Proposal modified by Planning Commission to conform to Columbia University’s expansion. On January 30, 2008, the City Council voted to approve mini-storage company Tuck-it-Away’s proposal to rezone its property at 3300 Broadway, located between West 133rd and 134th Streets. The rezoning will facilitate the development of a mixed-use development with 64 residential units. Currently, a three-story warehouse occupies the site.

Tuck-it-Away originally submitted four proposals to rezone five of its Manhattanville properties, mostly two and five-story warehouses, from manufacturing to commercial use, and to voice its opposition to Columbia University’s expansion into the area by and through eminent domain. 4 CityLand 105 (Aug. 15, 2007).

The Planning Commission rejected three of Tuck-It-Away’s proposals and significantly modified the fourth. The Commission rejected three proposals because it believed that rezoning to commercial use only those properties under Tuck-It-Away’s ownership, within an otherwise manufacturing zoning district, would be tantamount to “spot zoning.”

The fourth proposal called for rezoning two lots, at 3300 Broadway and 3320 Broadway, to facilitate the construction of residential towers above ground-floor retail or storage space. Under the proposal, the Claremont Theater, a City landmark located at 3320 Broadway, would provide development rights for the adjacent site. The Commission, however, excluded 3320 Broadway from the proposal to better conform with the newly established Special Manhattanville Mixed-Use District created under the Columbia plan.

When the modified proposal reached the Council’s Subcommittee on Zoning & Franchises on January 22, 2008, Tuck-It-Away’s attorney, Emily Simons, testified that the proposal was consistent with both Manhattan Community Board 9’s 197-a plan and Columbia’s expansion plan. She further noted that Nick Sprayregen, owner of Tuck-it-Away, was committed to provide affordable housing and retail at 3300 Broadway.

Before voting on the matter, subcommittee Chair Tony Avella noted that Council Member Robert Jackson, whose district includes Manhattanville, supported Tuck-it- Away’s proposal. The subcommittee then voted unanimously to approve the proposal and sent it to the Land Use Committee, which approved it on January 24, 2008. The full Council did the same on January 30, 2008.

ULURP Process
Lead Agency: CPC;Cond.Neg.Dec.
Comm.Bd.: MN 9,Den’d, 16-12-2
Boro.Pres.:Den’d
CPC: App’d, 9-1-1
Council: App’d, 48-0-0
Council: Tuck-it-Away (Jan. 30, 2008).

CPC: Tuck-it-Away (C 060 225 ZMM –map amend., C 060 226 ZMM – map amend., C 060 224 ZMM – map amend., C 060 223 ZMM – map amend.) (Dec.19, 2007). CITYADMIN