via NYU 2031

No one's going to get exactly what they want. But that's the essence of compromise!

This was part of Manhattan Borough President Scott Stringer's message today when he officially announced his support for a scaled-back version of the controversial 20-year expansion plan for New York University.

This latest news is part of an ongoing urban development saga where not-in-my-backyard advocates have clashed dramatically with a powerful university that hopes to grow in the Village, its homebase neighborhood. Elected officials like Stringer have been caught in the middle of the fight, forced to navigate competing interests of preservation, development, and education. For the borough president, who is expected to run for mayor in 2013, taking a stance on NYU is more than an opportunity to influence a project that could fundamentally change the Village -- it's also a chance to start building a platform for his bid to replace Mayor Mike Bloomberg.

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Nearly two years ago, St. Vincent's Hospital in Greenwich Village shut its doors in the face of millions of dollars of debt. The closure strained other hospitals in the city and also paved the way for a large rezoning and redevelopment process on the site.

Today, that development project took a big step forward, earning the approval of the City Planning Commission -- the second to last step in the lengthy public review process required in New York City for projects like this.

The project, under Rudin Management, is a proposed mixed-use development on 7th Ave. between 11th and 12th streets. The buildings, according to City Planning, would contain approximately 450 residential units, around 10,000 square feet of ground-floor retail space, 20,000 square feet of medical offices, and, notably, 17,000 square feet of public open space on the triangular parcel of land located west of the East Side.

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Courtney Love is going to be evicted from her house on West 10th Street for setting fires and destroying the decor, Page Six reports today. Love, who is 46 (!), is accused of painting over "hand-finished" walls -- the lease apparently stipulates that nothing be done to the interior -- and owing $50,000 in rent.

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Steven Thrasher

Crossing Sixth Avenue at 11th Street this afternoon, it was impossible not to notice. At its current stage of construction, One World Trade appears to be the same height and size as the Trump SoHo Tower. Together, the two create a view that looks eerily like the pre-9/11 World Trade Center from this intersection.

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In New York, it's hard to get package deliveries when they arrive unless you're home sick, you live in a dorm, or you have a doorman. If you miss the package three times in a row, it's sent off to this weird warehouse far away, and you have to go pick it up, which is a pain in the ass. Just like everything else these days, there's now an app for this, or at least a service you can sign up for online. It's called Village Doorman, and it's what it sounds like: a virtual doorman. Of sorts.

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Every year, NYU hosts a Halloween children's parade in conjunction with Manhattan Community Board 2. This year they're holding a contest to design the parade's official tote bag. The Greenwich Village Society for Historic Preservation (GVSHP), sworn enemies of NYU's massive 2031 expansion plan, have made a submission to the contest and called upon others to do the same. Behold:

GVSHP

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Preston, when he was working at the Sea Colony

For about two years, Preston Mardenborough has diligently continued to post an ad to Craigslist seeking people who remember a bar called the Sea Colony. Mardenborough, now 68, was one of the few men who worked at the long-closed lesbian hangout in Greenwich Village in the mid to late '60s, and he wants to find and reconnect with his old pals. But he hasn't found any.

"I had a lot of good friends there, and everyone just, poof, disappeared -- like everything else, I guess," he told us.

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First there was the East Village doorshitter, now the West Village has its very own excreting felon. The Daily News reports via video surveillance that the man -- described as a either black or Hispanic, 5 foot 8 inches and 20 to 25 years old -- was spotted undoing his belt and peeing or at least attempting to pee on a car parked on Christopher Street early Sunday morning. Plainclothes police officers caught him and tried to frisk him, but he fled, eluding capture. The Daily News has no indication as to whether his pants fell down as he did this, or if he fastened them before making a run for it. Updated with video after the jump. [via Gothamist]

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Suspect in stabbing

​Cops have identified the man they say is suspected of stabbing a 23-year-old man in the wee hours of March 27 around the area of 256 West Fourth Street in the West Village. The victim's name hasn't been released; at last report, he was in critical condition. The suspect, cops say, is known as "Francisco." He allegedly stabbed the victim several times after an argument. Francisco is a little twerp, described by cops as 5 feet tall and 20-23 years old, with an eagle tattoo on one of his hands. Tipsters can call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477) or submit tips at nypdcrimestoppers.com or text info to 274637 (CRIMES), entering TIP577.

Cops have released this video of Damian Furtch being attacked Sunday at a West Village McDonald's. The beating, likely a gay-bashing, quickly made its way overseas, complete with big, ugly photos. His crime, apparently, was to wear a fluorescent hat and pink shoelaces around sexually insecure punks.

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