CB9 Votes Against Columbia's Manhattanville Plan

August 21, 2007

CB9 Votes Against Columbia's Manhattanville Plan
On the heels of its land use committee's vote last week, Community Board 9, which represents West Harlem, voted to oppose Columbia's ambitious plans to develop a 17-acre area in West Harlem. However, as the Columbia Daily Spectator explains, CB9 did offer "ten specific conditions" that Columbia must agree to before the community board will give their approval.

While the conditions include withdrawal of eminent domain and the creation of affordable apartments, Columbia views the rejection as a opportunity to continue to negotiate with the community. Well, they better get cracking - CB9 Chair Jordi Reyes-Montblanc told the Daily News columnist Albor Ruiz that Columbia's arrogance is problematic: "They think they know better than us what is good for the community. Their attitude is, 'What is good for Columbia is good for humanity,' which in their mind justifies pushing people around."

The Real Estate reported that Columbia recently closed on two properties in the Manhattanville zone - and a total of four buildings worth $20+ million in the past 5-6 weeks. CB9 has developed its own plan to develop Manhattanville, which you can see here, and here is Columbia's Manhattanville plan.

Image of Columbia's flier to the community via The Real Estate

http://gothamist.com/2007/08/21/cb9_votes_again.php