Under iron chandeliers and stained glass, the opening notes of a Franz Schubert overture filled a tenth-floor room at Riverside Church on May 2. A cellist and pianist played beneath a Gothic archway, a singer prepared to perform German lieder, and a few dozen people gathered to listen. Many in the audience have been coming back for the better part of 35 years—not just for the music, but for the food pantry downstairs.

More than three years of conflict between city officials and local leaders over a contentious project in Hamilton Heights came to an end on March 26 when the New York City Council unanimously voted to approve the 200-unit affordable and supportive housing complex at 1727 Amsterdam Ave.