Chapter 1: Project Description A. PROJECT IDENTIFICATION Columbia University proposes the Manhattanville in West Harlem Rezoning and Academic Mixed-Use Development project (the “Proposed Actions”/“Proposed Project”) in an approximately 35-acre area (the “Project Area”) of Manhattanville in West Harlem in Manhattan (see Figure 1-1). The rezoning would amend the zoning map in the Project Area and create the Special Manhattanville Mixed-Use Zoning District, thereby facilitating Columbia’s development of an Academic Mixed-Use plan (the “Academic Mixed-Use Development”) on approximately 17 acres (the “Academic Mixed-Use Area”) within the 35-acre Project Area, as well as commercial and residential development in other portions of the Project Area. The Academic Mixed-Use Development, as proposed, would total approximately 6.8 million gross square feet (gsf) above and below ground. Such development would consist primarily of community facility uses serving the University, with street-level retail and other active ground-floor uses. The remaining 18 acres within the Project Area would consist of 9 acres located primarily between Twelfth Avenue and Marginal Street and east of Broadway (which are estimated to result in another 329,500 gsf of commercial and residential development); and 9 acres between Marginal Street and the pierhead line, of which 2 acres comprise the area of the new West Harlem Waterfront park and 7 acres comprise City-owned land under water. This land under water cannot be developed, nor can it generate development rights transferable to other parcels. In all, the proposed rezoning would result in an estimated 7.1 million gsf of development. Since publication of the DEIS, Columbia has identified and included as part of the Proposed Project three sites in West Harlem for the relocation of a church and residents who would be displaced by the Proposed Actions, also shown in Figure 1-1. The Academic Mixed-Use Area constitutes Subdistrict A of the proposed Special Manhattanville Mixed-Use Zoning District (see Figure 1-2). In addition to the rezoning, implementation of the Academic Mixed-Use Development plan would entail the adoption of a General Project Plan (GPP) and subsequent acquisition of certain property within the Academic Mixed-Use Area by the New York State Urban Development Corporation (doing business as the Empire State Development Corporation [ESDC]), either through the discretionary exercise of ESDC’s power of eminent domain or otherwise under the New York State Urban Development Corporation Act (UDC Act) and the subsequent disposition by ESDC of any such property to Columbia for purposes of project development. The GPP would provide for the implementation of features of the Academic Mixed-Use Development plan that may not be mandated through zoning regulations or other mechanisms, such as preservation of specified historic resources, permitted uses in below-grade spaces, minimum and maximum floor area thresholds for all components, and limitations on the allowable uses on proposed development sites. Deed restrictions and other mechanisms enforceable by New York City and/or ESDC would be used to administer and enforce those features. 1-1 W. 162ND ST. W. 161TH ST. MACOMBS AVE. GRANT SHERMAN AVE. AVE. SHERMAN E. 161ST ST. W. 160TH ST. AVE. SHERIDAN W. 161ST ST. 11.8.07 AMSTERDAM AVE. AVE. AMSTERDAM D A M W. 159TH ST. HARLEM RIVER DR. W. 158TH ST. P A R K ST. NICHOLAS AVE. AVE. EDGECOMBE HARLEM RIVER DR. YANKEE E. 158TH ST. W. 157TH ST. RUPPERT PL. STADIUM W. 156TH ST. E. VILLAGE CONCOURSE E. 157TH ST. E. 156TH ST. PARK AVE. FREDERICK DOUGLASS BLVD. FREDERICK DOUGLASS BLVD. E. 153RD ST. CONCOURSE GRAND MACOMBS W. 155TH ST. DAM E. 156TH ST. BRIDGE RIVER AVE. AVE. RIVER WALTON AVE. AVE. WALTON W. 154TH ST. AVE. GERARD W. 153RD ST. FRANZ SIGEL PARK PARK SIGEL FRANZ E. 153RD ST. W. 152ND ST. W. VILLAGE CONCOURSE MACOMBS PL. EDGECOMBE AVE. AVE. EDGECOMBE W. 151ST ST. AVE. BRADHURST MAJOR DEEGAN EXPWY. ST. NICHOLAS AVE. AVE. NICHOLAS ST. (EXTERIOR ST. UNDER) W. 150TH ST. CROMWELL AVE. AVE. CROMWELL W. 149TH ST. HARLEM MORRIS AVE. AVE. MORRIS E. 150TH ST. W. 148TH ST. 1 E. 149TH ST. W. 147TH ST. W. 146TH ST. PL. GRIFFIN A.J. BULKHEAD LINE BULKHEAD PIERHEAD LINE PIERHEAD 145TH ST. BRIDGE W. 145TH ST. E. 146TH ST. ADAM CLAYTON POWELL BLVD. BLVD. POWELL ADAM CLAYTON W. 144TH ST. E. 144TH ST. CANAL PL.CANAL RIDER AVE. AVE. RIDER W. 143RD ST. R I V E R LENOX AVE. AVE. LENOX CONCOURSE GRAND BROADWAY BROADWAY W. 142ND ST. E. 140TH ST. AMTRAK W. 141ST ST. CONTROL PLANT PLANT CONTROL W. 140TH ST. PARK AVE. AVE. PARK NORTH RIVER WATER POLLUTION RIVER WATER NORTH (RIVERBANK STATE PARK ON ROOF) PARK (RIVERBANK STATE W. 139TH ST. AVE. FIFTH MADISONBRIDGE AVE. W. 138TH ST. PEDESTRIAN BRIDGE TO PARK JACOB H. W. 137TH ST. SCHIFF PLAYGROUND CANAL ST. W. RIDER AVE. W. 136TH ST. DSNY LINCOLNAVE. Subdistrict Other Area THIRD AVE. C W. 135TH ST. Subdistrict W. 134TH ST. NYC R.R. B BRIDGE W. 133RD ST. COLLEGE Subdistrict OF THE CITY OF W. 132ND ST. E. 132ND ST. A NEW YORK W. 131ST ST. W. 131ST ST. E. 131ST ST. MANHATTANVILLE W. 130TH ST. HOUSES W. 130TH ST. E. 130TH ST. RIVERSIDE DR. (TWELFTH AVE. BELOW) AVE. RIVERSIDE DR. (TWELFTH MARGINAL ST. (BELOW) Other NICHOLAS PARK ST. Area W. 129TH ST. W. 129TH ST. E. 129TH ST. ST. CLAIR PL. W. 128TH ST. W. 128TH ST. E. 128TH ST. 2 W. 125TH ST. TIEMANN PL. W. 127TH ST. W. 127TH ST. E. 127TH ST. GENERAL 3 GRANT W. 126TH ST. E. 126TH ST. HOUSES RIVERSIDE PARK RIVERSIDE PARK W. 125TH ST. E. 125TH ST. ROUTE 9A (ABOVE) (ABOVE) 9A ROUTE GENERAL HUDSON RIVER MORNINGSIDE GRANT W. 124TH ST. E. 124TH ST. GARDENS HOUSES W. 123RD ST. MARCUS GARVEY MEMORIAL W. 122ND ST. PARK W. 121ST ST. ST. NICHOLAS AVE. W. 120TH ST. W. 120TH ST. E. 120TH ST. W. 119TH ST. E. 119TH ST. FIFTH AVE. PARK AVE. AVE. PARK THIRD AVE. AVE. THIRD SECOND AVE. AVE. SECOND W. 118TH ST. E. 118TH ST. MADISON AVE. AVE. MADISON LEXINGTON AVE. AVE. LEXINGTON RIVERSIDE DR. CLAREMONT AVE. AVE. CLAREMONT W. 117TH ST. E. 117TH ST. MORNINGSIDE AVE. AVE. MORNINGSIDE MANHATTAN AVE. AVE. MANHATTAN MORNINGSIDE DR. COLUMBIA COLUMBIA MORNINGSIDE PARK MORNINGSIDE PARK UNIVERSITY UNIVERSITY W. 116TH ST. E. 116TH ST. AMSTERDAM AVE. AVE. AMSTERDAM W. 115TH ST. E. 115TH ST. W. 114TH ST. BROADWAY BROADWAY FREDERICK DOUGLASS BLVD. 0 1000 2000 FEET W. 113TH ST. LENOX AVE. AVE. LENOX W. 112TH ST. E. 112TH ST. SCALE W. 111TH ST. E. 111TH ST. ADAM CLAYTON POWELL JR. BLVD. JR. BLVD. POWELL ADAM CLAYTON CATHEDRAL PKWY. CENTRAL PARK NORTH E. 110THProject ST. and Rezoning W. 109TH ST. E. 109TH ST. Area Boundary W. 108TH ST. E. 108TH ST. PIERHEAD LINE PIERHEAD BULKHEAD LINE BULKHEAD Zoning Subdistrict Boundary W. 107TH ST. E. 107TH ST. W. 106TH ST. 1 Residential RelocationE. 106TH ST. Site CENTRAL PARK WEST PARK CENTRAL HUDSON PARKWAY W. 105TH ST. E. 105TH ST. N W. 104TH ST. CENTRAL E. 104TH ST. W. 103RD ST. PARK E. 103RD ST. W. 102ND ST. E. 102ND ST. THE POOL W. 101ST ST. E. 101ST ST. E. 100TH ST. W. 100TH ST. Figure 1-1 MANHATTANVILLE IN WEST HARLEM REZONING AND ACADEMIC MIXED-USE DEVELOPMENT Project Location W. 137TH ST. 7.24.07 JACOB H. SCHIFF PLAYGROUND W. 136TH ST. ROUTE 9A (ABOVE) W. 135TH ST. Other Area Mixed-Use Development W. 134TH ST. Area “Subdistrict” C W. 133RD ST. Other Area W. 132ND ST. Academic Mixed-Use Area “Subdistrict” W. 131ST ST. MARGINAL ST. (BELOW) A RIVERSIDE DR. (TWELFTH AVE. BELOW) MANHATTANVILLE Waterfront HOUSES Area W. 130TH ST. “Subdistrict” HUDSON RIVER B W. 129TH ST. ST. CLAIR PL. W. 126TH ST. OLD BROADWAY W. 125TH ST. TIEMANN PL. N PIERHEAD LINE PIERHEAD GENERAL BULKHEAD LINE GRANT RIVERSIDE PARK HOUSES ROUTE 9A (ABOVE) CLAREMONT AVE. 0 250 500 FEET Proposed Special Manhattanville Mixed-Use District / Project Area SCALE Subdistrict Boundary Note: The subdistrict boundaries correspond to the proposed zoning subdistricts (see Figure 1-6) Figure 1-2 Proposed Special Manhattanville Mixed-Use MANHATTANVILLE IN WEST HARLEM REZONING AND ACADEMIC MIXED-USE DEVELOPMENT District and Subdistricts Figure S-2 Proposed Special Manhattanville Mixed-Use District and Subdistricts Proposed Manhattanville in West Harlem Rezoning and Academic Mixed-Use Development FEIS This Final Environmental Impact Statement (FEIS) has been prepared pursuant to City Environmental Quality Review (CEQR) by the New York City Department of City Planning (DCP)—acting on behalf of the City Planning Commission (CPC), which is the “lead agency”— to assess the proposed Manhattanville Rezoning in West Harlem and Academic Mixed-Use Development project. This FEIS also meets the requirements of the State Environmental Quality Review Act (SEQRA). B. PROJECT PURPOSE AND NEED OVERVIEW: GOALS AND OBJECTIVES The Proposed Actions seek to establish a new Special Manhattanville Mixed-Use Zoning District in the Project Area to achieve two goals and their related objectives: 1. To allow Columbia to fulfill its role as a leading academic institution that makes a significant contribution to the economic, cultural, and intellectual vitality of New York City by enabling it to expand and modernize its facilities within a 17-acre Academic Mixed-Use Area within the proposed 35-acre Special District. Objectives to support this goal are: • Allow Columbia to construct 5 to 6 million square feet of University program space over the next 25 years; • Create a plan that permits Columbia to build modern and flexible space for state-of-the- art educational and research facilities, particularly in the dynamic field of scientific research (“academic research”); • Allow for Columbia’s expansion in a consolidated area to create an integrated, urban campus environment, which would promote interaction among students, faculty, and researchers of all disciplines; • Create an open university campus with a central publicly accessible open space and amenities for people associated with the University, and neighborhood residents and workers alike; and • Avoid attempted ad hoc acquisition of land to meet Columbia’s space needs through the purchase of property in neighborhoods outside of Columbia’s existing campuses, which would not create a campus environment and can cause community conflict.