Three Private Property Owners Hold Out in Negotiations

As Columbia moves closer to breaking ground in Manhattanville, the University is negotiating with private land owners who own the three remaining commercial properties in the footprint.
The West Harlem Business Group , originally a band of six businesses within the expansion area, has dwindled to two—Tuck-It-Away Self-Storage, owned by Nick Sprayregen, and Hudson Moving and Storage, owned by Anne Whitman.
Sprayregen met for the first time with University officials in December regarding his “land swap” proposal. He offered to exchange his current properties in the expansion zone—3261 Broadway, 614 W. 131st Street, and 655 W. 125th Street, and 3330 Broadway—for three properties owned by Columbia that are east of Broadway but also within the campus footprint.
“For the first time, Columbia did talk about the possibility of sharing, which is something that the West Harlem community has been at odds with the University for over three years,” Sprayregen said of the December meeting.
The two parties have not met since because of the holidays, he added.
Sprayregen has said he would consider building affordable housing as part of the deal. “It would have as much a component of affordability as the numbers would allow ... and how much Columbia would be able to compromise and perhaps contributed themselves to some sort of affordability aspect of it,” he said.
University officials declined to comment on ongoing negotiations. “What we are interested in doing is reaching friendly negotiations with the remaining property holders as we have with the almost 40 property holders so far,” Senior Executive Vice President Robert Kasdin said.
Whitman, owner of Hudson North American , a moving and storage company located on Broadway between 129th and 130th streets, declined to be quoted since she is engaged in negotiations with the University.
The third commercial property Columbia seeks to acquire is the Singh family gas station at 129th Street . Although the owners are not members of the West Harlem Business Group, they have remained steadfast against selling to the University.
Business owners and neighborhood residents, including Sprayregen, have repeatedly criticized Columbia for refusing to take eminent domain off the table and have alleged that it creates “an uneven playing field” for negotiations.
But Kasdin denies the premise of such accusations and explained, “We think there are certain circumstances in which requesting the state to use eminent domain—we ourselves can’t use eminent domain—might be an appropriate public policy decision.”
daniel.amzallag@columbiaspectator.com