The City Council unanimously approved Northwell Health’s plan to expand Lenox Hill Hospital on Thursday, despite fierce outrage from Upper East Side neighbors.
Why It Matters: The hospital, operating since the 1800s, hasn’t seen upgrades in over 50 years and will undergo its first major modernization in decades.
The Big Picture: The expansion faced stiff opposition from Upper East Side residents, particularly the Committee to Protect Our Lenox Hill Neighborhood, who held a rally at City Hall before Thursday’s vote, CBS New York reports. Critics called the project “a monstrosity, completely out of scale with the neighborhood where the hospital resides.”
What’s New: The approved plan includes 25 more patient rooms, a new ambulance bay, and a $20 million upgrade to subway infrastructure and accessibility, per CBS New York. The building height was reduced from 436 feet to 370 feet in the scaled-back version.
What They’re Saying: “This is a pure vanity project for Northwell Health and it ruins the Upper East Side neighborhood, which does not need more hospital beds,” said Valerie Mason of Community Board 8, according to CBS New York. Stacy Krusch from the CPOLHN added that “the size and scale of this project does not fit.”
What’s Next: The project awaits approval from the State Department of Health, which could take more time, CBS New York notes. Northwell Health said the timeline is about nine years, with six years of external construction.
