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Rezoning Battle Will Be How NYU's Sausage Gets Made

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In a city where every new wine bar is put through the ringer by multiple government agencies, how in the heck can NYU build all the stuff in its crazy expansion plan? It can't, at least not yet, and much of it will come down to complicated rezoning efforts. How complicated? Well, The Villager got a peek under the hood of NYU's rezoning plans for its Greenwich Village superblocks, and the story is a lengthy orgy of terms like R72, C62 and F.A.R. Did we mention it's complicated?

There are also lots of minor details that only seem minor because of the bigger ideas NYU has planned, but in fact will be pretty darn controversial?stuff like swapping locations of required public open space, and the school's acquiring and demapping of strips of city property. Regarding the bigger proposals, check out the latest on the 38-story "Pinwheel Tower" planned as part of Silver Towers complex (which also requires Landmarks Preservation Commission approval). Can you say NYU condo-hotel?!

As for the hotel in half of the planned fourth tower that would be added to the Silver Towers complex, Davis said visiting faculty — such as from the campuses of N.Y.U.’s far-flung “Global Networked University” — would stay there for a fee. The tower’s other half would offer rental housing for faculty, possibly with condo purchase opportunities. Davis explained that, for example, N.Y.U.’s Stern School of Business might want to buy a block of apartments in the building. Per city regulations, the hotel portion would have to offer basic hotel services, with a central switchboard and so forth.Basic hotel services, eh? Hey work-study kids: Hope you look good in maids' outfits.
· N.Y.U. unveils rezoning for its two superblocks [The Villager]
· NYU Expansion coverage [Curbed]