Thursday, August 31, 2006
Chief issues and contradictions in the Union Square redesign clarified
LOOKING AHEAD by Wally Dobelis
The Union Square Park can have either an extended playground area or an extended seasonal restaurant in the Pavilion, but not both. That is the
apparent conclusion after absorbing the presentations brought out in the community meeting attended by over 100 activists on Tuesday August 22 at the
Seafarers, called by the Union Square Community Coalition and Citizens For Union Square.
The core basics of the current Parks Dept/Union Square Partnership- sponsored $14M design are simple – the playground that will consist of the two current playgrounds at the park grade level plus the “pit” now housing the Luna restaurant is to be sunk to the pit level. That means caregivers with strollers will need ramps or stairways or both, a major inconvenience and space-waster, a first in the NYC park system of 1700 venues. The bathrooms will be built in a separate building in the NE corner; still an inconvenience (the bathroom structure also destroys a green area.) The current dilapidated bathrooms, on the pit level
in the Pavilion, are to be converted to the kitchens of the restaurant, The dining area will be constructed at the park level; all this for a six-month revenue producing facility.
The logical approach would be to fill in the pit, have the entire expanded playground on park grade level, and restore the Pavilion restrooms for year-round
use, with a staircase. This is more or less the USCC Alternate Plan, as expressed by Barry Benepe, the nationally recognized designer of
the Greenmarket system. As a restaurant compromise, one might construct a food stand upstairs in the Pavilion, at popular prices,on the model of the Shake Shack in Madison Square Park (still anathema to the preservationists.)
The speakers at the meeting, moderated by Stanley Bulbach, all from USCC/CFUS, discussed aspects of the Parks/USP proposed plan,
ranging from the impact on the North Plaza, which has a formidable history , as the scene of the first labor parade in 1882 through the series of historic public
protests and May Day events right up to present days, as described by Jack Taylor. The legalities or lack thereof of the privatization of the public
Park facilities, the inability of concerned citizens to provide input to the design, and the consequent waste of funds ($1.5M in architect fees for
plans that were not accepted) were taken up by Ross Horowitz and Ernest Raab, a main thrust of the meeting, The funds involved consist of the anonymous donation of $5M for the improvements, and the City Council’s $1.9M for the playground, arranged by ex-CM Margarita Lopez years ago. The Alternate Plan was addressed by Marlene Payton. Geoffrey Croft of the NYC Park Advocates also discussed the national tendency to cut park budgets and governmental advocacy of private funding for these public facilities, declared as such by the law of the land.
Former Councilperson Carol Greitzer, whose parks advocacy reaches back to 1962, reminded the audience that the present restaurant was approved as an
interim seasonal measure to help fight the drug and crime scene in the Park. Assemblymember Sylvia Friedman whose 74th AD encompasses Union Square,
brought out the Alienation feature of NYS code, whereby any diversion of public land for private use must be approved by an act of the Legislature.
The latter traditionally honors the recommendation of the representative involved, in this case Ms. Friedman, a USCC stalwart, although utilizing the code may involve suing the city and the Parks Department.
This was supported by Assemblymember Dick Gottfried of the 75th AD north of us, who indicated that both he and AM Deborah Glick (AD 66,
Greenwich Village) would object to the diversion. He also noted the lack of transparency in developing the designs, the designers ignoring a request by CB5 for a draft Request For Proposal that incorporates constituents’ ideas. In the subsequent public discussions much was made of the protest
over the controversial proposed restaurant on public property holding up the universally agreed-upon playground project, although the pit vs. park
level structuring is the essential problem. No Parks speakers came forth.
It may well be that the next step in the approval process, a review by the Art Commission of the City, may break the impasse. The AC has already ruled
the proposed balconies expanding the restaurant and the trees along the north side of the Pavilion as unacceptable. and Barry Benepe’s
Alternative Proposal will be also presented at the yet-to-be scheduled event.
The park concessions will be taken up in public hearings scheduled by the City Council this fall. The subjects include the restaurant plans for Union Square and Stuyvesant Square, and will cover the risks of privatization of parks and the methods of distribution of profits from the concessions. The advocates for the hearings have been Alan Gerson, CD1downtown and Dan Garodnick, CD4, ST/PCV (Rosie Mendez, CD2, Union Square, now supports the Parks plans) It is reported that legislation will be drafted, aiming to provide transparency and to give the CC oversight over Parks’ awarding of concessions and administration of conservancies, the public/private partnerships for fundraising and administration of certain parks.
The Union Square Park can have either an extended playground area or an extended seasonal restaurant in the Pavilion, but not both. That is the
apparent conclusion after absorbing the presentations brought out in the community meeting attended by over 100 activists on Tuesday August 22 at the
Seafarers, called by the Union Square Community Coalition and Citizens For Union Square.
The core basics of the current Parks Dept/Union Square Partnership- sponsored $14M design are simple – the playground that will consist of the two current playgrounds at the park grade level plus the “pit” now housing the Luna restaurant is to be sunk to the pit level. That means caregivers with strollers will need ramps or stairways or both, a major inconvenience and space-waster, a first in the NYC park system of 1700 venues. The bathrooms will be built in a separate building in the NE corner; still an inconvenience (the bathroom structure also destroys a green area.) The current dilapidated bathrooms, on the pit level
in the Pavilion, are to be converted to the kitchens of the restaurant, The dining area will be constructed at the park level; all this for a six-month revenue producing facility.
The logical approach would be to fill in the pit, have the entire expanded playground on park grade level, and restore the Pavilion restrooms for year-round
use, with a staircase. This is more or less the USCC Alternate Plan, as expressed by Barry Benepe, the nationally recognized designer of
the Greenmarket system. As a restaurant compromise, one might construct a food stand upstairs in the Pavilion, at popular prices,on the model of the Shake Shack in Madison Square Park (still anathema to the preservationists.)
The speakers at the meeting, moderated by Stanley Bulbach, all from USCC/CFUS, discussed aspects of the Parks/USP proposed plan,
ranging from the impact on the North Plaza, which has a formidable history , as the scene of the first labor parade in 1882 through the series of historic public
protests and May Day events right up to present days, as described by Jack Taylor. The legalities or lack thereof of the privatization of the public
Park facilities, the inability of concerned citizens to provide input to the design, and the consequent waste of funds ($1.5M in architect fees for
plans that were not accepted) were taken up by Ross Horowitz and Ernest Raab, a main thrust of the meeting, The funds involved consist of the anonymous donation of $5M for the improvements, and the City Council’s $1.9M for the playground, arranged by ex-CM Margarita Lopez years ago. The Alternate Plan was addressed by Marlene Payton. Geoffrey Croft of the NYC Park Advocates also discussed the national tendency to cut park budgets and governmental advocacy of private funding for these public facilities, declared as such by the law of the land.
Former Councilperson Carol Greitzer, whose parks advocacy reaches back to 1962, reminded the audience that the present restaurant was approved as an
interim seasonal measure to help fight the drug and crime scene in the Park. Assemblymember Sylvia Friedman whose 74th AD encompasses Union Square,
brought out the Alienation feature of NYS code, whereby any diversion of public land for private use must be approved by an act of the Legislature.
The latter traditionally honors the recommendation of the representative involved, in this case Ms. Friedman, a USCC stalwart, although utilizing the code may involve suing the city and the Parks Department.
This was supported by Assemblymember Dick Gottfried of the 75th AD north of us, who indicated that both he and AM Deborah Glick (AD 66,
Greenwich Village) would object to the diversion. He also noted the lack of transparency in developing the designs, the designers ignoring a request by CB5 for a draft Request For Proposal that incorporates constituents’ ideas. In the subsequent public discussions much was made of the protest
over the controversial proposed restaurant on public property holding up the universally agreed-upon playground project, although the pit vs. park
level structuring is the essential problem. No Parks speakers came forth.
It may well be that the next step in the approval process, a review by the Art Commission of the City, may break the impasse. The AC has already ruled
the proposed balconies expanding the restaurant and the trees along the north side of the Pavilion as unacceptable. and Barry Benepe’s
Alternative Proposal will be also presented at the yet-to-be scheduled event.
The park concessions will be taken up in public hearings scheduled by the City Council this fall. The subjects include the restaurant plans for Union Square and Stuyvesant Square, and will cover the risks of privatization of parks and the methods of distribution of profits from the concessions. The advocates for the hearings have been Alan Gerson, CD1downtown and Dan Garodnick, CD4, ST/PCV (Rosie Mendez, CD2, Union Square, now supports the Parks plans) It is reported that legislation will be drafted, aiming to provide transparency and to give the CC oversight over Parks’ awarding of concessions and administration of conservancies, the public/private partnerships for fundraising and administration of certain parks.
# posted by Wally Dobelis @ 10:23 AM 
