Lawsuit Response to Quinn NYU Plan

The Greenwich Village Society for Historic Preservation Plan to sue New York City over the controversial NYU expansion plans.

Andrew Berman, the executive director of the GVSHP, told The Village Voice that community's next move is to file an Article 78 petition in court, which will challenge the legality of the Bloomberg-Quinn administration's decision on the John Sexton plan, as the 20-year construction project is called.

"We were not listened to as a part of the process," Berman said after the vote. He said that even though his preservation society's taken losses before, the council decision was an "egregious" abuse of power.

Jim Walden, a high profile litigation partner at the Park Avenue law firm of Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher, spoke at a press conference immediately after community members were thrown out by Speaker Quinn of the City Council's large hearing room.

From an e-mail alert from Jim Fouratt :

Boss Christine Quinn send a press release out 5 hours prior to the City Council vote on the NYU 20-Year development plan stating the results of the vote. When Greenwich Village residents arrive to witness the historic vote, Speaker Quinn who represents many of the people present, never once in two hours looked up to the balcony, where the public had been placed. When the NYU plan came up, a few people in the balcony murmured at how she introduced it. She said, with out looking at the public, that if the public were not silent, she would remove them. It was a Margret Thatcher arrogant abuse of power moment. One elderly grey-haired resident of Washington Square Village, where the 20-year plan will take place, yelled out, "Liar," and Boss Quinn shouted, "Sargent of Arms, remove them." They did, and here is what happened outside. Listen closely. The audio is sometimes weak ... be sure to listen to the lawyer.