Manhattanville Expansion Plan

A nameless gas station at 619 125th St. and another on 12th Avenue across from the Cotton Club stand with peeling paint, in the project zone for Columbia’s Manhattanville expansion. Together they comprise the livelihood of the Singh family, which is one of the last two holdouts in the University’s negotiations to acquire all the land for their future campus site.

As plans for Columbia’s Manhattanville expansion forge ahead, some West Harlem residents have expressed concerns that the new campus will be unfriendly to it neighbors. However, the University says that it is committed maintain access to campus spaces for local residents.

The public review process for Columbia’s proposed Manhattanville development is entering its final stages. As the City Council gears up to give the last word, despite continued opposition, the outlook is positive for Columbia.

Reflecting on his four years as the chair of Community Board 9, Jordi Reyes-Montblanc likened himself to an orchestra conductor, leading area residents in a delicate West Side symphony.

Manhattanville business owner Nick Sprayregen, whose refusal to sell his property has posed an obstacle to Columbia’s expansion plans, formally proposed a property swap with the University in a letter to the Empire State Development Corporation earlier this month.

Four students continue their hunger strike to demand changes to the University’s proposed Manhattanville expansion plan, after administrators agreed Wednesday to meet several of the strikers’ academic and administrative goals.

Senator Bill Perkins, D-West Harlem, fielded questions from residents within the footprint of Columbia’s proposed expansion zone at the Manhattanville Community Center on Monday night.