A New York state court has blocked an attempt by a legendary Ivy League university to use the often abused government loophole known as eminent domain to commandeer prime city real estate.
Claiming that it had outgrown its hollowed campus, officials from Columbia University attempted to use legalized forceful persuasion to procure 17 acres of property in New York’s West Harlem.
The court ruling successfully dismantled the school’s attempt to create a satellite campus, a move that would have been a first in 75 years for Columbia in 75 years, in its entirety.
$6.3 billion was to be spent on restaurants, new shrubbery/arbor projects, institutional buildings, and high tech laboratories.
To date, Columbia University has purchased 91% of the neighborhood, a fact that will allow the university to proceed with the majority of their plans.
