A group of concerned religious leaders have banded together to stop the proposed Lenox Hill Hospital expansion, a massive development project that advocates say could put a vast part of the Upper East Side under construction for nearly a decade.
The clergy members, who support the Committee to Protect Our Lenox Hill Neighborhood, oppose an ongoing proposal to turn Northwell Health’s Lenox Hill Hospital into a hulking 436-foot medical tower that would have “significant” impacts on the quality of life for parishioners and other residents in the area.
The hospital is currently around 160 feet at its tallest point. The construction of the proposed approximately 40-floor tower would include the replacement of parts of the existing hospital complex.
The clergy members — who are from St. Jean Baptiste Catholic Church, Church of the Resurrection and All Souls Church — sent a letter on Jan. 28 to Northwell Health CEO Michael Dowling expressing concerns surrounding the quality of life in the area if the project to renovate the over 150-year-old medical center, located at 100 E. 77th St., gets underway.
In the letter, the clergy explain that there will be a “long-term disruption” of daily lives that will include a “great deal” of noise, pollution, and traffic congestion in the tightly packed square encompassing the entire block from 76th to 77th Streets and Park to Lexington Avenues.
“Our congregants pass by your hospital every day as their children attend our religious schools and, with their families, attend our services,” the letter states. “The thought of children and families navigating through a major construction site for a decade is scary, one that we don’t understand and wish to avoid.”
While the group applauds efforts to modernize the hospital, they are worried that the scale and duration of the project will have a deep impact on families, schoolchildren and worshippers who pass by the construction site daily for a period of around seven years until completion.
The need to change, hospital operators say
A spokesperson for Northwell Health said the company is proceeding with ongoing community engagement to address their concerns.
In the meantime, Daniel Baker, MD, president of Northwell Lenox Hill Hospital, said during a Jan. 28 Manhattan Community Board 8 meeting that the expansion is needed to improve the health and quality of life for many people. He explained that population growth, the aging population and rising demand for specialized services require a hospital that can offer more advanced care.
“As the needs of our community evolve and medical advancements continue at a rapid pace, so must Lenox Hill,” he said. “Our current facilities, while steeped in history, are increasingly challenged to meet the demands of 21st century medicine.”
More than 55,000 people use the emergency room at Lenox Hill Hospital each year. Baker explained that the expansion would include a “right-sized” emergency department for these patients, state-of-art operating rooms and single-bed patient rooms.
The new emergency room would feature more space to isolate infectious or immuno-compromised patients and offer all patients more comfort and privacy. There would also be a dedicated Mother-Baby Hospital to better serve the more than 4,000 babies born at the hospital each year.
Although the clergy members acknowledged in their letter that Lenox Hill is a “well respected” member of the community, their concerns go beyond construction and into the permanent changes the massively renovated facility could bring into the neighborhood.
“The sheer size of the proposed 436-ft tower will significantly and permanently change the character of our neighborhood,” the letter states. “In a time of religious strife and heated disagreements, we note with great pleasure how we, the leaders of different faiths, have worked together to voice our concerns to you. We urge you to engage with our congregants and other members of the community in meaningful dialog.”
Although the group did not receive a response to the letter yet, they urged Northwell Health to reconsider their plans.
“In that spirit, we raise our voices together to ask that you reconsider your plans and work out a plan that is satisfactory both to Northwell Health and the community,” the letter goes on to say. “The current plan does not work for us.”
Expanding in ‘Bedpan Alley’
Stephanie Reckler, an executive member of the Committee to Protect Our Lenox Hill Neighborhood, agreed with the sentiments expressed in the clergy members’ letter. She said she and many other members of the organization, are deeply concerned about the size of the tower, though it has gotten 80 feet shorter in scope due to community feedback since an original design proposal in 2019.
“The question is the inappropriateness of putting the equivalent of an office building in a residential area,” she said, adding that the area is sometimes referred to as “bedpan alley” in light of the many world-class hospitals nearby.
The hospitals are densely packed within walking distance to residents of the area. Meanwhile, Reckler noted the hospital desert that runs dry for residents in Lower Manhattan.
“There is no building on Lexington Avenue this tall until you get to 59th Street and you get the Bloomberg building,” she said.
George Janes, a planning consultant for the advocacy group, said 436 feet is tall for a building for Lexington Avenue, but it is not only its height that raises concerns.
“What makes it exceptional is not so much its height but its size,” he said. “Towers are designed to be tall and skinny. And that’s what makes towers acceptable. This is a building that is tall and fat. It has a footprint that is about the size of the Freedom Tower.”
He explained that buildings of this size are typically not found in residential areas, but in business districts within the city.
What is next for the Lenox Hill Hospital expansion proposal?
Meanwhile, Northwell’s plan has entered into a critical stage in the process. The plans are now under review with the city’s planning commission. From there, a seven-month process will culminate with a vote by all 51 NYC Council members.
City Council Member Keith Powers, whose district encompasses Lenox Hill, said in a statement to amNewYork Metro that he acknowledges the community’s concerns.
“The community has raised concerns over the duration of the construction and scale of the building, which we are working to address,” he said. “It’s important to revitalize Lenox Hill Hospital, but we should ensure it doesn’t cause unreasonable disruption to the surrounding neighborhood.”
If the NYC Council ultimately approves the proposal, it will then go to the mayor for approval.
Read More: https://www.amny.com/business/
