The Real Deal New York

From the February issue: Columbia University has already won approval for a controversial $7 billion expansion of its campus into West Harlem. But now New York City’s proposal to rezone another piece of Harlem—the neighborhood’s cultural and business center on 125th Street—is igniting another firestorm. In October, the Department of City Planning proposed the creation of a “special purpose district” ranging from 124th to 126th streets, between Broadway and Second Avenue. According to the city, it would create 1.8 million square feet of office, retail and hotel space, and 2,500 new residential units, including 500 affordable housing units.