New center's design raises Village concern

NYU construction projects have a long-standing tradition of being unpopular with the local community, and the Center for Academic and Spiritual Life, which is replacing the NYU Catholic Center, is no exception.

Andrew Berman, executive director of the Greenwich Village Society for Historic Preservation, has publicly criticized the project, arguing that the construction goes against planning principles NYU agreed to last year with the Community Task Force on NYU Development, of which GVSHP is a member. The principles require the university to reuse facilities whenever possible and to limit construction in the Village.

But Alicia Hurley, NYU's vice president for government and community engagement, said Community Board 2's Zoning and Housing Committee, which holds public hearings on land-use applications in a few neighborhoods, including Greenwich Village, voted unanimously that construction of the new building complied with those principles.

Hurley said the new facility must be constructed in the core of campus so it is easily accessible to students. The building is being constructed adjacent to the Kimmel Center.

"For many students, a frequent daily schedule includes not only classes and study, but also worship," the building's proposal states. "Therefore, the ability to move between classes and other activities is vital. In addition, for a subset of students, religious practices forbid the use of mechanized transportation at certain times, making it important to be able to reach the site on foot."

Although NYU would not normally need to obtain permission to build the new center, the university has designed it in a way that goes against certain zoning regulations: by making it shorter and wider, rather than the approved tall and skinny design. This requires NYU to acquire permission from the New York City Board of Standards and Appeals via the Community Board committee. The Board will vote on NYU's application tonight at 6:30 p.m.

Berman believes this project alone is not the problem, and that NYU needs to alter its building practices overall.

"There are things that would be easier and more convenient for students, and there are those for residents," Berman said. "We have always been incredibly conscious of the university's very practical day-to-day needs."

Although Berman is pleased that NYU decided to build a shorter building than it could have done legally, he said he fears the university will not stick to that promise.

"We are just asking what kind of assurances they are going to give to us so they won't come back in two years and stack two more floors on that," Berman said. "We want to make sure this is a promise they are making in perpetuity. Because unfortunately, they've done that sort of thing in the past."

Berman said GVSHP does not like the building's "boxy" design.

"The Third Street side really kind of looked like a back door," he said.

Hurley said NYU decided to alter the "as-of-right" design — a building design it did not need to attain approval on because it fit with zoning restrictions — because it became too skinny at the top and was impractical for its purpose. Hurley also said the new center will be modeled after the nearby Judson Memorial Church instead of Kimmel. She added that regardless of the Board's decision, construction will not be prohibited; rather, it will simply be delayed until a new design is developed and approved.