In a neighborhood where residents have already experienced rising rents and tense interactions with incoming Columbia students, the Manhattanville expansion has provoked ire and initiated a passionate pushback.
“We were here before people wanted to be here,” Roman said. “When they come here with attitudes … it really bothers me, the arrogance.”
Among residents of one building who were asked to speak about the expansion, many felt livid about what might become of this traditionally African-American and Puerto Rican neighborhood.
About 80 community members attended a recent meeting of the Coalition to Preserve Community, said Nellie Bailey, of the Harlem Tenants Council. Those who spoke at that meeting, Bailey said, voiced “very strong opposition” to Columbia’s plan.
The mood was strikingly different at a recent Columbia open house presentation on the development plan. Soft jazz played in the background as the university tried to further disseminate its message about the Manhattanville expansion, and small clumps of students quietly moved from booth to booth.
Although the open house was openly publicized on the university’s website, public affairs officer Tanya Domi emphasized that it was intended for the university community only, in contrast to outreach events in the West Harlem community.
The small set of students who did enter were mostly those who are already engaged in campus groups working on the issue, Nilda Mesa of the office of environmental stewardship said. (go to page 2) |
