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new cancer center in Manhattan won't be put to a test by local opposition. Three years ago, the City Planning Commission approved a rezoning for a New York Blood Center project on the Upper East Side, despite then-Council member Ben Kallos' objections. The City Council followed suit two months later, marking the first time since 2009 that a local member was overridden.
On Tuesday, Council member Julie Menin's successor avoided a similar fate. She announced a deal with Memorial Sloan Kettering to pave the way for a 31-story cancer center at 1233 York Avenue. The project has been in the works for over 20 years and will extend MSK's services from an existing hospital.
As part of the deal, Memorial Sloan Kettering agreed to invest $10.39 million in upgrades to P.S. 183 and pay for construction-mitigation efforts. The hospital also committed to using 100 percent union labor. Some had raised concerns about the building's height, but it remained unchanged.
"We looked at every opportunity to reduce the height in response to community concerns," an MSK spokesperson said. "However, the fact is that the building envelope is the minimum required to support what we believe demand for cancer care will be in 2030 and beyond."
New York City sees 40,000 new cases of cancer each year, a number expected to grow significantly over the next two decades. The hospital draws patients from across the U.S. and the world.
In other news, New York City Schools Chancellor David Banks is stepping down, citing plans to retire at the end of the school year. Federal authorities raided his home and seized his phones this month. A new Siena College poll shows that only 34 percent of likely New York voters view Gov. Kathy Hochul favorably.
Grand jury subpoenas issued in July sought information about several countries, including Turkey, where part of the investigation is focused on whether Mayor Eric Adams' election campaign conspired with the Turkish government to receive illegal donations.
