes the expansion is necessary and characterized the opposition as small in number and weak in influence. “On 2031, the thing we’re doing really is creating possibilities for our successors,” Sexton said. [more]

From left: a map of the NYU proposal, Manhattan Borough President Scott Stringer, and NYU President John Sexton (click image for larger version of the map)

After last night’s open house unveiling of New York University’s 2031 expansion plan, critics are still reeling.
The school’s latest plans, which include building two so-called “superblocks” in the Washington Square Park neighborhood and possibly establishing a remote academic center on Governors Island, drew a glut of opposition from groups including the Greenwich Village Society for Historic Preservation, the East Village Community Coalition and the Washington Square Village Tenants Association, which all attended the open house.
Prior to the event yesterday, the sixth of its kind that the school has hosted, Andrew Berman, executive director for the Greenwich Village Society for Historic Preservation, held a press conference to speak out against NYU’s plans.
But he’s not stopping there. [more]

At the community meeting to discuss New York University’s long-term expansion plan on Monday, Andrew Berman, the executive director of the Greenwich Village Society for Historic Preservation, said more than 200 people signed a letter expressing concerns about the university’s growth. The letter urges Mayor Michael Bloomberg, City Council Speaker Christine Quinn, NYU President John Sexton and other officials to support alternatives to the university expanding in Greenwich Village. The university plans to expand by 3 million square feet in the area, and a comprehensive expansion plan will be released to the public in the fall. “NYU’s growth has dramatically transformed our neighborhoods over the last 20 years, and the overall effect has not been good,” the letter, obtained by The Real Deal, says. “The current 2031 plan would have NYU not only further expand in our neighborhoods, but actually double its rate of growth. That is unacceptable,” adding that the university should be focusing on utilizing its existing space, and if it needs to expand, to reuse existing buildings instead of demolishing them and rebuilding. A spokesperson from NYU was not immediately available for comment. TRD