Controversial Lenox Hill Hospital Redesign Moves Forward With Borough President Approval

UPPER EAST SIDE, NY — The controversial plan to rezone a portion of East 77th Street and expand Northwell's Lenox Hill Hospital just got the stamp of approval from Manhattan Borough President Mark Levine on Thursday.

Levine's official recommendation is critical as the pending project advances through the mandatory public review process, heading next to the New York City Department of City Planning, which will host a public hearing on May 21.

Levine's motion to approve the plan comes a little more than a month after Community Board 8 voted 23-15 with two abstentions to reject Northwell's proposal to build extra stories and modernize many parts of the hospital on East 77th Street between Lexington and Park avenues.

"This is an opportunity to upgrade a major hospital that more than 140,000 patients rely upon every year and ensure that the facility can provide high-quality care for generations to come," Levine said. "But it must be done thoughtfully—so that the benefits extend not only inside the hospital but throughout the community as well."

Levine said that as part of his approval, Northwell agreed to create a construction task force with members of Community Board 8 that would monitor air quality, noise pollution and the construction timeline.

Northwell also agreed to open a new outpatient mental health center that would have capacity for 30,000 patient visits per year in the nearby Manhattan Eye, Ear, & Throat Hospital.

"We deeply appreciate Manhattan Borough President Levine's support and thoughtful feedback for the Lenox Hill Hospital revitalization, a vital project ensuring our community's health both today and for generations to come," a spokesperson from the Lenox Hill Hospital said. "Input from community members and leaders has significantly strengthened our proposal, resulting in reduced building height, shortened construction timelines, and enhanced community partnerships."

As part of his approval, Levine also asked Northwell to reduce the height to the maximum extent possible and alter the ground floor plan to allow ambulances to turn around within the footprint of the hospital and not back out onto 77th Street.

The height of the building, which, in one construction plan, would rise 436 feet over Lexington Avenue, is one of the main objections from critics of the plan.

“FRIENDS of the Upper East Side is deeply disappointed by Borough President Levine’s decision to endorse a tower of this scale," Nuha Ansari, the executive director of community group FRIENDS of the Upper East Side, told Patch.

"While we commend the concessions secured — including a new mental health facility and a group to oversee construction mitigation measures — we do not understand why more pressure could not have been applied to Northwell asking them to reduce the building’s height. The scale is inappropriate for this historic neighborhood and sets a troubling precedent for contextual zoning and unchecked institutional expansion across the city."

The renovation plans

There are two different designs currently on the table for the new building.

In one plan, the building would be built to rise 436 feet over Lexington Avenue, but taper down to 195 feet on East 77th Street and East 76th Street.

This plan would take six years of construction on the building itself and three more years of work on the building's interior, hospital officials said.

In another newer plan, the building would come to 395 feet over Lexington Avenue, and drop down to 360 feet over the side streets.

Building this plan would take six-and-a-half years of construction on the building itself, and two-and-a-half years of construction inside the building, hospital officials said.

But, with either plan, the hospital will transform all patient rooms into single-bed rooms, update operating rooms, and add new center specifically for labor and delivery patients, hospital officials said.

The NYC Department of City Planning gave Northwell the green light to renovate the medical center and add extra stories to the building this March, which launched the mandatory public review process, the first step in finalizing construction plans.

What's next

The New York City Department of City Planning will hold a public hearing and then make its recommendations to City Council, where it will be voted on. From there, the mayor can authorize or veto the vote.

For information on the public hearing for May 21, click here.

For questions and tips, email Miranda.Levingston@Patch.com.