Ivy League University May Use Eminent Domain in West Harlem
Is it Boon or Gentrification?
Columbia has already acquired 85% of the area and is trying to cut a deal for the rest. According to the New York Sun, "The University has hired an outside organization to determine if the area is blighted. Such a determination would likely cause friction in part because the definition of blight is unclear and because the university is funding the study." The blight study may conceivably help Columbia to exercise the law of eminent domain to acquire the remaining 15% of the area if property owners were to hold-out.
One man clearly holding out is Nicholas Sprayregen. According to the New York Sun, he owns the largest chunk of any private property owner in Manhattan Ville. Most of it is devoted to his family's self-storage business and he has no interest in selling out, hoping instead to pass his business on to his children.
In addition to Mr. Spraygregen's refusal, Emerging Minds Magazine reports that Columbia also faces opposition from The Coalition to Preserve Community. It is a new grass roots movement that has led the fight against gentification of West Harlem. It claims Columbia is carrying out gentrification with the support of New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg. It fears that Columbia's plan will displace homes and small businesses in Manhattan Ville.
Emerging Minds Magazine reported that Nellie Bailey of the Harlem Tenants Council in New York stated that the 2004 Vera Institute for Justice's study on family homelessness in New York showed that, among other factors, neighborhoods experiencing gentrification like Central Harlem had higher numbers of families becoming homeless. Central Harlem ranked in the top 10 neighborhoods in the city with a high displacement rate.The New York City social service agency, Coalition for the Homeless, says there are 36,166 people who sleep in the city's shelters and welfare hotels each night, and 14,884 are children.
According to the Fox News report today, the State of New York is reviewing eminent domain and appears to be onboard. It believes the takeover would be good for the local residents. Columbia would spend $7 billion to create 6,900 jobs. Two-thirds of them, approximately 4,600 jobs, would go to the local community.
Would Columbia's acquisition of Manhattan Ville be a boon to the West Harlem community or is it gentrification?
Published by Renee Morway
From the skyscrapers of NYC, I face strength. From the people of NYC, I gain understanding. And from the heart of NYC, I feel inspiration. So, I tend to write about the city quite a bit. View profile
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18 Comments
Post a CommentDoes anyone know the names of local organizations that are opposing the lab? I am really interested and I want to help out.
... real estate/building relationship with Washington Heights and Harlem.They are not going to build labs that harm the environment. We are still talking about an educational institution. What worries me is the economic impact on property value and situation of affordable housing for those in the area.Many changes have already started to take place in the immediate area in the advent of expansion.Brokers have banked entire marketing ploys on these expected changes. Rent prices have risen astronomically and those who are on the fringe are at risk of becoming homeless or displaced.We (the working class) have been here through the ugliest chapters of this neighborhood with homicides, drug drealing, and violence. We made a home for ourselves here when so many wouldn't dare take the train past 116st.Now it seems we are more an annoyance in the way of gentrification.
Hi guys. I have been a resident in West Harlem all my life.I'm just a couple blocks up from the planned expansion area. I'm also a CU employee which i suppose is a peculiar position to be in. As a resident I will say that the area Columbia is planning to expand on is right space for such a project. It is by the river and its impact on residential space is minimal (in a sense of its physical location). Other than the storage business and a glass factory most of the space is underutilized and would fair better from a major renovation. That being said, i am glad that organizations are fighting for what i believe is their right to stay. It keeps CU in check and avoids complete abuse of insitutional power. As is usually the case in major urban projects ,I believe that Columbia will have to make some concessions on the 15% they are trying to acquire. Both sides will perhaps walk away not getting everything they want. In terms of what the specifics of what will be built. CU has had a long rea
Only governmental entities have the power of eminent domain. Columbia asked the EDC to study whether eminent domain could be used in Manhattanville (and paid the costs of the study as required by law). The decision is still pending. If eminent demain is ultimately used, it will be the EDC that uses it. Columbia will then buy the condemned property from the EDC.
The area Columbia wants to clear is about 5% residential. There are 4 or 5 apartment buildings near the corner of Broadway and 132nd Street, and one of them was already empty when the plans were announced. Columbia plans to build from south to north and by the time it reaches that corner most of the residents will already have left due to normal attrition. Most of the "community" Mr. Sprayregen refers to is a collection of auto repair businesses, parking lots and self-storage facilities, along with a gas station and a couple of fast-food outlets. There is also a large service facility for MTA buses at the northern end
Ed, though I appreciate your comment I would like to point out that paragraph two states: "The blight study may conceivably help Columbia to exercise the law of eminent domain..." It says "exercise". It does not say Columbia "makes" the law. The next to the last paragraph states: "the State of New York (not Columbia) is reviewing eminent domain." Perhaps taking the time to read the entire article would avoid confusion? Thanks for mentioning the Empire State Development Co., though. According to the New York Observer Real Estate, West Harlem business owners sued them to get information. I think it is naturally understood that such a massive undertaking involves more than just Columbia University such as officials and Mayor Bloomberg is mentioned. Obviously, there would be nothing for anyone to get involved in if Columbia University was not pursuing the endeavor. Thanks for your comment.
http://therealestate.observer.com/eminent_domain/
Does Columbia University have the power of eminent domain? I wouldn't think so. Is the situation rather that the university is working with the Empire State Development Co., or similar agency with power to condemn? It would be a nice thing to clarify. Cheers.
You're very welcome, Mr. Sprayregen. Please feel free to email me any time. I would love to talk to you about this some more.
thanks for the article and spreading the word. in a nutshell, this is all about columbia and the state's attempts to abusively use eminent domain to totally clear out and remove an entire community from west harlem. making matters worse is that from a practical sense, eminent domain is not even needed. even if columbia "only" gets 85% of the area, they will still build their campus. fortunately, the community is solidified behind stopping this abuse.
Wow! The interest in this story is enough to restore one's faith in mankind. There are so many important issues involved here: eminent domain laws, Big Brother, education, the environment, human rights, community development, jobs, gentrification, and big guy vs. little guy. Thank you all for your excellent contributions. Literary Lion, the website is a great addition. However, I did not see any mention of the bio-chemical lab and we must take into account that it is Columbia PR. The information about the lab came from Emerging Minds, but we do not know their source and CU Alum makes a good point about possible anti-Columbia propaganda. Personally, I reported the information from the sources as I found it and I must remain unbiased, but I do hope to learn more. These are important issues of our times and they will keep popping up in cities all across the nation and we all know that NYC is a trendsetter.
Sorry, Sandra, but I'm right and Fox News is wrong. Thanks to Literary Lion for providing the link. If neighbors are really worried about hazardous labs it's because some of them have been making up horror stories in order to rally opposition. Columbia will be doing the same kinds of research in its news labs as it does now in its old ones. No one has ever said they feel threatened by the labs on the present campus. Other universities also conduct the same types of research. In fact, City College (CCNY) is just a few blocks from Columbia's expansion site and its labs are actually much closer to the worried neighbors than Columbia's current labs. In some cases, CCNY's labs are closer even than the new ones Columbia might build. No one is clamoring for CCNY to stop using its labs. The motivation here is anti-Columbia, not anti-hazard.