Gentrifying retail comes to Hamilton Heights

Like the reputation of the founding father for which it’s named, Hamilton Heights is undergoing a revival thanks to surrounding economic conditions, Crain’s said. The addition of Columbia University’s $6.3 billion expansion, City College of New York’s $600 million science campus, the $15 million renovation of Alexander Hamilton’s 210-year-old home and the growing popularity of Trinity Cemetery are attracting more young people to the area between 135th and 155th streets west of Edgecombe Avenue.

But the renewed investment in the area is only half the equation; college graduates and young families are flocking for the cheaper rents (about $1,600 for a one-bedroom apartment) and relatively inexpensive townhouses, which cost around $1 million.

Now, retail is following. The cafe Chipped Cup recently opened on West 149th Street last month and so did children’s clothing store Shoeganza and restaurant and bar Harlem Public; plus, existing eateries, like Cafe One, are adding vegan options to cater to the changing demographics.

“Shops, restaurants and cafés are in demand,” Lee-Ann Pinder, a broker at Citi Habitats, told Crain’s.

The city is pushing along this growth by proposing a large 27-block rezoning that would allow for taller buildings, bringing increased foot-traffic to the budding retail scene. [Crain’s] — Adam Fusfeld