Bloomberg Reiterates Support for Columbia Expansion

New York, NY —

Mayor Michael Bloomberg is reiterating his support for Columbia University's plans to expand into West Harlem after an appellate court barred the state from using eminent domain to seize privately-owned land on behalf of the university.

"We have to find a ways so they can grow. No university can survive this day and age or the city they serve without growing and adding and Columbia is one of the greatest universities in the world," Bloomberg said on his weekly radio show on WOR.

In its majority opinion, the court harshly criticized the state's arguments that the neighborhood was blighted. State officials say they'll appeal. They say the appellate court's decision was wrong, and inconsistent with established law.