June 12, 2002
Governor George E. Pataki
The Executive Chamber
Capitol
Albany, NY 12224
Dear Governor Pataki,
As you can see from the attached letter, the Greenwich Village Society for Historic Preservation continues to be very concerned about the Port Authority’s station entrance expansion project proposed for Greenwich Village. Concerns are growing regarding the plan’s impact on its historic surrounding neighborhood, and the appropriateness of building these entrances on narrow, fragile side streets. Many questions remain unanswered about the necessity of the plan as currently configured, as well as about the Port Authority’s purported ability to unilaterally move forward with this project without oversight or approval from any other public agency.
The parameters of the “independent study” recently commissioned by the Port Authority to review alternatives to the current plan remain totally unclear, in spite of our best efforts to get clarification from the agency about them, thus leaving the entire study’s value in doubt. The agency has, however, so far refused to include emergency only exits as an option in the study, or provide documentation to explain why this is not possible. During this supposed evaluation period, work on the project has continued, at times without appropriate permits, greatly concerning community residents and potentially endangering the work site’s historic surroundings.
We strongly urge you to intervene in this process, because of your role in relation to the Port Authority, because of the State’s role in governing safety, transportation, and preservation issues, and because the Port Authority’s jurisdiction and rationale for moving forward with this plan based on a 1908 agreement with a no longer extant governing body requires much greater public scrutiny. We hope that you will assist in assuring that this project does not move forward until all of the outstanding issues being raised are appropriately resolved.
Sincerely,
Andrew Berman
Executive Director
June 12, 2002
Hon. Michael Bloomberg
Mayor, City of New York
City Hall
New
York, NY 10007
Dear Mayor Bloomberg,
As you can see from the attached letter, the Greenwich Village Society for Historic Preservation continues to be very concerned about the Port Authority’s station entrance expansion project proposed for Greenwich Village. Concerns are growing regarding the plan’s impact on its historic surrounding neighborhood, and the appropriateness of building these entrances on narrow, fragile side streets. Many questions remain unanswered about the necessity of the plan as currently configured, as well as about the Port Authority’s purported ability to unilaterally move forward with this project without oversight or approval from any other public agency.
The parameters of the “independent study” recently commissioned by the Port Authority to review alternatives to the current plan remains totally unclear, in spite of our best efforts to get clarification from the agency about them, thus leaving the entire study’s worth in doubt. The agency has, however, so far refused to include emergency only exits as an option in the study, or provide documentation to explain why this is not possible. During this supposed evaluation period, work on the project has continued, at times without appropriate permits from the City, greatly concerning community residents and potentially endangering the work site’s historic surroundings.
Prior correspondences from GVSHP to you on this topic have simply been referred to the Port Authority. However, we strongly urge you to intervene in this process. The City has an important role and responsibility in regulating the safety, planning, and preservation issues this project raises. Also, the Port Authority’s jurisdiction and rationale for moving forward with this plan, based on a 1908 agreement with a no longer extant governing body, requires much greater public scrutiny. We hope that you will assist in assuring that this project does not move forward until all of the outstanding issues being raised are appropriately resolved.
Sincerely,
Andrew Berman
Executive Director
June 12, 2002
Commissioner Iris Weinshall
New York City Department of
Transportation
40 Worth Street
New York, NY 10013
Dear Commissioner Weinshall,
As you can see from the attached letter, the Greenwich Village Society for Historic Preservation continues to be very concerned about the Port Authority’s station entrance expansion project proposed for Greenwich Village. Concerns are growing regarding the plan’s impact on its historic surrounding neighborhood, and the appropriateness of building these entrances on narrow, fragile side streets. Many questions remain unanswered about the necessity of the plan as currently configured, as well as about the Port Authority’s purported ability to unilaterally move forward with this project without oversight or approval from any other public agency.
During a supposed period of evaluation of alternatives to the current plan, work on the project has continued, at times without appropriate permits from the City. This has greatly concerned community residents and potentially endangered the work site’s historic surroundings.
We strongly urge you to intervene in this process, because of the Department of Transportation’s role in governing the use of city streets. We believe that the Port Authority’s jurisdiction and rationale for moving forward with this plan based on a 1908 agreement with a no longer extant governing body requires much greater public scrutiny, including from your agency. We hope that you will assist in assuring that this project does not continue to move forward in an inappropriate manner until the outstanding issues being raised are resolved.
Sincerely,
Andrew Berman
Executive Director