City Starts Clock On Massive Lenox Hill Hospital Project

Northwell Health is moving ahead with its bid to rezone an Upper East Side block for a massive Lenox Hill Hospital redevelopment.

The City Planning Commission certified the hospital’s application for a 1.4 million-square-foot medical complex, kicking off the seven-month review process that winds its way from the local community board up through the City Council.

The hospital has been locked in a five-year battle with a community member group that opposes the $2 billion project. Despite changes to the size and construction timeline, the Committee to Protect Our Lenox Hill Neighborhood called the most recent proposal “an affront to the Upper East Side and its residents.”

The current hospital site stretches an entire city block between Park and Lexington Avenue, at 76th to 77th streets. Some of the hospital’s facilities date back to the 1800s.

The planned renovation includes two new buildings and additions to the existing hospital for 475 single-bed rooms, 30 operating suites and a larger emergency department, according to plans filed with the city.

The hospital scrapped initial plans for a residential tower and lowered the height of the project to address neighbors’ concerns over density and prolonged construction disruptions.

“We began engaging neighbors, staff and other community stakeholders about the future of Lenox Hill Hospital in 2019, and over five years, their feedback has played a significant role in shaping Northwell’s proposal,” a hospital spokesperson said.

The Council by custom will vote with the local member at the end of the public review process, so the necessary rezoning depends on Council member Keith Powers.

“The community has raised concerns over the duration of the construction and scale of the building, which we are working to address,” Powers said in a statement. “It’s important to revitalize Lenox Hill Hospital, but we should ensure it doesn’t cause unreasonable disruption to the surrounding neighborhood.”