The end could be near for a pricey Upper East Side private school’s street takeover that neighbors say has become a menace, now that Community Board 8 has voted to revoke the Allen-Stevenson’s schools ‘Open Street’ permit — which for all intents and purposes does the opposite, shutting down a Lenox Hill block for the sole benefit of extremely privileged boys whose parents afford the nearly $60,000 a year tuition. However, the end of the ‘Open Street’ is not a done deal just yet.
Neighbors living — and some working from their homes— on East 78th Street between Park and Lexington Avenues first brought the nightmare next door to the attention of the Community Board’s Transportation Committee in September, at their wit’s end after two years of the Allen-Stevenson School’s street annexation on weekdays from 7:00 am until 4:00 pm.
“The children spill out over the entire street, throwing balls and paper airplanes, and making bikers and pedestrians very vulnerable,” explained East 78th Street resident Anne Namm.
“Bikers have subsequently been riding on the sidewalks because the bike lane is not available.”
Exasperated neighbors say their homes are filled with excessive noise from boys screaming at the top of their lungs, pedestrians are forced to dodge flying balls hurled by the students and even cyclists have been blocked from using the street’s bike lane — all of which has been witnessed by Upper East Site during several visits over the past two months.
“This is a very dangerous situation,” Ms. Namm added.
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When the ‘Open Streets’ program began during the height of the first wave of the Covid-19 pandemic in New York City back in April 2020, the program was intended to give New Yorkers space to walk or bike while the whole state was ‘on pause.’
For schools, the goal was to provide space for outdoor learning — however, as Covid-19 concerns and regulations have been pushed aside in the following two years, the program has morphed into a free-for-all where neighbors say the Allen-Stevenson School has been using the street closure to have cars drop off and pick up students, to hold bake sales, and even for an event with yoga for parents.
This all came to the detriment of those who call East 78th Street home, many who came out month after month to press the Transportation Committee to take action, which under the direction of CB8 Chair Russell Squire kicked the can in October, asking neighbors and school leadership to continue to work toward a solution — despite it being obvious to neighbors that their differences were irreconcilable.
The school did make some changes, including rolling out unofficial signage — that is difficult to read from a vehicle — which states that some vehicles are allowed to enter during the street closure. The sign was installed just days before October’s committee meeting.
Prior to this month’s CB8 Transportation Committee meeting, the school began issuing special passes that can be shown to the guard blocking East 78th Street in order to gain access.
“[School leadership] says people are being allowed to come through the street and patients have no problems, deliveries — it’s not true,” said Dr. Pamela Lipkin, a 78th Street resident who has been vocal about the hardships on her practice caused by the Allen-Stevenson School street closure.
“The sign on Park Avenue is so small and barricades are so obvious, that it’s a deterrent for anybody to really use the street,” Dr. Lipkin explained.
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As doctors with homes and practices on the block note, elderly and disabled patients coming for the first time don’t have access to those passes and car services like Uber and Lyft coming to pick up a patient after their appointment do not have them either.
“Many of my patients have difficulty in ambulating down the block, particularly with the cold weather and the street being closed off,” said Dr. Suzanne Levine, a podiatrist with an operating room in her office on East 78th Street.
“Most Ubers and car services cannot get through and that’s had an impact on my practice,” Dr. Levine added.
After hearing the same complaints three meetings in a row with no progress, Community Board 8’s Transportation Committee voted earlier this month to recommend the DOT revoke the Allen-Stevenson School’s ‘Open Streets’ permit once their massive ‘play roof’ receives a certificate of occupancy — which the school hopes will be issued early next year.
The Allen-Stevenson School leadership has been fighting to keep both.
“I appreciate they need outdoor space, but please, when the outdoor space is available, let them use [the play roof] and give us back our street,” said Dr. Lauren Cassel
“We never bargained for this,” East 78th Street Block Association president Bryan Verona told the board Wednesday night.
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“I think the resolution is a reasonable compromise that the school give back the street to the neighborhood,” Mr. Verona added.
Community Board 8 signed off on the resolution during Wednesday’s full board night, however, it remains to be seen if the Department of Transportation will actually follow the guidance.
Because the community board only serves in an advisory role, their recommendations are not binding. That mean’s the DOT could simply ignore the request.
Upper East Site asked the Department of Transportation whether they would listen to the will of the people to revoke the ‘Open Street’ permit, both prior to and after the full board’s vote Wednesday night.
We did not receive a response to either inquiry.
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