City Proposes Changes to Jane Street, West 4th Street, Astor Place, and Stuyvesant Street

Recent proposals by the City to expand green spaces at the Jane Street Triangle and around Cooper Park and Astor Place would also have an impact on some of our city’s most historic and least-conforming streets.

In January the City unveiled its plan for a redesign of Cooper Square and Astor Place which included an expansion of Cooper Park and pedestrianizing the sections of Astor Place and Stuyvesant Street between Third Avenue and Lafayette Street.  Because none of the affected area is within a designated historic district (though it abuts the St. Mark’s and NoHo Historic Districts districts and the individually-landmarked Cooper Union Foundation building), the plan does not need the approval of the Landmarks Preservation Commission.

GVSHP has written to the Public Design Commission, which must approve the design, urging that the pedestrianized sections of Astor Place and Stuyvesant Street retain their historic connection to these 17th century streets.  Read more HERE.

The Jane Street Triangle redesign, presented by the City in February, does fall within the Greenwich Village Historic District, and therefore must receive public hearings and approval from the Landmarks Preservation Commission.  The plan would permanently pedestrianize a small piece of West 4th Street which has been closed to traffic for years.  Read more HERE, and check our Landmarks Application webpage to see when public hearing on the plan has been scheduled.