City Council

Columbia’s campus expansion into Manhattanville went from proposal to city-approved project this year amid clamor that ranged from staunch opposition to excitement.

The City Council voted overwhelmingly on Wednesday to approve a sweeping rezoning plan that will reshape the face of 125th Street. The rezoning, approved by a vote of 47-2, is a modified version of a plan originally proposed by the Department of City Planning.

City Hall hosted over 100 local activists, city officials, and concerned Harlem residents at a public hearing Tuesday on plans to change the face of 125th Street.

Since their beginnings, Columbia and Community Board 9’s alternative Manhattanville rezoning plans, known as 197-c and 197-a respectively, have traveled a long and winding road of revision. Yet many 197-a advocates have criticized these revision processes, arguing that CB9’s plan was altered more substantially than Columbia’s, and that conflicting components of the two proposals were left unresolved.

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 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.

City Council member Simcha Felder, D-Brooklyn, has put forward a proposal that would put a cap on pigeon crap.