New York University’s controversial West Village expansion plan is a go.
Opponents of the $6 billion plan lost their final appeal to stop the sweeping redevelopment from moving forward when the state’s highest court Tuesday upheld a previous ruling that the city can give away four parcels of Greenwich Village land for the university to develop, according to court papers.
Activists, including actors Mark Ruffalo, Matthew Broderick and model-turned-reality TV star Padma Lakshmi, argued that the space in question is designated public parkland and protected by a public trust doctrine, meaning the state Legislature — and not the city — had to sign off on the plan.
“That a portion of the public may have believed that these parcels are permanent parkland does not warrant a contrary result,” Tuesday’s ruling said.
In 2013, a lower court ruled that the city broke the law when it gave the land away, but a mid-level court overturned that decision last year.
The university’s 20-year plan — approved by the City Council in 2012 — includes redevelopment of 1.9 million square feet and the construction of four new buildings to house classrooms, dorms and offices.
An attorney representing the dozens of opponents didn’t immediately return messages seeking comment.
NYU spokesman John Beckman said the project will “produce jobs and economic benefits” as well as plenty of public open spaces.
“Moreover, the decision removes the threat to thousands of beloved green and recreational spaces around the state posed by the opponents’ legal theories,” Beckman said.