Board Rejects Columbia Grammar Expansion

The Upper West Side community is showing their continued resistance against the expansion of the Columbia Grammar School on West 93rd Street. Community Board 7 added to their concern, rejecting their application for the proposed enlargement, which would increase the school's size by more than one and a half times, adding two floors and a backyard area, to make room for a new and separate middle school.

The community board has stated that they find issue with the school's lack of "programmatic needs" or why the middle school needs to be separate from the elementary school. The board does not believe that the middle school needs to tower so large in order to meet its needs.

Howard Weiss, a land use lawyer, maintains that the school needs to expand, and that they are willing to negotiate with the needs of the community.

"The expansion addresses the overcrowding at the high school and would create a safe, self-contained middle school for students," said Weiss at the last Community Board 7 meeting.