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Plan to Move Criminal Summons Court to TriBeCa Sparks Community Opposition

By Irene Plagianos | October 10, 2013 4:16pm
 The 40 Worth Street building, which takes up a block between W. Broadway and Thomas St., will have its entrance at 71 Thomas St, pictured here. The building is currently home to civil court.
The 40 Worth Street building, which takes up a block between W. Broadway and Thomas St., will have its entrance at 71 Thomas St, pictured here. The building is currently home to civil court.
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DNAinfo/Irene Plagianos

TRIBECA — The City is planning to move a low-level Criminal Court from the civic center to a narrow street in TriBeCa, sparking opposition from area residents.

The summons court — which deals with summonses for low-level criminal offenses ranging from littering to disorderly conduct to marijuana possession — draws about 600 people daily to its current location at 346 Broadway. But officials recently announced that they're eyeing a move to 40 Worth St., to the dismay of those who live on the quiet block.

"This is the plan...there is no other location being considered," Pauline Yu, a spokeswoman from the Mayor’s Office, told a packed Community Board 1 TriBeCa committee Wednesday evening.

Yu said the city is still not sure when the court will make the move, but said the court only handles "minor offenses."

People can either pay or challenge their summonses fee at the court, which would run from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., daily, Yu said, while detailing the plan. But despite her attempts to allay concerns, area residents at the meeting and CB1 members were not placated.

Residents were concerned about people heading into court queueing up along the street, which happens at 346 Broadway, where the summons court is currently located. Yu said they'll have a larger waiting area that can accommodate up to 250 people at the new location to avoid people lining the sidewalk, waiting to get in.

"Just because it's low-level, a lot of these people coming to this court are unsavory types...and are engaged in other types of criminal activity," said CB1 member, Allan Tannenbaum, who was part of the group that voted to oppose the move.

"You're bringing a lot of people into this neighborhood, where there are a lot of kids around, who are really potentially more dangerous criminals."