A Manhattan community board rejected Northwell Health’s $2 billion plan to expand Lenox Hill Hospital in an early setback for the project.
Community Board 8 voted 23-15 with two abstentions to reject proposed zoning changes that would allow Northwell to build a 436-foot medical tower at Lenox Hill Hospital, unless the hospital makes some changes to its proposal. Northwell’s project includes building 475 private rooms, 30 operating rooms, an expanded emergency department and a dedicated mother-baby center at the hospital, which executives say is crucial to modernize Lenox Hill. But the project has faced staunch opposition from local residents who don’t want a 40-story building in their neighborhood and are concerned about potential disruptions from nine years of construction.
The community board recommended that city officials vote no on the project unless Northwell makes some serious alterations, including cutting the height of the tower in half. Though the board’s vote is advisory, it signals an early setback for the project as Lenox Hill works to secure approval from the City Planning Commission and the City Council later this year.
“Even though we voted no last night, everyone in the community wants the hospital to be modernized and we want it to stay,” community board Chair Valerie Mason told Crain’s. “We just think the plan could be tweaked more.”
Northwell Health first proposed its expansion of Lenox Hill Hospital in 2019, proposing a 500-foot tower and a residential building with 200 apartments. Concerns from community members prompted Northwell to scrap its apartment building and reduce the proposed height of the new hospital to 436-feet. After community members continued to push back against the height of the building, Northwell earlier this year proposed two options to either build a 436-foot tower or construct a 395-foot, wider building that would have enough space for all of its medical specialties.
The hospital maintains that modernizing Lenox Hill Hospital by building private rooms and upgrading its operating technologies is crucial for the long-term sustainability of the facility, especially as city hospitals, including Mount Sinai Beth Israel close down. President Dr. Daniel Baker previously told Crain’s that lack of investment is partly why hospitals like Beth Israel fail.
“We appreciate the considerations raised by the community board, and we’re encouraged by the split vote and the growing local and citywide support for modernizing Lenox Hill Hospital,” a hospital spokesperson said, adding that Lenox Hill remains committed to working with community leaders throughout the approval process to build a revitalized medical center.
The proposal will go before Manhattan Borough President Mark Levine for an advisory in the next 30 days, and then will proceed to final review from the City Planning Commission and the City Council.
