Columbia University's Manhattanville campus under construction in 2018
Development Tracker — Morningside Heights & West Harlem

What's Being Built in Morningside Heights & West Harlem? A $445 Million NYCHA Overhaul, a Contested Supportive Housing Project & Columbia's Pause

Hush Street tracks what's changing in Morningside Heights, Manhattanville and Hamilton Heights: the $445 million Manhattanville Houses overhaul and 1440 Amsterdam Avenue, BRC's contested Hill Top Apartments, senior and family housing on Amsterdam Avenue, Artifact's rentals and Columbia's pause.
14
Projects Tracked
1,272
NYCHA Apartments Being Renovated
7
Under Construction
~200
Supportive & Affordable Homes Approved at Hill Top
Oct. 2026
Updated
Watch → 2 Stop-Work Orders at 1763 Amsterdam 1 Stalled Riverside Drive Site
By Hush Street Editorial
What’s Changing
→
Artifact filed to demolish two buildings on 12th Avenue for an 11-story rental.Oct. 2026
→
DOB permitted City College's North Academic Center boiler replacement.Sep. 2026
→
Columbia began building a temporary public open space on Manhattanville Site 4.Jul. 2026
Money Moving →
99 Claremont Avenue Purchase by Columbia (The Real Deal)$122M
478 West 130th Street Construction loan (PincusCo)$74.3M
16-20 Convent Avenue Construction loan (YIMBY)$40.75M
See the projects →
PROJECTS PUBLIC & SUPPORTIVE HOUSING NEW RENTALS CAMPUSES & WAITING SITES

Hush Street is tracking what’s being built in Morningside Heights, Manhattanville and Hamilton Heights, the area of Community Board 9.

Two zoning actions shaped the district: Columbia’s 2007 rezoning for its 17-acre Manhattanville campus and the 2012 West Harlem rezoning, which limited building heights across Hamilton Heights and Sugar Hill. The towers of recent years, Union Theological Seminary’s Claremont Hall and Columbia’s 600 West 125th Street, were finished in 2024.

The largest current work grew out of public housing: a $445 million renovation of the 1,272 apartments at NYCHA’s Manhattanville Houses and a 28-story, 490-unit rental on the campus’s former parking lot. North of 135th Street, new building is mostly mid-rise along Amsterdam Avenue, including senior, transitional and supportive housing, and Community Board 9 voted against a 200-unit supportive project before the Borough President backed it. Columbia is building a temporary park on its next Manhattanville site.

Where DOB records and press reports disagree on heights or unit counts, both are given. A permit is not treated as proof that construction has started.

Project Location Status
1Manhattanville Houses Renovation Amsterdam Ave., W. 126th–133rd Sts. Under Construction
21440 Amsterdam Avenue Amsterdam Ave., Manhattanville Houses Completed
3Hill Top Apartments (1727 Amsterdam Avenue) Amsterdam Ave. near W. 145th St. Approved
4478 West 130th Street W. 130th St. near Amsterdam Ave. Under Construction
51763-1771 Amsterdam Avenue Amsterdam Ave., W. 147th–148th Sts. Under Construction
616-20 Convent Avenue Convent Ave., Manhattanville Under Construction
7Artifact No. 1861 (1861 Amsterdam Avenue) Amsterdam Ave. at W. 152nd St. Finishing
8503 West 151st Street & 1840-1848 Amsterdam Avenue Amsterdam Ave. at W. 151st St. Demolition Filed
92335 12th Avenue 12th Ave., Manhattanville Demolition Filed
1099 Claremont Avenue Claremont Ave. at W. 122nd St. Completed; Sold
11Columbia Manhattanville Site 4 W. 125th St. at 12th Ave. Under Construction
12City College Campus Work Convent Ave., W. 130th–141st Sts. Under Construction
13701 West 135th Street W. 135th St. at 12th Ave. Rezoned; Not Filed
14633-641 West 142nd Street W. 142nd St. at Riverside Dr. Stalled

Public, Supportive & Senior Housing

The district’s biggest projects serve NYCHA tenants, seniors and families leaving shelter.

1

Manhattanville Houses Renovation

Google Street View of Manhattanville Houses, 1430 Amsterdam Avenue, New York, NY
Manhattanville Houses Renovation, via Google Street View. — Imagery: Google Street View
Address/Location1430 Amsterdam Avenue, six NYCHA buildings
Developer/ApplicantGilbane Development, Apex Building Group and West Harlem Group Assistance, under NYCHA’s PACT program
ProjectA $445 million renovation of 1,272 apartments in six 20-story buildings, with new kitchens, bathrooms, windows and heating and hot-water systems; the apartments move to Section 8 funding under PACT (NYC HDC).
StatusUnder Construction
Latest UpdateFinancing closed in December 2024 and YIMBY reported construction under way in February 2025. DOB approved further amendments in July and September 2026.

The Overhaul Paid For Partly by a Tower

The sale of the campus’s parking lot and air rights for 1440 Amsterdam Avenue was tied to repairs here, 6sqft reported.

Sources: NYC Housing Development Corporation (Dec. 2024); New York YIMBY (Feb. 2025); NYC DOB NOW renovation jobs (BBL 1019840001) (Sept. 2026)

2

1440 Amsterdam Avenue

Google Street View of 1440 Amsterdam Avenue, New York, NY
1440 Amsterdam Avenue, via Google Street View. — Imagery: Google Street View
Address/Location1440 Amsterdam Avenue
Developer/ApplicantGrid Group and Artimus; GLUCK+
ProjectA 28-story rental building with 490 apartments on the Manhattanville Houses’ former parking lot, including 147 offered through a middle-income lottery at 130 percent of area median income (DOB, 6sqft).
StatusCompleted
Latest UpdateLeasing opened in mid-2025 with the lottery, 6sqft reported. DOB approved a further amendment in May 2026; a final certificate of occupancy was not located.

Built on NYCHA Land

Grid bought the land and air rights from NYCHA in 2022 for $28 million, 6sqft reported, and Valley National Bank provided a $210 million construction loan, according to Commercial Observer.

Sources: 6sqft (July 2025); Commercial Observer (June 2024); NYC DOB NOW job M00641741-I1 (May 2026)

3

Hill Top Apartments (1727 Amsterdam Avenue)

Google Street View of 1727 Amsterdam Avenue, New York, NY
Hill Top Apartments (1727 Amsterdam Avenue), via Google Street View. — Imagery: Google Street View
Address/Location1727 Amsterdam Avenue
Developer/ApplicantBowery Residents’ Committee (BRC) with NYC Health + Hospitals; HPD
ProjectA nine-story building with about 200 income-restricted apartments: about 120 supportive units filled through NYC Health + Hospitals and about 80 affordable units through Housing Connect, plus a new home for the Emma L. Bowen Community Service Center (ZAP, BRC).
StatusApproved
Latest UpdateCity records show the land disposition approved after City Council review closed on March 26, 2026 (ZAP). Demolition and new-building permits have not been issued; the existing building on the lot is under a DOB vacate order.

Opposed by the Community Board

Community Board 9 voted 30-2-4 against the project in November 2025, and Borough President Mark Levine recommended approval in December. BRC says the first tenants are about four years away.

Sources: NYC Planning ZAP 2025M0424; Manhattan Borough President (Dec. 2025); BRC; NYC DOB NOW jobs M08010721-I1 and M00892774-I1 (Aug. 2026)

4

478 West 130th Street

Google Street View of 478 West 130th Street, New York, NY
478 West 130th Street, via Google Street View. — Imagery: Google Street View
Address/Location478 West 130th Street
Developer/ApplicantUrban Resource Institute; Aufgang Architects
ProjectA nine-story transitional residence for families with children, with 91 units in DOB records (PincusCo reported 92).
StatusUnder Construction
Latest UpdateDOB signed off the structural work in September 2026, with construction, hoist and scaffold permits active. A summons was issued on Sept. 16 for reporting an incident late.

Shelter, Not Permanent Housing

Urban Resource Institute closed a $74.3 million construction loan in August 2025, PincusCo reported.

Sources: PincusCo (Aug. 2025); New York YIMBY (Sept. 2024); NYC DOB NOW job M01099089-I1 and ECB records (Sept. 2026)

5

1763-1771 Amsterdam Avenue

Google Street View of 1763 Amsterdam Avenue, New York, NY
1763-1771 Amsterdam Avenue, via Google Street View. — Imagery: Google Street View
Address/Location1763 Amsterdam Avenue
Developer/ApplicantElmo Realty (YIMBY); HCN Design
ProjectAn eight-story building with 126 apartments for seniors (YIMBY); DOB describes it as a community-facility building.
StatusUnder Construction
Latest UpdateYIMBY reported the structure partly topped out in January 2026. DOB renewed the construction permit in July and issued a standpipe permit on Oct. 8, 2026.

Two Stop-Work Orders

DOB issued a partial stop-work order in June 2025 and, in February 2026, ordered work above the seventh floor halted until the standpipe was ready. Several scaffold summonses from 2026 are still open.

Sources: New York YIMBY (Jan. 2026); NYC DOB NOW job M00846386-I1 and ECB records (Oct. 2026)

New Rentals & Artifact's Pipeline

Mid-rise rentals in Manhattanville and Hamilton Heights, and one developer assembling more sites.

6

16-20 Convent Avenue

Google Street View of 16 Convent Avenue, New York, NY
16-20 Convent Avenue, via Google Street View. — Imagery: Google Street View
Address/Location16 Convent Avenue
Developer/ApplicantHaussmann Development; NDKazalas Architecture
ProjectAn 11-story mixed-income building with 84 apartments, some permanently affordable, and community-facility space (DOB, YIMBY).
StatusUnder Construction
Latest UpdateDOB issued foundation and structural permits in May 2026, a hoist permit in August and a scaffold permit in October. Completion is targeted for early 2028.

A $40.75 Million Loan

Affinius Capital and Axonic Capital provided a $40.75 million construction loan, YIMBY reported in May 2026.

Sources: New York YIMBY (May 2026); NYC DOB NOW job M01274493-I1 (Oct. 2026)

7

Artifact No. 1861 (1861 Amsterdam Avenue)

Google Street View of 1861 Amsterdam Avenue, New York, NY
Artifact No. 1861 (1861 Amsterdam Avenue), via Google Street View. — Imagery: Google Street View
Address/Location1861 Amsterdam Avenue, with a second building at 1871
Developer/ApplicantArtifact Real Estate Development
ProjectA five-story rental building with 47 apartments, as built (YIMBY; the DOB filing lists six stories and 58 units), plus a seven-story, 19-unit building next door at 1871 Amsterdam (DOB).
StatusFinishing
Latest UpdateThe housing lottery launched in May 2026, offering 18 apartments at 130 percent of area median income, with rents from $2,900 to $4,100 (YIMBY). No certificate of occupancy was found.

Middle-Income Lottery Units

Artifact also built Artifact No. 636 in the Washington Heights tracker and is preparing the two sites in the next cards.

Sources: New York YIMBY (May 2026); NYC DOB NOW jobs M00651526-I1 and M00649645-I1 (Oct. 2026)

8

503 West 151st Street & 1840-1848 Amsterdam Avenue

Google Street View of 503 West 151st Street, New York, NY
503 West 151st Street & 1840-1848 Amsterdam Avenue, via Google Street View. — Imagery: Google Street View
Address/Location503 West 151st Street
Developer/ApplicantArtifact Real Estate Development
ProjectAn eight-story building with 77 apartments filed in 2022 (DOB), next to five small buildings on Amsterdam Avenue that Artifact has applied to demolish.
StatusDemolition Filed
Latest UpdateArtifact filed to demolish the five buildings at 1840-1848 Amsterdam Avenue in August 2026; those applications are in DOB review. The new-building application is still in objections.

Assembling a Corner

It is not yet confirmed that the Amsterdam Avenue lots will become part of the same building.

Sources: NYC DOB NOW job M00728305-I1 (Sept. 2026); NYC DOB NOW demolition filings M01443439-I1 to M01443501-I1 (Oct. 2026)

9

2335 12th Avenue

Google Street View of 2335 12th Avenue, New York, NY
2335 12th Avenue, via Google Street View. — Imagery: Google Street View
Address/Location2335 12th Avenue
Developer/ApplicantArtifact Real Estate Development
ProjectAn 11-story, 120-foot rental building with 86 apartments replacing three-story buildings in Manhattanville’s old manufacturing strip (DOB, Patch).
StatusDemolition Filed
Latest UpdateArtifact filed to demolish the buildings at 2331 and 2335 12th Avenue on Oct. 12, 2026, the first movement since the new-building application went into objections in 2022.

Near the Waterfront

The site is close to the West Harlem Piers.

Sources: Patch; NYC DOB NOW jobs M00742022-I1, M01447844-I1 and M01447831-I1 (Oct. 2026)

Campuses & Waiting Sites

Columbia buys instead of builds, City College repairs its campus, and two rezoned or cleared sites sit idle.

10

99 Claremont Avenue

Google Street View of 99 Claremont Avenue, New York, NY
99 Claremont Avenue, via Google Street View. — Imagery: Google Street View
Address/Location99 Claremont Avenue
Developer/ApplicantCharney Companies (renovation); Columbia University (buyer)
ProjectA renovated former Union Theological Seminary dormitory that Columbia bought for a School of General Studies residence for more than 300 students.
StatusCompleted; Sold
Latest UpdateColumbia closed its $122 million purchase in July 2026, The Real Deal and Commercial Observer reported, for a residence hall opening in fall 2026.

Columbia Buys a Dorm

Charney bought the building for about $38 million in 2024, The Real Deal reported. Union Theological Seminary’s Claremont Hall tower, finished in 2024, is across the street.

Sources: The Real Deal (July 2026); Commercial Observer (July 2026)

11

Columbia Manhattanville Site 4

Google Maps of West 125th Street and 12th Avenue, New York, NY
Columbia's Manhattanville campus at 125th Street and 12th Avenue, via Google Maps. — Imagery: Google Maps
Developer/ApplicantColumbia University
ProjectA temporary public open space with paths, a lawn, plantings and seating on an undeveloped parcel of Columbia’s 17-acre Manhattanville plan.
StatusUnder Construction
Latest UpdateColumbia began work on July 27, 2026 and expects to finish by the end of 2026. No next permanent building has been announced.

A Park While Columbia Waits

The most recent large Manhattanville building, 600 West 125th Street, was finished in 2024.

Sources: Columbia University construction update (July 2026); NYC Planning ZAP P2007M0351

12

City College Campus Work

Google Street View of City College of New York, 160 Convent Avenue, New York, NY
City College Campus Work, via Google Street View. — Imagery: Google Street View
Address/Location160 Convent Avenue
Developer/ApplicantCity University of New York, with DASNY managing construction
ProjectA set of campus projects, including a new boiler plant for the North Academic Center, an $18.7 million slate-roof replacement and a STEM institute renovation at landmarked Shepard Hall, and work at Marshak Plaza (DOB, DASNY).
StatusUnder Construction
Latest UpdateDOB issued the North Academic Center boiler permit on Sept. 11, 2026 and further permits through Oct. 21. The Shepard Hall roof job is approved but not yet permitted.

44 Projects on One Campus

DASNY said in January 2025 that it was managing 44 active City College projects worth more than $383 million.

Sources: DASNY (Jan. 2025); NYC DOB NOW jobs M01285644-I1 and M00997395-I1 (Oct. 2026)

13

701 West 135th Street

Google Street View of 701 West 135th Street, New York, NY
701 West 135th Street, via Google Street View. — Imagery: Google Street View
Address/Location701 West 135th Street
Developer/ApplicantCrosscap Holdings (ZAP applicant)
ProjectA seven-story building with about 60 apartments, 12 of them affordable under mandatory inclusionary housing, partly built over the Amtrak tracks on a former rail-depot site (ZAP).
StatusRezoned; Not Filed
Latest UpdateThe City Council approved the rezoning in October 2024. Two years later no new-building application has been filed; DOB’s 2026 approvals on the lot are for a digital billboard.

Approved Over the Board's Objection

Community Board 9 opposed the rezoning, citing the owner’s record, the Borough President’s 2024 recommendation noted.

Sources: NYC Planning ZAP 2022M0159; Manhattan Borough President (July 2024); NYC DOB NOW jobs M01400217-I1 and M01406375-I1 (Aug. 2026)

14

633-641 West 142nd Street

Google Street View of 635 West 142nd Street, New York, NY
633-641 West 142nd Street, via Google Street View. — Imagery: Google Street View
Address/Location635 West 142nd Street
Developer/ApplicantSoma 142 LLC
ProjectA Riverside Drive corner where the owner sought a rezoning for a 17-story, 81-unit tower, then withdrew it (ZAP, Patch).
StatusStalled
Latest UpdateThe owner demolished the three rowhouses on the site in 2023 but has filed no new building. DOB issued summonses in April 2026 for failing to certify corrections of earlier violations.

Rowhouses Gone, Nothing Planned

The rezoning application was withdrawn after the City Planning stage in 2021.

Sources: NYC Planning ZAP 2019M0041; Patch; NYC DOB demolition jobs and ECB records (BIN 1062336) (Apr. 2026)

What We're Watching Next

Demolition and construction permits for Hill Top Apartments, a certificate of occupancy at Artifact No. 1861, Artifact’s next buildings at West 151st Street and 12th Avenue, any new-building filing at 701 West 135th Street, and Columbia’s next Manhattanville building are next.

Hush Street also tracks Harlem east of Morningside and St. Nicholas Avenues, the Upper West Side, including Manhattan Valley, and Washington Heights & Inwood.

Header photo: Columbia University’s Manhattanville campus under construction, 2018, by Jim.henderson, via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0.

By Updated Built from city filings and published reporting. About Hush Street

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