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A plan to alter Washington Square, add a five-foot-high fence to close the park at night, and move and remove trees and popular attractions, is the latest fracas pitting Greenwich Village residents against their ber-neighbor, New York University. The fifty-year conflict has seen buildings demolished, tenants evicted, roads vanish from city maps, public land disappear and even a bizarre scheme to dome the historic park. More recently, N.Y.U. tried to close several more streets around the park—almost all lined with N.Y.U buildings—to extend its "campus-like area." So the Greenwich Village Block Associations are howling along with the dogs in the square's soon-to-be-relocated dog runs. They say:

If 'Greenwich Village is a state of mind,' then Washington Sq. Park is its soul...Some reasonably suspect that New York University and its surrogates are steering decisions behind the scenes....The community is plausibly suspicious.

Puts a whole new spin on selling smoke in the park, eh? —MG
 Park plans haven t been squared away with community [The Villager]
He has designs on the square [The Villager]
Renovating Washington Square will be a disaster [Washington Square News]
Wash. Sq. Park development plans irk students [Washington Square News]
NYU needs park open [Washington Square News]