Editor’s Note: Brad will be blogging weekly about local politics, especially in relation to NYU. 

“NYU professors should be teaching those kids something about civic responsibility. Why aren’t there any students fighting this with us? They’re ignorant of the realities that NYU brings upon the rest of us here. They’re too caught up in this theory or that concept and don’t even care about what’s happening to our community – no respect for the history here…”

These were the words I faced from a button-clad activist upon my first venture to  a Community Board 2 (CB2) public hearing this summer.  Each speaker – all community members – one after the other repeated the same cries against NYU’s development. 

The comments had been directed towards NYU’s development plans for the Provincetown Playhouse on MacDougal, which NYU intends to make into new Law School facilities. Though the university has promised to preserve and restore the building’s façade, as well as the walls of the structure, the community members who spoke voiced unanimous opposition to the project. Their claims were based on historic preservation and persistent opposition to NYU’s expansion throughout the Village.

So I followed up with the Chair of CB2, Brad Hoylman, to get better insight on local politics in the NYU area. Mr. Hoylman describes community boards as “the town halls of local government, representing grassroots organization in its purest form.” They sit at the bottom of the municipal governance structure, just below elected officials. The chain from the top follows as such: Mayor’s Office, Mayor’s Community Affairs Unit, Borough President’s Office, City Council, and then community boards.

The community boards hold no weight in law, so they must fight for their credibility to ensure proper consideration of their resolutions. The community boards are, effectively, “the voice of the community,” serving in an advisory capacity to elected officials – typically on the local level, but their duties entail all matters that constituents raise. Based on the New York City charter, the opinion of community boards must be heard, but there are no requirements for enforcement. Mr. Hoylman sees the community boards as a further resource to gauge public opinion on local issues.

The issue of the Provincetown Playhouse has subsided since summer largely because CB2 voted in support of the compromise with NYU on preservation. “It’s been a tortured relationship [with NYU],” Mr. Hoylman said, “but it has been improving.” He commented that universities and local communities having difficult relations is by no means new or unique. With every large institution in a community (consider St. Vincent’s Hospital and the New School), there are similar challenges and disagreements. “Thankfully NYU isn’t building a vast corridor like Columbia is on 125th Street,” Mr. Hoylman added.

Borough President Scott Stringer commissioned a task force to moderate discussion between NYU and the community in response to the NYU Plans 2031 initiative. As a result of those efforts, NYU has agreed to a set of planning principles for future development. Mr. Hoylman emphasizes that we “can’t downplay the importance of both sides of the relationship – it’s always a balancing act, and we’re making strides.” With the 2031 plan, CB2 and the rest of the community sit in a difficult position because most of the developments remain speculative. NYU continues to present their proposals, and CB2 continues to listen, but providing feedback, let alone resolutions, is difficult without knowing which options NYU will actually pursue. With no representative at NYU’s planning meetings, CB2 has little to act on for the moment. They must pick their poison, and NYU relations are just one of many concerns that residents and community members bring forward.

Past issues that CB2 has faced with NYU include the cogeneration plant development, bus and trolley routes, as well as park closings. Mr. Hoylman says that within CB2, they don’t get the NYU perspective as much as they should. The NYU Office of Government and Community Relations typically sends a representative to public hearings, and according to Mr. Hoylman, they are doing a good job, but “there’s a wall between the local community and student population that doesn’t serve either group.”

CB2 has indeed had students serve on the board in past years. Mr. Hoylman points out that any community member interested in serving on the board as a public member can visit CB2’s website to apply, and those hoping to serve as a full voting member can apply online as well through the Borough President’s Office website.

At NYU, freshmen this fall will be looking forward to Washington Square Park’s renewal, while many of us who have returned from last year remain embittered by the development. Our claims may be justifiable, but they do not resound like the passionate voices of our neighbors in the village.

Listed below are upcoming CB2 public meetings concerning NYU:

Monday, 9/15, 6:30 PM – Discussion of Ideas for improved open space allocations on the Superblocks for Plan 2031 – Lesbian and Gay Community Service Center, 208 W. 13th St. Room 101

Thursday, 9/18, 6:00 PM – Full Board Meeting – SEIU 32BJ, 101 6th Ave., 22nd Floor Pre-conference room

Thursday, 9/25, 6:30 PM – Discussion with NYU on their ongoing construction projects and their community outreach – Tony Dapolito Recreation Center, 3 Clarkson St., 3rd Floor