NYU is gearing up for a controversial planning process for a new tower proposed for one of its superblocks between Bleecker and Houston streets. The university intends to kick off the planning process this fall. Already, stakeholders, such as the Greenwich Village Society for Historic Preservation, are expressing concerns about the location.

Members of Community Board 3 expressed their concern about out of context development in the East Village. Residents were particularly upset about the recently opened 26-story dorm that opened at the intersection of 12th Street and Third Avenue. Residents also wondered about development plans for the 1.5 million square feet not accounted for in the current proposal.

Community Board 1 Chairperson Julie Menin is pushing strongly for NYU to consider building a proposed tower in lower Manhattan as opposed to Greenwich Village, where the university’s development plans have been met with opposition. NYU, as part of its NYU 2031 expansion plan, intends to construct the tower on one of its superblocks near the core campus.

New York University has proposed a 41-story tower in downtown Brooklyn near its Polytechnic campus. The first 28 floors would serve academic purposes with the remaining floors potentially being leased to other companies. New York University would be able to do this as a result of the air rights it has acquired.

On Wednesday night, N.Y.U. unveiled its plan to add six million square feet of new university space across three locations. Preservation advocates held a news conference before the meeting, opposing the expansion. N.Y.U. President John Sexton has long defended the plan- noting that even with the new additional space, N.Y.U.

Although much of the NYU 2031 plan is conceptual, the university has more immediate plans to develop part of its core area – two superblocks between Houston and W. Third and Mercer Street and LaGuardia Place. New development is expected to include a residential tower, a mixed-use building and two new buildings near Washington Square Village.

NYU is exploring expansion options with the Brooklyn Academy of Music and within Downtown Brooklyn, a neighborhood which has drawn an increasingly young, college-age population following its major rezoning in 2004.

New York University offered to donate space in a future building for a new elementary school in Greenwich Village, a bid to win more support for its plan to expand by 40 percent over 20 years.

NYU's expansion onto Governors Island has gathered support from administrators, who boast the island's location and undeveloped lands for new departments. Before any expansion can begin, NYU must wait for New York City and the state to resolve who has governance over the island.

N.Y.U. released plans to expand the campus by 40% by 2031. University officials said the expansion will include additional classroom, lab, and dormitory space. Proposed new development sites include three million square feet in Greenwich Village, an additional one million square feet for a Brooklyn engineering school, and a campus on Governors Island.