Site of Interest Analysis-Columbia University Campus

This month’s “site of interest” analysis takes a look at a site on Columbia University’s campus and asks, “what if this site were massed to its development potential?”

Located in an R8 zoning district, the northern portion of the campus (116th to 120th Streets, Broadway to Amsterdam Avenue) has a lot area of 734,180 square feet. At the permitted FAR, the site maxes out at over 4.7 million square feet! With over 1 million square feet in each of the 49-story towers, the existing square footage of the campus could all fit within the base and one of the towers, leaving the other three towers to be dorms for the University’s 9,000 undergraduate students.

And as always, redevelopment of the “site of interest” is not realistic, as certain campus buildings are individual and interior landmarks (which is why we chose it!).

Lot Area: 734,180 sf
Development Potential: 4,772,169 sf
Height: 49 stories / 639 feet