By Gabriela Resto-Montero
DNAinfo Reporter/Producer
GREENWICH VILLAGE — Dozens of residents and politicians braved the cold Sunday to oppose NYU's expansion plans that would give the school ownership of six public open spaces around Greenwich Village.
The spaces, which include the Mercer-Houston Dog Run, LaGuardia Corner Garden and Mercer Playground, are currently owned by the Department of Transportation, a relic from when the greenstrips were meant for development as a Robert Moses-planned highway.
"NYU must learn finally how to coexist, not overwhelm, this community," said Manhattan Borough President Scott Stringer, who along with other elected officials, urged the DOT to transfer ownership of the parcels to the Parks Department.
Community Board 2 passed a resolution to reassign the park strips in October, saying the open space they afford the neighborhood needs to be protected from development.
"There are no other places around here where a kid can rollerskate or learn to ride a bike," said Nan DeLuca, who's a resident of 77 Bleecker.
"There's a couple of rocks and a sprinkler but they enjoy it," said DeLuca, whose 7-year-old grandaughter, Hailee DeLuca, spends her time at Mercer Playground in the summer.
Some of the green spaces would be maintained as public parks by the school under NYU's 2031 plan the university first unveiled last spring.
But residents balked at the idea of privatizing what is currently public land.
"No matter what the rationale, a private institution cannot build and operate a public park," said Toby Bergman, chair of the CB2 parks committee.
Elected officials including Rep. Jerrold Nadler, Assemblywoman Deborah Glick, State Senator Tom Duane and City Councilwoman Margaret Chin backed up residents call for the strips to receive parks protection.
"The only way we can be assured of the permanent use as parks is to designate it parkland," Nadler said.
NYU's official expansion application likely won't be submitted until the fall of 2011, a spokesperson for the school said.
Until that time, representatives with the university will continue to reach out to its neighbors for conversations on the expansion, according to a statement release by Alicia Hurley, vice president of the school's office of government affairs and community engagement.
"We remain committed to seeking a path forward that balances the needs of the community, NYU, and the city," Hurley said.
