Columbia got the long-awaited green light to break ground at Baker Field on Wednesday. The City Council voted 46-1 in favor of a zoning waiver that the University needs to begin construction at 218th Street on a new 48,000-square-foot Campbell Sports Center and a public waterfront park known as Boathouse Marsh. "We are pleased that the City Council and related committees voted in favor of our application to create new public access and new amenities on the waterfront," Columbia senior public affairs officer Victoria Benitez said in an email statement. "The Boathouse Marsh project will increase public access to the waterfront, restore and extend the area's native marshland adjacent to Inwood Hill Park, and create an opportunity for increased educational and recreational activities for the community." The vote was the final step in the city approval process, and allows Columbia to provide only 1.5 percent of its property for public waterfront access, instead of the required 15 percent. The one vote against came from Council member Charles Barron of Brooklyn, who could not be reached for comment. Plans for the five-story Campbell Sports Center include offices for coaches, a student-athlete study center, an auditorium and meeting spaces. The Boathouse Marsh plans include a waterfront park area designed by James Corner Field Operations, the landscape architecture company that created the High Line park in Chelsea. Inwood residents have been working with local elected officials to create an enforceable community partnership agreement stipulating benefits for the community in light of the partial waiver of waterfront zoning laws—a waiver that allows Columbia to provide only 10 percent of the public waterfront access required by law. Susan Russell, chief of staff for Council member Robert Jackson, said the community agreement is close to completion. "The community partnership agreement is almost done, it will be pretty much put to bed over the next few days," she said. "We're waiting for Columbia to get back to us on a few things, and then we need to work out some language. It's moving along." While the agreement may be done soon, it shouldn't be rushed, said Ibrahim Khan, chief of staff for Senator Adriano Espaillat, whose senatorial district includes Baker Field. Last month, Espaillat and Council member Ydanis Rodriguez were involved in a public spat with Council member Jackson, whose district covers Baker Field. Rodriguez, whose district is adjacent to Jackson's, said he and Espaillat had not been included in the process and that not enough time had been given to consider community concerns with the project. Two weeks ago, the politicians' disagreements led to Espaillat and Rodriguez sponsoring a separate public from one held by Jackson that same weekend. But Khan said Senator Espaillat's central concern is securing benefits for Inwood residents. "Senator Espaillat's main focus now is on advancing a community benefits agreement that enhances the partnership between Columbia University and residents," Khan said. "It's possible it may be done soon, but we're not in this business to be setting deadlines." The community agreement signals the close of a lengthy approval process that has spanned many months and included a deadlocked vote on the proposal by Community Board 12, review by the Department of City Planning, and at least 19 community meetings or tours sponsored by Columbia. Roger Meyer, a member of Advocates for Inwood Manhattan—which represents over 600 Inwood residents—said the group looks forward to working with Columbia to finalize the community partnership agreement. "Unfortunately it was brief, so it was hard to dig into the community benefits," Meyer said of a meeting on Tuesday, at which residents sat down with the University and Council member Jackson to discuss the agreement. "It wasn't really an environment to discuss." But Meyer said residents hope to be able to secure most of the community proposals listed in an online petition that garnered 545 signatures, which was submitted to Columbia and local representatives on March 30. "I expect there to be a demonstration of community partnership that Columbia answers to in the future as well," Meyer said. "We certainly hope that Columbia will work constructively with elected officials and community to reach an agreement satisfactory to the community and that they'll continue to keep the community engaged." Susan Ryan, an organizer of Advocates for Inwood, said residents appreciate being part of discussions with Columbia and Council member Jackson. She added, however, that she's wary because an enforceable agreement with Columbia has not yet been finalized–something she said the community finds "concerning." "This has been a wake-up call for our community and a wake-up call for our elected officials," Ryan said. "The waiver that was approved is a downward modification of the 15 percent waterfront access that is normally required by law." Ryan added that the community expects Council member Jackson to continue fighting for community benefits. "Because as of today we still don't have an enforceable agreement with Columbia University, we would say this to Council member Jackson – you need to know that we will be watching how you champion this cause for our community," Ryan said. "We will be watching how you follow through on the public commitments you have made." chelsea.lo@columbiaspectator.com