Here’s a brief report on the March 8th court hearing on our lawsuit to overturn the Landmark Preservation Commission’s approval of the massive Gansevoort development.

First, a big thank you to everyone who attended the hearing!  There was a GREAT turnout of community residents.  The court was completely packed, there wasn’t a free seat in the room.

The good news:  the judge dismissed the developer’s arguments about our standing to bring the lawsuit; that issue is now off the table, which is excellent.

Our lawyer, Michael Hiller, did a fine job of presenting our case, and then the lawyers for the city and the developer responded.  The judge seemed sympathetic to our arguments.  However, she also emphasized the limitations on the court’s ability to intervene in agency decisions, and indicated that she will take a narrow view of the court’s authority in these matters.

We expect that the judge will announce her decision within approximately 2 months, although it could be sooner.

More information about our lawsuit can be found here.

This is the big one!  Our next court date is this coming Wednesday, March 8th, and it will be the hearing at which the real issues in our case will be argued.  Our lawyer will present our case for overturning the Landmarks Preservation Commission’s approval of massive new construction at 60-68 and 70-74 Gansevoort Street, and the city and the developer will present their responses.

Wednesday, March 8th, 2:15 PM
60 Centre Street Room 345 (at Foley Square)
(the hearing will start promptly; allow an extra 10 minutes to pass through security)

PLEASE JOIN US AT THE HEARING!  If you can only come to one hearing, this is the one to attend.  A good crowd is important to show the judge that there is strong community support for preserving the intact block of historic market buildings on Gansevoort Street.

More information about the lawsuit, including a copy of the arguments we have submitted to the court and supporting affidavits from various experts, can be found here.