Locals engage in evolution of diverse Upper West Side

Welcome to the Upper West Side, home of development controversies, not-in-my-backyard land use politics, grassroots community activism—and most recently, Urban Outfitters.

Columbia sits at the very north end of the Upper West Side, a diverse Manhattan neighborhood that stretches south to the edge of Central Park at 59th Street. Within walking distance (the upper Upper West Side?) is a chunk of the city filled with historic architecture and current controversies worth keeping on your radar as a temporary resident of this part of the island.

The neighborhood’s boundaries and labels are blurry. The Upper West Side blends into—or, some may argue, includes—Manhattan Valley, a region technically bordered by 110th Street, 96th Street, Central Park, and Broadway, but that’s debatable. The residential Upper West Side eventually becomes Morningside Heights, Columbia’s home, which quickly transitions into West Harlem.

Without worrying too much about names, you should know that the area just south of Columbia is under construction, with several new developments on the rise and classic real estate battles in full swing.

Between a major retail and housing development on Columbus Avenue from 97th to 100th streets—known as Columbus Square—and newly opened outlets of major retailers (most prominently the Urban Outfitters on Broadway between 99th and 100th streets), the increasing density of the upper Upper West Side has been all over the news lately.

The Columbus Square development includes stores such as Whole Foods, Sephora, Michaels, and TJ Maxx, as well as five apartment towers. A look at Google Maps gives a good idea of why this has been so controversial—it forms a superblock of activity. Some locals like the shopping but hate the increased traffic and lack of independent stores.

That’s also why Urban Outfitters, which opened this summer, has been making headlines. Its 110-foot storefront is made to look like a group of mom-and-pop stores—exactly what some longtime residents say is disappearing from the area.

The storefront may fool some passersby, but others who fear the “mallification” of their city streets know better.

Still, any new development is controversial on the crowded island of Manhattan, and especially so on the Upper West Side, which is known for its community activism. Community Board 7 holds court here, and its monthly meetings bring advisory decisions about everything from bike lanes to the fate of huge housing complexes. (Fun fact: Supreme Court Justice Elena Kagan grew up at 75th Street and West End Avenue, and her father, Robert Kagan, was chair of CB7 in the 1970s.)

New high-rises have also put the spotlight on local education, mainly the growing problem of overcrowding in schools. Parents and principals routinely complain that the city’s Department of Education isn’t providing more space for kids as the population grows. As a result, schools such as P.S. 163, an elementary school near Columbus Square, rely on portable classrooms or shared rooms for classes like art.

And with apartment towers on the rise and more families moving in, some education advocates think it’s only going to get worse.

Meanwhile, CB7 has also been a central meeting place to voice concerns about a contentious land swap just south of Columbia. It’s pretty complicated, but in short, a nursing home, Jewish Home Lifecare, is brokering a deal to switch land with a somewhat notorious local developer, the Chetrit Group, so that the residential developer can build apartments on 106th Street and the nonprofit can build a tall nursing home in a lot on 100th Street.

Sound simple? The developers involved think it is, but they have run up against a group of local residents and elected officials who strongly oppose the swap.

Though the neighborhood may have a reputation for being yuppie and posh, especially with the shiny new apartment buildings of Columbus Square, one unique feature of the Upper West Side is its relatively large number of “single room occupancy” buildings, or SROs.

These housing options, which are often taken by low-income residents, typically include rooms that share a bathroom or kitchen with the rest of a hallway. These apartments have made headlines recently as “illegal hotels,” with some local landlords accused of renting out rooms to tourists even though the buildings aren’t classified as hotels. This can hurt long-term tenants who call their SROs permanent homes. A new state law will make the practice illegal next May, but the concerns and controversy are likely to linger.

The neighborhoods south of Columbia can feel far away even when they’re so close. But the next time you venture “downtown”—maybe to buy some new jeans at the “mom-and-pop” Urban Outfitters—look around you, and think about the local-level politics shaping this area in transition.