Community rejects Memorial Sloan-Kettering expansion, cancer center to push forward anyway

Upper East Side’s Community Board 8 opposed Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center’s Expansion Plans On York Avenue And 61st Street, DNAinfo reported.

The opposition stemmed from the impact a boxy, 261-foot-tall building would have on the light and air for residents of the co-op at 440 East 62nd Street.

“All we wanted was for [Sloan-Kettering] to sit down with us and discuss the impacts,” said Christopher Wright, the co-op’s lawyer. “They didn’t sit down with us.”

Because the 172,000-square-foot proposal is larger than zoning allows, it needs a variance from the Board of Standards Appeal and must undergo a public review process. The community board presentation is the first step in that process.

Despite the rejection, a spokesperson for Memorial Sloan-Kettering indicated the cancer center would go forward with the plans to the BSA. The center has repeatedly said it cannot alter plans because it needs the large floor plates to accommodate surgery and recovery rooms. [DNAinfo]