State Supreme Court Justice Sheila Abdus-Salaam dismissed the case of several neighborhood residents brought over Cooper Union’s general large-scale development plan in the Astor Pl./Cooper Sq. area. The judge’s decision supported the record of the City Planning Commission on the G.L.S.D.P.’s approval.
However, a second lawsuit, regarding a Board of Standards and Appeals variance that was granted to Related Companies for a new residential building on Cooper Union’s Astor Pl. parking lot is still alive.
At this point, it’s unclear whether the plaintiffs plan to reach some sort of settlement, appeal or litigate on the variance case, in the hope that it may affect the ruling on the first case.
Jack Lester, attorney for the Coalition to Save the East Village, said, “We have had discussions with the developer and I cannot comment further.”
Claire McCarthy, Cooper Union’s spokesperson, said, “We are pleased at the result and we believe the court determined the issues correctly.”
Anna Sawaryn, of the coalition, said, “We’re disappointed with the outcome, but we have a strong group of people, and they’re winners, because they gave the time and made the effort. We’re not going to let Cooper Union or N.Y.U. destroy our neighborhood. We’ve learned a lot, and we’re going to use this knowledge to save our community from future over-development.”
