High Rise Condos Divide West Harlem Residents

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High Rise Condos Divide West Harlem Residents

By Kevin Shin
Created 02/18/2008 - 3:03am

A new development rising into the West Harlem skyline is also raising the tempers ofsurrounding residents.

The project, which will be located in what many consider the last residential neighborhood in Manhattan untouched by redevelopment­, has divided West Harlem residents. Though developers and architects claim the building will be welcomed, new plans for 2201 Adam Clayton Powell Blvd. have already alarmed many living nearby.

The six-story, 35-unit residential condominium at 130th Street, with its concrete and glass modernist facade, brings a new look to an old street lined with brownstones and pre-war walk-ups. The development’s construction continues in the midst of new state and city initiatives aimed at creating affordable housing.

“To capture the spirit of the Harlem Revitalization, this West Harlem mid-rise condominium developer wanted a building that would celebrate the fabric of city life and the spirit of the community,” lead architect Marc Spector explained in a statement.

But some residents are concerned that the building’s construction, like that of other recent developments in West Harlem, will lead to higher rents and the flight of longtime residents who could be replaced by students and white-collar professionals.

“I’m not against improving the community,” said Donny Ochs, who has lived in his rent-stabilized apartment in a nearby building for over 20 years. “I just wish there were some way to do it without completely changing our neighborhood, although I don’t think it’s going to happen.”

According to the developers, WA Design and Development, apartments will be priced at $900 to $1,100 per square foot. The building will feature a gym, 24-hour doorman service, two levels of parking garages, and rooftop swimming pool surrounded by a terrace and a running track.

Recently proposed state and city legislation seeks to put vacant lots—like 2201 Adam Clayton Powell Blvd.—back on the market for residential development.

These laws would remove an existing tax benefit for vacant residential sites above 110th Street and require property owners to register vacant properties with the city, outlining plans for those properties’ futures. Owners would also have to pay the government a fee of up to $5,000 for each year the property remained vacant.

kevin.shin@columbiaspectator.com

Source URL:http://www.columbiaspectator.com/node/29384

NB - Once again let me educate an Spectator reporter and hopefully the Spectator editorial staff.

WestSide Harlem commonly called West Harlem boundaries are the same as those of CB9M.

In the south, West 110th Street from the Hudson River to Manhattan Avenue.

In the north, West 155th Street from the Hudson River to Edgecombe Avenue.

In the west, the Hudson River.

In the East Edgecombe Avenue into Bradhust at West 145th into St. Nicholas Avenue and at West 123rd into Morningside Avenue into Manhattan Avenue.

Adam Clayton Powell Boulevard aka 7th Avenue is completely in Central Harlem or "Harlem" or Black Harlem. - JRM