BY SERGEI KLEBNIKOV | The little intersection at Jane and W. Fourth Sts. and Eighth Ave. has had a long and interesting history, and now, following the end of its latest makeover, the tiny triangle has yet another new identity.
Three years ago, Community Board 2 voted to approve the Department of Transportation’s plan to redesign the small traffic island into a small park.
Going back further, the Jane St. triangle was created in 1998, when concerns about safety at the three-way intersection got D.O.T. to install a raised cement traffic island with a tree, plus a fence around the island. The one block of W. Fourth St. on the triangle’s north side was closed to traffic. The ad hoc fence — made of gleaming metal bike racks, added by then-D.O.T. Commissioner Chris Lynn — was soon removed due to public outcry. The site is in the landmarked Greenwich Village Historic District.
In 2011, D.O.T. moved to make the intersection a small parklike area. Originally, Jane St. residents liked the idea, as D.O.T. began presenting plans for the design in multiple hearings at C.B. 2. However, some worried that installing benches would encourage bar patrons to loiter there noisily after hours.
In the end, the full community board overwhelmingly approved the project.
“We felt the concerns weren’t justified,” explained Shirley Secunda, chairperson of C.B. 2’s Traffic and Transportation Committee.
However, because of the local concerns, D.O.T.’s designer replaced the planned benches with rough-hewn granite blocks, in order to limit people sitting down. The reasoning was that having granite blocks instead of benches would encourage only temporary seating, where people can stop and rest for a while rather than for a lengthy stay.
Construction on the triangle recently finished. The intersection now sports added bushes, trees and mulch. D.O.T. also installed safety cones and crash barriers around the space.
Secunda said there were modifications made “each step of the way,” and that various commissions oversaw the process.
Meanwhile, residents and local business owners have felt the effects of the ongoing construction.
“The project had been going on way too long,” said Michael Stewart, an owner of Tavern on Jane. He said it was nice to finally have parking in the area again, and hopes, with the construction staging gone, that D.O.T. will reinstall Muni-Meters.
Similarly, Sandeep Mohabir, manager of Li-Lac Chocolates, called the construction “extensively long.”
Yet, now that the project is finished, most are happy for the addition to the intersection.
“People generally like the triangle,” Stewart observed.
Mohabir said the small park “makes the area look more homey,” and that it’s much better than having an empty sidewalk.
In addition, the granite blocks seem to have addressed the concerns raised by neighbors several years ago.
“People don’t really loiter; they more often just stop and admire the park,” Stewart noted. The granite blocks “give some kind of aesthetic” to the intersection, he added.
Mohabir said there is “nothing suspicious around the park” whenever he closes up shop and leaves for the night.
“You can’t have enough green space around here,” Stewart added.
“It’s an improvement that’s going to serve the community,” Secunda said.
