affirmation of michael burger in support of defendant's motion to ...
affirmation of michael burger in support of defendant's motion to ...
affirmation of michael burger in support of defendant's motion to ...
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particularly outrageous <strong>in</strong> this <strong>in</strong>stance s<strong>in</strong>ce neither the Economic Development Corporation<br />
CEDC)nor the City has moved this process forward <strong>in</strong> the full year s<strong>in</strong>ce the City Plann<strong>in</strong>g<br />
Commission's vote on July 2, 2003. Indeed, on February 27,2004, counsel for the City <strong>in</strong>formed the<br />
Supreme Court for the State <strong>of</strong> New York that the Borough Board was expected <strong>to</strong> act <strong>in</strong> May 2004.<br />
In view <strong>of</strong> the forego<strong>in</strong>g, this sudden rush <strong>to</strong> judgment is unseemly at best - and highly<br />
suspicious at worst. Two Columbus Circle deserves the chance for survival that a fair and due process is<br />
supposed <strong>to</strong> provide.<br />
• When the nation's premier pr~ervation organization, the National Trust for His<strong>to</strong>ric Preservation,<br />
names 2 Columbus Circle <strong>to</strong> its list <strong>of</strong> America's "Most Endangered His<strong>to</strong>ric Places;"<br />
• When the Preservation League <strong>of</strong> New York State <strong>in</strong>cludes 2 Columbus Circle on its "Seven <strong>to</strong><br />
Save" list;<br />
• When every major preservation group <strong>in</strong> New York City aligns <strong>in</strong> S1.1pport<strong>of</strong> a public hear<strong>in</strong>g<br />
before the Landmarks Preservation Commission <strong>to</strong> determ<strong>in</strong>e 2 Columbus Circle's merits for<br />
<strong>of</strong>ficial Landmark status;<br />
• When dist<strong>in</strong>guished architect and Dean <strong>of</strong> the Yale School <strong>of</strong> Architecture Rohert A.M. Stem,<br />
New York Times architecture critic Herbert Muscharnp, artists Chuck Close and LeRoy Neiman<br />
and Franyoise GHot-Salk and Mil<strong>to</strong>n Glaser, New York notables such as Tom Wolfe and Joan K.<br />
Davidson, not <strong>to</strong> mention more than 1,000 other signa<strong>to</strong>ries (see attached document entitled "The<br />
Silent Majority"), United States Congressman Jerold Nadler and Congresswoman Carolyn<br />
Maloney, New York State Sena<strong>to</strong>r Thomas K. Duane, and Assembly Member Scott Str<strong>in</strong>ger and<br />
other local elected <strong>of</strong>ficials have all called for a public Landmarks hear<strong>in</strong>g <strong>to</strong> give 2 Columbus<br />
Circle fair and due process (see enclosed copy <strong>of</strong> February 21,2002, letter),<br />
To ignore this public outcry is reprehensible. Furthermore, because <strong>of</strong> the irresponsible tim<strong>in</strong>g <strong>of</strong><br />
the Borough Board's meet<strong>in</strong>g and the fact that, as <strong>of</strong> Wednesday, August 18, only four bus<strong>in</strong>ess days<br />
<strong>in</strong> advance, notice <strong>of</strong> this meet<strong>in</strong>g has not appeared <strong>in</strong> the City Record, many <strong>support</strong>ers <strong>of</strong><br />
preserv<strong>in</strong>g 2 Columbus Circle are not able <strong>to</strong> attend. Such cavalier treatment <strong>of</strong> the important role <strong>of</strong><br />
public participation is a violation <strong>of</strong> the spirit <strong>of</strong> good government and must not be <strong>to</strong>lerated.<br />
Please reconsider you determ<strong>in</strong>ation <strong>to</strong> press fOlward <strong>in</strong> this cynical manner.<br />
Respectfully,<br />
***+*.*****************************************************************************~<br />
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