Stern grad fights Columbia spread
Hyein Lee
Issue date: 2/21/08 Section: City/State
Nick Sprayregen says America is ready for a change in eminent domain laws.
This multimillionaire Stern graduate is dueling Columbia University in a vicious land battle in West Harlem - and he's uncovered some dirt.
Since Sprayregen graduated from NYU in 1986, he has been managing a handful of businesses, including his Tuck-It-Away Self-Storage business, real estate developments and nine local newspapers in Westchester county.
Most recently, Sprayregen has been busy fighting Columbia's new long-term expansion into West Harlem. According to university spokesmen, Columbia plans to expand into an area covering 17 acres, from 125th Street to 134th Street, in a move that Sprayregen has no doubt will displace a community.
The fight began three-and-a-half years ago when Columbia representatives kindly treated Sprayregen to lunch. He owns many properties in the path of Columbia's expansion. "They were very nice to me and asked if my property was for sale - I said no, and they called every week after to ask if I was sure and whether or not I had changed my mind," he said.
"Just because Columbia wants my property, doesn't mean they can take it away from me," Sprayregen said. "Eminent domain should be used for the public, not by land grab for a private institution."
Sprayregen decided to do some research of his own and found out that Columbia had been approaching property owners this way for months and by doing so, quietly buying up Manhattanville.
"They were telling people the same line: 'sell to us now or face condemnation by the state later on,'" Sprayregen said. "I vowed with a gun to my head I would not negotiate."
A spokesperson from Columbia, La Verna Fountain, declined to discuss the specifics of the university's negotiations with Sprayregen but said that "Columbia cannot invoke eminent domain; that is a governmental action and has its own public process."
Thus far, that public process has led Sprayregen to sue the state four times. He has also been in and out of court with his lawyer trying to obtain information from the state regarding its transactions with the university. Through the Freedom of Information Law, Sprayregen had 167 documents handed over last June revealing the processes of how the state is allowing Columbia to carry through with its plans.
"The state, city agencies have given us some of the documents, but we have not gotten all the documents we believe we are entitled to," said Norman Siegel, Sprayregen's lawyer.
For the state to permit the condemnation of private property for development it must conduct a survey to determine an area to be "blighted." Sprayregen and Siegal do not believe the properties that Columbia is trying to seize fit this category.
"Circumstances of blight are vague and constitutionally suspect in New York, but generally, historically blight is very often synonymous with slum and substandard in sanitary conditions," Siegel said.
Sprayregen has also learned that AKRF, the engineering consultant firm that the state hired to conduct this "blight" survey, is the same consultant Columbia is using in its expansion application to the state.
"We've been able to uncover an unbelievable conflict of interest," Sprayregen said. "One company serving two masters - the government is acquiescing and allowing itself to be rented out to its highest bidder."
In addition, on July 30, 2004, an agreement between Columbia and the state was forged - the state gave $300,000 to Columbia to use for reimbursing property owners in the university's path.
Although the condemnation of property process hasn't officially begun, the West Harlem area has already been legally rezoned by city council from being a "manufacturing zone" to a "mixed zone," which allows for other projects such as educational institutions to enter the area.
Sprayregen said that his resolve remains strong.
"It's uplifting because I am fighting for something I believe in," he said.
Hyein Lee is a staff writer. E-mail her at citystate@nyunews.com.
This multimillionaire Stern graduate is dueling Columbia University in a vicious land battle in West Harlem - and he's uncovered some dirt.
Since Sprayregen graduated from NYU in 1986, he has been managing a handful of businesses, including his Tuck-It-Away Self-Storage business, real estate developments and nine local newspapers in Westchester county.
Most recently, Sprayregen has been busy fighting Columbia's new long-term expansion into West Harlem. According to university spokesmen, Columbia plans to expand into an area covering 17 acres, from 125th Street to 134th Street, in a move that Sprayregen has no doubt will displace a community.
The fight began three-and-a-half years ago when Columbia representatives kindly treated Sprayregen to lunch. He owns many properties in the path of Columbia's expansion. "They were very nice to me and asked if my property was for sale - I said no, and they called every week after to ask if I was sure and whether or not I had changed my mind," he said.
"Just because Columbia wants my property, doesn't mean they can take it away from me," Sprayregen said. "Eminent domain should be used for the public, not by land grab for a private institution."
Sprayregen decided to do some research of his own and found out that Columbia had been approaching property owners this way for months and by doing so, quietly buying up Manhattanville.
"They were telling people the same line: 'sell to us now or face condemnation by the state later on,'" Sprayregen said. "I vowed with a gun to my head I would not negotiate."
A spokesperson from Columbia, La Verna Fountain, declined to discuss the specifics of the university's negotiations with Sprayregen but said that "Columbia cannot invoke eminent domain; that is a governmental action and has its own public process."
Thus far, that public process has led Sprayregen to sue the state four times. He has also been in and out of court with his lawyer trying to obtain information from the state regarding its transactions with the university. Through the Freedom of Information Law, Sprayregen had 167 documents handed over last June revealing the processes of how the state is allowing Columbia to carry through with its plans.
"The state, city agencies have given us some of the documents, but we have not gotten all the documents we believe we are entitled to," said Norman Siegel, Sprayregen's lawyer.
For the state to permit the condemnation of private property for development it must conduct a survey to determine an area to be "blighted." Sprayregen and Siegal do not believe the properties that Columbia is trying to seize fit this category.
"Circumstances of blight are vague and constitutionally suspect in New York, but generally, historically blight is very often synonymous with slum and substandard in sanitary conditions," Siegel said.
Sprayregen has also learned that AKRF, the engineering consultant firm that the state hired to conduct this "blight" survey, is the same consultant Columbia is using in its expansion application to the state.
"We've been able to uncover an unbelievable conflict of interest," Sprayregen said. "One company serving two masters - the government is acquiescing and allowing itself to be rented out to its highest bidder."
In addition, on July 30, 2004, an agreement between Columbia and the state was forged - the state gave $300,000 to Columbia to use for reimbursing property owners in the university's path.
Although the condemnation of property process hasn't officially begun, the West Harlem area has already been legally rezoned by city council from being a "manufacturing zone" to a "mixed zone," which allows for other projects such as educational institutions to enter the area.
Sprayregen said that his resolve remains strong.
"It's uplifting because I am fighting for something I believe in," he said.
Hyein Lee is a staff writer. E-mail her at citystate@nyunews.com.
Viewing Comments 1 - 2 of 2
M
posted 2/21/08 @ 11:20 AM EST
Thank you for reporting on this, he is inspirational in his fight to expose corruption and collusion between state, city, and private enterprises in ways that do not benefit the public at all. (Continued…)
CU Alum
posted 2/21/08 @ 2:14 PM EST
Even if there is a conflict of interest, that conflict would involve AKRF and not Columbia. The university hired AKRF before the state did. Maybe AKRF should have declined to work for the state in light of its work for Columbia (or maybe not, but I'll give Mr. (Continued…)
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