$250M NY-Presbyterian Hospital Biomed Project Approved

At about 2:30 a.m. Tuesday, the Common Council by a vote of 6-1 approved New York Presbyterian Hospital's $250-million plan to build a biomedical and cancer treatment complex on its campus here.

The project calls for the development of 384,000 sf of biomedical space, which would include a "Center for Advanced Proton Technology." The facility will utilize proton beam accelerator technology used for cancer diagnosis and treatment. There are currently only two such facilities nationwide.

Now that all city approvals are in place, the hospital plans to look for funding sources, including the federal government, in order to begin construction on the venture.

Connie Hildesley, vice president of real estate for New York-Presbyterian Hospital, says, "With the creation of this new biomedical research facility, we are looking forward to enhancing and enriching our delivery of health care, community outreach and medical treatment for generations to come."

The approvals mark the end of approximately two decades of acrimony between the hospital and the city over development at the hospital's 214-acre campus off Bloomingdale Road. Over the years, the hospital has floated a number of proposals, including one large housing development that met with stiff opposition from citizens and politicians in White Plains.

The plan approved this week was similar in nature to a proposal the city rejected last year. The hospital filed suit against the city's refusal to consider two plans it had put before the city at the time, including one proposal that included a provision that would have designated 60 acres for a public park. The litigation was dropped in return for the city's promise to consider its biomedical proposal.

While no construction timetable has been released to date, prior to the city granting approvals for the development, hospital spokesman Geoffrey Thompson said if the project did obtain site plan approval, New York-Presbyterian Hospital would "aggressively seeking financing" for the project.

He said that the hospital wants to get the project started as soon as possible.

Thompson said the earliest construction on the project would begin would be in late 2002 or early 2003. Construction would take approximately 30 months to complete. The project is expected to create approximately 450 construction jobs and 958 permanent jobs once completed.