About 200 people recently met up for a good ol' fashion NYU bashing, but c'mon folks, Big Purple ain't that bad, right? To prove its community-outreach credentials, the rapidly expanding school has announced its proposal for a redesigned bit of open space on Mercer Street between West 3rd and West 4th Streets. The plot of land was excavated for NYU's new underground cogeneration facility, currently under construction. The university wanted the street-level plaza to be an improvement on the prior condition of the space (seen in the gallery above), and seeing an opportunity to throw the locals a bone, NYU convened a 15-member Community Advisory Committee to help shape the plan.
Neighbors, community board members, elected officials and even an NYU student offered input on the designs, which include 22 trees, inclined plant beds and seating "to discourage overnight visitors." Mathews Nielsen Landscape Architects had the final say, and now the Mercer Street Landscaping Project heads for the approvals process. Work should wrap up in spring/summer 2010, barring any attacks from pitchfork-wielding Villagers.
· NYU Announces Proposal for Mercer Street Landscaping Project [NYU]
· All NYU coverage [Curbed]
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