Council Approves West Harlem Rezoning for CU Expansion

The New York City Council paved the way for Columbia’s Manhattanville expansion on Dec. 19 when it approved the University’s plan for land rezoning.

The Council voted for both Columbia’s 197-c and Community Board 9’s 197-a proposals in the modified forms the City Planning Commission sent to City Hall. The vote was the final phase of the city’s seven-month long public review process.

“In addition to solidifying New York as one of the higher educational capitals of the world, it is also a rezoning that will facilitate the creation of 6,000 additional and permanent jobs in our city,” Council Speaker Christine Quinn said.

Columbia’s 197-c was approved with 35 votes in favor, five against, and six abstentions. Many who favored the plan explained that, while they were concerned about the University pursuing the state’s invocation of eminent domain, they had confidence in the area’s council members—Robert Jackson, D-West Harlem and Washington Heights, and Inez Dickens, D-Central Harlem and Morningside Heights.

Councilman Tony Avella, D-Queens, worried the approval would set a precedent for the use of eminent domain in situations not beneficial for the public good. “Nobody’s private property in this city is safe,” said Avella, the chair of the Zoning & Franchises committee who voted against Columbia’s plan. “Anytime a developer or a private institution with political influence comes along, nobody is safe.”

During the Council meeting, members of the local activist group Coalition to Preserve Community waved “Bollinger Bucks” in the air to protest the expansion. When the final vote was announced, activists were cleared from the chamber amid shouts of “Harlem: not for sale!” and “You’re clearing us out but you’re clearing out West Harlem!” Outside, Columbia officials exchanged celebratory hugs.

The full vote came after three committees discussed and ultimately approved both plans. Members of the Land Use, Zoning & Franchises, and Planning, Dispositions, & Concessions committees raised concerns about eminent domain, the transparency of the process, and the timing of the vote.

There was confusion among activists as well as some Council members as to whether the vote would in fact take place on Dec. 19, since many expected it to occur in mid-January, closer to the legal deadline.

“I think they’re rushing through the vote so they can give Columbia a Christmas present,” said Council member Charles Barron, D-Brooklyn, who voted against the 197-c plan. Barron made a motion at the committee hearing, which was later rejected, for the vote to be delayed until the January 15 deadline to allow “more time for the community to engage in the process.”

Councilman Jackson criticized Barron’s motion, citing the public hearing that took place a week earlier—during which over 90 speakers gave testimony—as evidence of the community’s ample participation in the process.

Jackson and Dickens pointed to years of consultation with local Community Boards to refute charges that the process was rushed. “Whether we agree or disagree with whatever came out of those presentations, it can never be said that the process was unfair and did not allow for the public to have a say,” Dickens said amid boos from audience members.

Prior to the Land Use committee meeting, the CPC held a rally on the City Hall steps.
“What we’re seeing is the worst kind of undemocratic, unparticipatory process that you can imagine,” CPC leader Tom DeMott, CC ’80, said.

Student activists voiced frustration with Council members who seemed confused by details of the plans during the committee hearings.

“One Council member [Gale Brewer, D-Upper West Side] asked, ‘Did the Community Board even vote on this?’” Samantha Barron, BC ’09, said.

Brewer also asked what the next step of the process would be for the two Manhattanville rezoning plans, and Land Use committee chair Melinda Katz, D-Queens, said it would be a vote by the Empire State Development Corporation. But the City Council’s vote was final. The ESDC will not vote on the plans, but it is responsible for determining whether Manhattanville is a “blighted” area, and therefore whether it is eligible for potential invocation of eminent domain.

University President Lee Bollinger released a statement expressing gratitude for the Council’s approval. “As a result, not only will our universities continue to attract creative minds with the determination to advance knowledge in service of humankind; they will remain a vibrant source of good, middle-income jobs for a diversity of people seeking to improve their lives here,” Bollinger said.

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