No Land Grab

metroNY
By Amy Zimmer

Tuck-It-Away Self Storage owner Nick Sprayregen, one of the chief foes of Columbia’s West Harlem expansion plan, met university officials Thursday to discuss what’s become known as the “Sprayregen swap.”

He would like to exchange three properties he owns west of Broadway that are in the heart of Columbia’s 17-acre proposed campus for two buildings the university owns east of Broadway, where Sprayregen also owns two sites.

Though the university has pledged not to have the state invoke eminent domain for residential tenants, it is still on the table for three remaining property owners including Sprayregen. The swap would save Columbia a long and costly legal battle, Sprayregen said.

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