Frigid Fest is chillin’, p. 19
Volume 2, Number 31 FREE
East and West Village, Lower East Side, Soho, Noho, Little Italy and Chinatown
February 23 - 29, 2012
Phony letters sink expansion plan for Mulberry Mall BY LINCOLN ANDERSON The Little Italy Merchants Association has dropped its bid to extend the Mulberry St. Mall’s length for an extra block after it was discovered that at least half, and possibly more, of residents’ letters allegedly in support of the initiative were fraudulent, with forged signatures. According to Community Board 2, the board received 68 letters in support of the one-block extension for the seasonal mall.As the board usually does with petitions
or letters of support or opposition, C.B. 2 staff members made phone calls and sent e-mail queries to the numbers and e-mail addresses listed on the letters to check their validity. The calls yielded the following results: Out of the 68 individual letters, 29 people whose names were listed as having been signatories said they had never signed them. Eight phone calls resulted in the person answering
Continued on page 6
City spins idea for wind rotors atop buildings BY ALBERT AMATEAU Are you ready for 55-foot-tall wind turbines atop buildings on the waterfront? The Department of City Planning is contemplating a citywide “Zone Green” text amendment that would open more opportunities for wind turbines and other energysaving measures. Vivian Awner, a department spokesperson, made the pitch to the Community Board 2 Land Use and
Photo by Tequila Minsky
On the eve of Board 2’s big vote on N.Y.U.’s application for its superblocks development plan, university students and faculty rallied against the ambitious scheme on Tuesday at Gould Plaza on W. Fourth St. They decried the proposal as irresponsible and wildly expensive. (See Page 2 for more coverage and photos.) C.B. 2 will weigh in on the 2031 Plan on Thursday evening Feb. 23 as part of the city’s ULURP review and issue its advisory resolution, outlining its position on the proposal. The meeting will start at 6 p.m., at St. Anthony of Padua Church, 151 Sullivan St. (just south of Houston St.), lower hall. For members of the public wishing to testify, speakers’ cards will be accepted between 6 p.m. and 6:30 p.m. Before that, at 5 p.m., the Greenwich Village Society for Historic Preservation will gather at the church with N.Y.U. faculty and students for a press conference and rally. 515 CA N A L STREET • N YC 10 013 • C OPYRIG HT © 2012 COMMU N ITY M ED IA , LLC
Business Development Committee on Feb. 9 for the amendment that would remove some impediments in the existing zoning text to “green” technology. The energy-saving features on landmarked buildings or in historic districts would still be subject to Landmarks Preservation Commission review, and the technology would still be subject to Department of
Continued on page 5
PARADISE REVISITED PAGE 13
EDITORIAL, LETTERS PAGE 16