Harlem Still Waiting for $76 Million From Columbia University Due to Non-Profit Bungling

May 11, 2010 9:09am2commentsprint

The West Harlem Local Development Corp., charged with managing the funds, has been mired in mismanagement.

Scott Stringer Fights Natural Gas Fracking

Manhattan Borough President Scott Stringer. Gabriela Resto-Montero / DNAinfo

By Carla Zanoni

DNAinfo Reporter/ Producer

MANHATTANVILLE — Harlem residents have yet to see any of the $76 million Columbia University pledged as part of a community agreement related to its $6.3 billion planned expansion into West Harlem.

According to Manhattan Borough President Scott Stringer, Columbia’s September 2009 first payment of $500,000 has not yet reached the community because of internal mismanagement of the West Harlem Local Development Corp. (WHLDC), a nonprofit organization charged with negotiating the Community Benefit Agreement.

But leaders of the nonprofit, which is currently in the process of creating a successor entity called the WHDC that will be charged with managing the funds provided by Columbia University, say that they will put a transparent structure in place that will be able to appropriately manage the funds.

In a March 5 letter addressed to Julio Batista, then president of WHLDC, Stringer wrote that the nonprofit’s “lack of action on a number of essential tasks for properly establishing the WHLDC threatens to undermine the implementation of the Community Benefits Agreement.”

Batista resigned from his post in April. In addition, “at least five people have quit the nonprofit, alleging that it was becoming a "slush fund" for Manhattan politicians” reported the New York Post.

Donald Notice, acting president of the WHDC, said that those resignations occurred in 2007 and were fueled by ideological differences on the part of the board members. He said he was unaware of “slush fund” accusations.

Columbia’s arrangement with the community requires the university pay $150 million towards a new school and affordable housing, along with the $76 million that the WHDC can distribute to neighborhood programs.

The funding is in exchange for concessions from the community over Columbia's plan to expand its campus north between 125th to 133rd Streets, between Broadway and Twelfth Avenue, in addition to three properties on the east side of Broadway from 131st to 134th streets.

Columbia University did not immediately comment.

By Carla Zanoni, DNAinfo.com
Follow Carla on Twitter @carlazanoni

Comments 2comments

The ideological differences were that those quitters did not want any agreement with CU that would bring benefits to the community. They wanted to fight a losing battle to make a point and to protect one property owner who is not from the community. And CU did not instigate or control the LDC. People who didn't agree with the approach say that to make the hard working community members who are the majority of the LDC look bad. The LDC is doing a great job and the benefits to the community will be felt soon and for many years to come.
sumenyc | May 11, 2010

Those five people who quit the LDC in 2007 did have ideological differences with the other Board members: they wanted real representation (for example, there was one Hispanic board member in a community that is about half Hispanic), a transparent process, accountability, and benefits that met the real needs of the community. The Mayor, politicians, and University (who instigated and control the LDC) just wanted political and PR cover for approval of this monstrous project and we can see the results here.
ree4 | May 11, 2010

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