[NYguy]

http://www.citylandnyc.org/sloan-ket...te-opposition/

Sloan-Kettering/CUNY’s East 74th Street Dual Facility Approved Despite Opposition


10/15/2013

On September 16, 2013, the City Council’s Land Use Subcommittee on Zoning and Franchises held a public hearing on a proposal to develop a hospital and educational complex on the Upper East Side of Manhattan. The applicants were Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center (MSK) and The City University of New York (CUNY)/Hunter College. The project site is located on 74th Street between York Avenue and Franklin Delano Roosevelt (FDR) Drive, immediately north of the “medical corridor,” which includes Cornell Weill, New York Presbyterian Hospital, MSK, and Hospital for Special Surgery. The application would amend the zoning map to convert the current industrial zoning to support community facility development; amend the zoning text to allow contributions to public park improvement in exchange for additional floor area; provide special permits to waive certain height and setback requirements; and provide a special permit to increase the number of parking spaces in the MSK parking facility from 166 to 248.

.....Residents of Yorkville strongly opposed the proposed project, echoing some of the concerns raised by the Council Members. Several of the speakers argued that the development was too large and traffic intensive for the already congested residential neighborhood that surrounds it. They also expressed concern about the continuous transformation of Yorkville, which will cause the neighborhood to be in a constant state of construction. Some Yorkville residents suggested that the proposed project be built in areas of the City that need hospitals.

The City Planning Commission approved the application on August 21, 2013. The Commission found that the application minimized or avoided adverse environmental impacts to the maximum extent practicable.

The Land Use Subcommittee on Zoning and Franchises and the Committee on Land Use unanimously voted to approve the application on October 3, 2013. Council Member Jessica Lappin recused herself from voting because someone with whom she is associated may have a conflicting financial interest. Council Member Mark Weprin commented that the City Council took into consideration the concerns of the community. Council Member Weprin also said that MSK/CUNY has a parking management plan in place and will be providing $500,000 in funding for a traffic study to examine the traffic issues that were raised. Council Member Daniel Garodnick stated that the traffic situation on York Avenue was extremely challenging, but he is “encouraged by this traffic study.”

On October 9, 2013, the full City Council voted to approve the application by a vote of 45-1.