Menin’s $10M Deal Clears Way For Major MSK Expansion On UES

UPPER EAST SIDE, NY – New York City Council Member Julie Menin, who represents District 5 on the Upper East Side, has secured a landmark agreement with Memorial Sloan Kettering (MSK) that will deliver over $10 million in community and quality-of-life investments as part of a rezoning proposal up for a vote before New York’s City Council on Thursday.

If approved, the rezoning would permit the construction of a 31-story cancer center on York Avenue between 66th and 67th streets – MSK Pavilion – which will greatly expand MSK’s capacity to treat patients in anticipation of rising cancer rates.

The agreement includes a range of environmental and public health risk mitigation measures to protect the surrounding community, particularly P.S. 183 Robert L. Stevenson, which is located nearby at 419 East 66th Street.

MSK has pledged to provide additional air quality monitoring, third-party oversight, the substitution of electric tower cranes for diesel-powered cranes to reduce noise and emissions, as well as air conditioners for the school and affected residents in the area.

Other safety and quality-of-life measures include new crossing guards for P.S. 183, dust mitigation – including on vehicles entering and exiting the site – and sound barriers.

In addition to these commitments, MSK will fund significant facility upgrades at P.S. 183, including playground renovations, gymnasium improvements, and the installation of new air conditioning units and air filters, totaling over $5.4 million in investments in all.

MSK will also donate $500,000 to the P.S. 183 Parent Teacher Association.

Council Member Menin has additionally allocated $3.2 million to renovate 24 Sycamores Playground, with MSK contributing $1.14 million to the project. The funds will enable the reconstruction and renovation of both playgrounds, as well as the basketball and handball courts.

Approval Process Moving Along

In May, the rezoning was conditionally approved by Manhattan’s Community Board 8, which worked closely with Menin and MSK to ensure community concerns about construction noise, building height, and health risks were addressed.

On Tuesday, the City Council’s Subcommittee on Zoning and Franchises voted to advance the rezoning. A full City Council vote is set for Thursday, Sept. 26.

“We extend our thanks to the Subcommittee on Zoning and Franchises for their approval of the MSK Pavilion Project, as well as the Upper East Side Community and Council Member Julie Menin, whose input and engagement has been essential throughout the planning process,” a spokesperson for MSK told Patch.“The Pavilion will enable us to continue to provide world-class, leading-edge cancer care for generations to come.”

The project was first proposed in the early 2000s, and a hearing was scheduled for September 12, 2001. Following the September 11 attacks, the expansion was reportedly shelved.

Now, nearly 25 years later, MSK Pavilion is expected to be completed by 2030, according to materials provided by Council Member Menin’s office.

Once approved, work could begin as soon as later this year, an MSK spokesperson confirmed.