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Reaching Out
PUBLISHED DECEMBER 3, 2007
Last Monday, with only a handful of modifications, the City Planning Commission approved Columbia’s plan for expansion into Manhattanville. With this decision, Columbia has overcome one of the last major hurdle in the process. But although the University has effectively won the bureaucratic battle for expansion, the administration should remember that they have yet to convince many students and neighborhood residents that their proposal is a sound and ethical one for the community. The administration must continue efforts to reach out to community leaders and students to address their concerns, and be transparent about its actions as the project gets underway.
While this decision cements the broad outline of expansion, many issues remain unresolved. Members of the community are still anxious over many potential problems, like the potential use of eminent domain, gentrification, and the loss of affordable housing. If the administration wants tensions to subside, it must find a way to connect with these residents and make clear that Columbia intends to expand responsibly. The resignations last week of high-profile figures in the West Harlem Local Development Corporation heighten the perception that Columbia is circumventing community leaders in favor of cutting deals with powerful politicians. Manhattanville planners should remember that the rezoning decision does not give them a license to ignore the concerns of the opposition, both inside and outside the Columbia community.
As potential future members of the neighborhood, it is in the University’s best interest to improve relations with Manhattanville residents and make clear the benefits expansion could have for the community. Administrators must continue to meet with community leaders is willing to make some compromises to appease the concerns of its future neighbors as it makes more definite expansion plans. A divisive expansion will do long-term damage to Columbia’s standing in the community and the University must pursue strong ties with the neighborhood.
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For an editorial piece, this piece was tame and completely devoid of any details or comprehensive advice.
"The resignations last week of high-profile figures in the West Harlem Local Development Corporation heighten the perception that Columbia is circumventing community leaders in favor of cutting deals with powerful politicians."
Let's see -- one of the three who resigned was Nick Sprayregen, who owns several properties in the expansion area and is opposing the Columbia plan to protect his own interests, not the community's. Another was Tom DeMott, whose statements over the years show that he is adamantly opposed to anything the university does regardless of facts or logic. I am not familiar with Luisa Henriquez, the third LDC member to step down, but I can tell you that the statements and actions of Messrs. Sprayregen and DeMott don't affect my perception of anything.
If you WORRY about gentrification, there's probably something wrong with you - anti-gentrificationism is absurd.
"The administration must continue efforts to reach out to community leaders and students to address their concerns"
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No they dont. They only have to address the concerns of the property owners..the ones who pay the taxes in the area and actually contribute something. The students need to shut up and study. The "community leaders" need to shut up and get jobs.
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