The United States Supreme Court rejected an appeal Monday from neighborhood businesses. The supreme court OK's use of Eminent Domain for Columbia University's expansion into the Manhattanville section of West Harlem.
Owners filed a lawsuit challenging the Empire State Development Corporation's plan to to use eminent domain to force them out so the university could expand.
The 17-acre site, in the Manhattanville section of
West Harlem, is less than a mile from Columbia’s main campus in New York City’s
Morningside Heights section. It will add more than 6.8 million square feet to the university, including a new business school and science facilities.
The plan was challenged by the owners of four self-storage facilities and two gas stations that would be razed.
In a statement from the Empire State Development Corporation, a spokesperson said, "This victory represents a significant step toward achieving the many goals of the project, including strengthening New York as an international center for premier education and academic research programs, improving facilities and infrastructure within the footprint and the surrounding community, generating thousands of jobs and creating much-needed open space in the neighborhood."
The state's top court upheld the use of eminent domain for the project. It includes new buildings, two acres of public open space, and tree-lined sidewalks.
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