NEW YORK CITY-New York University has agreed topare down its core two-million-square-foot 2031 expansion plan bynearly 20% after negotiating a deal with local officials andcommunity stakeholders. The university will cut out 377,000 squarefeet of commercial and academic space originally planned for theschool’s Greenwich Village campus, and in turn, has receivedconditional approval from Manhattan Borough President ScottStringer under the city’s Uniform Land Use ReviewProcedure for the project.

The decision – which still awaits a blessing from the city’splanning commission and city council – is viewed as a victory forboth the university and the neighborhood at-large.

"Our proposals have gone through multiple changes over the yearswe've been involved in the planning process,” says NYU spokesmanJohn Beckman, in an e-mailed statement toGlobeSt.com. “From the beginning, our focus has been to achieve anoutcome that will meet the University's academic space needs in away that will keep NYU strong -- and we're comfortable we're stillwell on that path -- while addressing the concerns of ourneighbors.”