Masters of Their Domain

In the same week that a committee of Community Board 9 voted unanimously on a zoning and development plan in sharp contrast with the Columbia's Manhattanville project, university officials issued a statement pledging not to ask the state to use eminent domain in order to evict residents currently in the 17-acre expansion area. Coincidence?

While some community officials celebrated this mini-victory in the New York Observer, the Columbia Spectator noted the university had already agreed not to use eminent domain against residents -- and was merely repeating itself.

Meanwhile, Renzo (Centre Pompidou) Piano told BusinessWeek that West Harlemites have got to change with the times. "You can't embalm a city," he said. Eric Washington, a historian of the area, appeared to choke when he heard that Piano will preserve less than a half-dozen turn-of-the-century brick buildings as part of his plan. "How can only three or four buildings preserve the character of a neighborhood,” Washington asked. “That’s a lot of responsibility for four buildings."

New York Observer: Columbia Renounces (Some) Eminent Domain
New York Times: Columbia Rules Out Evictions in Expansion Plan
Columbia Spectator: Committee Approves 197-A Plan
Columbia Spectator: CU Pledges No Eminent Domain For Residents--Again
Business Week (from 6/07): Controversy in West Harlem