 |
||||
|
|
||||
|
 |
Why Columbia University Wants the Land According to the August 5th-12th edition of "Time Out New York", the 17-acre area is to be used for "desperately needed (for the university) bio-research labs, a new art school, a park, retail space and a whole lot of other construction". The University insists that it is critically in need of space in order to remain competitive amongst the field of Ivy-League Universities. By their own statistics, Columbia offers 192 square feet per student, an amount they say is cripplingly small in comparison to Princeton's 561 for Princeton or the University of Pennsylvania's 440. The reasons the University offers for its selection of the area in question are 1)location & Proximity, 2)the opportunity presented by existing lack of density, and 3)extension of their existing presence in West Harlem. Designers and Designs The University has hired the Renzo Piano Building Workshop, and Skidmore, Owings & Merrill to plan and construct the West Harlem campus. The preliminary designs (preliminary renderings and project plans) clearly provide justification for the continued concerns of the community regarding the potential changes and the disappearance of available and affordable property and housing in the area. It's very possible that the project as designed will result in the complete or substantial disappearance of the current West Harlem community, as well as significant secondary displacement throughout West Harlem. For More information about the expansion plans, follow the links to the left, or visit Columbia's own site here.
Do the Business Owners Not Want Columbia to Expand? The businesses in the West Harlem Business Group are not opposed to the development of their neighborhood, yet Columbia’s unpopular past expansions into the Harlem area and their current negotiation tactics have left them wary of Columbia’s approach to their community. Columbia has faced significant “Town-Gown” problems with their previous development attempts, the most famous of which was the 1968 Morning Side gym project, which was abandoned after riots/protests broke out in response to several offensively poor community-relations decisions made by the University. As for today, the members of the West Harlem Business Group claim that the University has been generally secretive and at times intimidating during discussions. The University's outright public denial of its consideration of the use of eminent domain coupled with its private intimations regarding the consequences of a refusal to sell has left several proprietors understandably uneasy.
|
|||
Send mail to
contact@westharlembusinessgroup.com with questions or comments about this web site.
|
||||
