Residents save Shevchenko Place, but continue to oppose Cooper Union's development plans (11/11/01)

Residents save Shevchenko Place, but continue to oppose Cooper Union's development plans

by Andrew Nynka

PARSIPPANY, N.J. - The issue of demapping Taras Shevchenko Place has been taken off of The Cooper Union's large-scale development plan, seemingly saving the city street named in honor of Ukraine's 19th century bard. However, East Village residents apparently still see many problems with the school's plans for the neighborhood and claim the attitude of school administrators is threatening their quiet community.

The October 31 scoping meeting, intended to start the process of either approving, modifying or disapproving The Cooper Union's application for zoning variances, drew a crowd of over 200 - almost all of whom showed serious concern with CU's plans for real estate development.

Although school representative Paul Travis of Washington Square Partners rescinded the proposal to demap Taras Shevchenko Place, many residents feel that expanding the Hewitt building, located adjacent to Taras Shevchenko Place on the corner of Third Avenue and Seventh Street, from its current 36-foot height, which includes basement height, to over 135 feet - more than tripling the building's size - would be a severe and negative impact on the community.

"We live in a small town right here in Manhattan called the East Village," Anna Sawaryn, chairwoman of the Coalition to Save the East Village, told The New York Times. "The low-rise 19th-century tenements will be replaced by high-rise Midtown offices," she added.

Ronnie Denes, vice-president of public affairs for The Cooper Union, noted that while other schools can raise money by increasing tuition or enrolling more students, The Cooper Union is constrained in its enrollment due to its continued dedication to providing an education "as free as water or air." Ms. Denes commented that, "When you look at our assets, what you have is real estate."

Residents argue that the school's plans, which still include the elimination of streets, the rezoning of two new structures to allow more area and floor space, the enlargement of a public park, and the leasing of a parking lot the school owns to a commercial tenant, would leave the area looking more like Midtown Manhattan.

As greater numbers of organizations and politicians band together with the coalition, The Cooper Union's road to seeing its development plan approved seems steeper and steeper. With over 20 organizations, including community boards and historic preservation committees, supporting the coalition, Ms. Sawaryn acknowledged the advocacy of Rep. Jerome Nadler, New York State Sen. Martin Connor, Member of the State Assembly Deborah Glick and the continued support of New York State Sen. Thomas Duane.

However, Jaroslaw Kurowyckyj, president of the Shevchenko Preservation Committee, stressed that issues directly affecting the Ukrainian community still exist. Mr. Kurowyckyj noted that if the CU's current plans are accepted, the Ukrainian community, along with East Village residents, will see drastic changes in their quality of life.

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