Source: Columbia Spectator, November 3, 2025
On a Saturday afternoon in October, dozens of West Harlem residents marched to the office of District 7 City Council member Shaun Abreu, CC ’14, calling for him to be voted out of his two-term seat. The march had begun just five blocks away, at the source of the conflict—a proposed supportive housing development at 1727 Amsterdam Ave. that five Community Board 9 members have opposed for years, urging more community input.
Instead of gaining a greater platform for advocacy, however, they were ousted from the board.
“This gentleman who occupies this office unfortunately tried to kick me off the board because I said we have too much supportive housing in the immediate area,” Victor Edwards, chair of CB9, said at the rally, referring to Abreu.
Edwards, alongside other community members, has opposed the development at 1727 Amsterdam Ave. since 2022, when CB9 first found out about the project. The board has argued that it will contribute to the “oversaturation” of supportive housing facilities in West Harlem and displace one of the only federally qualified medical centers in the neighborhood. Residents and CB9 members have voiced these concerns for nearly three years, but the city has refused to facilitate the community review process, called the Uniform Land Use Review Procedure, which is required for a project like this one that involves city-owned land.