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UES private school to shut down part of East 77th Street several times per week
Starting next month, East 77th Street between Second and Third avenues will be shut down to foot and car traffic from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., three days a week. The action is part of New York City's controversial Open Streets program, which allows the city's streets to be turned into public spaces on a case-by-case basis.
New York, New York - Starting next month, an Upper East Side street will close three times a week for an elite private school’s recess. East 77th Street between Second and Third avenues will be shut down to foot and car traffic from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., three days a week.
NYC's ‘Open Streets’ program
What we know:
Manhattan's Community Board 8 recently approved an application from Birch Wathen Lenox School to do so. For those two hours, students of the $62,500-a-year private school will be able to play in the street. The action is part of New York City's controversial Open Streets program, which allows the city's streets to be turned into public spaces on a case-by-case basis.
The school, which serves roughly 500 students, was previously rejected when it proposed shutting down the road for five hours a day, five days a week. It argued that the school's rooftop playground was too small for all grade levels to use.
Community reaction
What they're saying:
Nearby business owners aren't pleased with the development. Todd Ofsink, who owns a laundromat just a few dozen feet from the school, told The New York Post that "it's like the 1% taking away from the 99%."
"For a school that's privileged like this, that has a playground on the roof—that's 10 minutes from either Central Park on one side, going west or going east, there's an entire park at York and 77th Street—there's just no reason to have to close down a block and cause disruption to 10 doctors, businesses," he said, speaking with FOX 5 New York.
"Why do they have the right to commandeer an entire street and disrupt the businesses on this block?" he told The Post. "It's a peak time for us, and it’s really going to be a major impediment to us doing business."
"I let the community board know about that, and they just kind of feel that it’s not that much of a big deal because they’re still going to allow cars to come through," he added. "But we don’t really understand how that’s possibly going to work."
Toby Chancey, owner of Toby Clairty Lighting, said he could stand to lose roughly 10% of his business because the majority of his elderly customers drive to his storefront.
"I just hope it's not going to be a problem," he told FOX 5 New York's Linda Schmidt.
The school will be required to usher kids off the street so that delivery trucks, and in particular, emergency vehicles, can get through.
Head of School Bill Kuhn said in a statement provided to FOX 5 New York that Birch Wathen Lenox School is "willing to work" with neighbors to ensure "the program runs smoothly and will continue to work closely with everyone on the block to minimize disruption while providing this vital outdoor space" to its students.
"We're excited to join around 70 other schools in the city that run successful Open Streets programs," he said.
The Source: Information in this article is from The New York Post, FOX 5 NY reporting, and several local residents.