(2008-07-10) Union Sq Park Planning Battles

Kimberly Thorpe on the battle between Barry Benepe - an 80-year-old urban planner and founder of the Union Square Green Market (Farmers Market) - and his son Adrian Benepe, New York City's 51-year-old parks commissioner over the renovation of the park. At the heart of the debate between father and son over Union Square, some say, is the future use of the pavilion - a 78-year-old open structure. The city wants to convert it into a private restaurant - for many years, it had been the home of Luna Park - and has largely turned the space over to the Union Square Partnership to design and build it, as well as to help find a future tenant. But community activists - Barry included - have fought the restaurant plan on the grounds that it misuses what should be strictly public space, available to everyone.