Source: Columbia Spectator repost -By Grace Kaste • October 14, 2025
New York City started to plan its replacement of a Hamilton Heights medical center with a complex of supportive and affordable housing units more than three years ago—without local approval. On Oct. 8, residents were given the long-awaited opportunity to officially provide feedback on the project at a public hearing hosted by Community Board 9 and held at the City College of New York
The hearing came after months of mounting community frustration toward the development that hit a flash point in May when two CB9 housing, land use, and zoning committee members were ousted by Manhattan Borough President Mark Levine after openly opposing the project. The majority of residents who testified also opposed the project, criticizing its displacement of one of the only federally qualified health centers in West Harlem and its addition of another supportive housing project; the neighborhood is already saturated with services for people experiencing mental illness. They also accused city officials of knowingly sidestepping the proper channels for community input for years.
“We are under-resourced and oversaturated,” West Harlem resident Alexa Donaphin said. “This project was planned without taking our needs and concerns into consideration and without any interface with our local community board.” Read more