HARLEMITES RIP COLUMBIA
By DAVID ANDREATTA
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November 16, 2005 -- Angry Harlem residents and business owners, fearing they'd be pushed out of the neighborhood, blasted Columbia University's proposal to condemn property for its multibillion-dollar campus expansion at a hearing last night.
"Columbia has a gun to the head of this community and is saying, 'This is a stickup,' " said City Councilman Bill Perkins. "The community is saying, 'You're not speaking our language.' "
Columbia owns most of the 17 acres needed for the project, but has been aggressively buying up plots and has not ruled out asking the state to use eminent domain to secure property from holdouts.
Columbia spokeswoman Susan Brown said its first priority is to "continue to negotiate the purchase of properties in a way that addresses the needs of individual owners, meets the university's objectives and brings economic prosperity" to the area.
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