Presentation to CB9 Moved to Mid-April - Meeting on CU's Plans for Expansion Rescheduled for Unknown Reasons

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Presentation to CB9 Moved to Mid-April
Meeting on CU's Plans for Expansion Rescheduled for Unknown Reasons
By Jimmy VielkindSpectator Staff Writer
Issue date: 3/8/04 Section: Manhattanville Expansion

Columbia administrators have postponed a presentation on the University's plan for its proposed Manhattanville expansion. With the cancellation of the presentation--which was originally planned for this Wednesday--two meetings are currently scheduled to take place in mid-April.

The University has held several town hall meetings have been with local residents in the past two months, one of which took place last week. By city law, Columbia will need the approval of CB9 before it begins its development. Wednesday's presentation would have paved the way for the official application to CB9 that is expected later this year.

Community board members and area residents were informed of the cancellation via an e-mail sent out by CB9 Chairman Jordi Reyes-Montblanc last Tuesday.

"They indicated a need to further review and revise their presentation," Reyes-Montblanc said of Columbia. No one from the Columbia administration was available for comment.

"I don't understand why it had to be postponed," said Maritta Dunn, a longtime CB9 member and former chair of the board. "It seems to me that Columbia has presented to everybody and everyone, so what was the problem? No one has told me of any additional things that were going to be brought that would have delayed it."

"I have a feeling it is just a question of timing in terms of the [Universal Land Use Review] Process that they weren't prepared for in one way or another," said Tom DeMott, a steering committee member of the Coalition to Preserve Community, an organization that has raised concerns about the effects of expansion.

The ULURP is a system by which city government approves of building projects such as Columbia's. But DeMott conceded that no one outside the Columbia administration would know what the internal reasons for the holdup. "There may be a million behind-the-scenes reasons," he said.

DeMott expressed frustration over the way Columbia holds its community meetings. "Obviously they schedule events to their advantage," he said, referring to a meeting held by Columbia at Roberto Clemente Middle School during a CB9 planning meeting two weeks ago.

Reyes-Montblanc said he is looking forward to the April meetings. "I believe they do mean to make a thorough presentation, and that they want to make sure they cover all the points that may have been raised in the several smaller presentations they have been doing in various areas or the district," he said.

But DeMott was more skeptical. "I guess we'll have to wait and see," he said.