New York Methodist's Expansion Plan Dismays Park Slopers

New York Methodist Hospital's Thursday night informational meeting concerning its plans to erect a new building in Park Slope left residents with a bad taste in their mouths, as many Park Slopers expressed frustration and concern with the impending structure's impact on the neighborhood. 

The new U-shaped building, an outpatient facility to be called the "New York Methodist Hospital Center for Community Health," will include 12 surgical suites and patient recovery rooms, an endoscopy suite with six procedure rooms, a cancer center, an urgent care center, faculty practice offices, health education area and a conference center. 

"New York Methodist lacks the spatial capacity to meet growing healthcare demands," said Lyn Hill, vice president of communication and external affairs for the hospital. She noted the new building would allow the hospital to consolidate its now-scattered outpatient services. Last year, the hospital had 400,000 outpatient "encounters," and the number is expected to increase at a steady rate, she said.

The new building would extend across the hospital's property on Eighth Avenue from Fifth to Sixth Street and could reach up to eight stories. Peter Cavaluzzi, an architect with Perkins Eastman, said the structure will feel "harmonious with the existing context and fabric" of the neighborhood, but residents were not pleased with the building's height. 

"Taller buildings on the avenue don't typify the way we feel about the neighborhood," said Peter Bray, a member of the Park Slope Civic Council. The Council and Community Board 6's Landmarks and Land Use committee held the meeting. 

Bray and other residents suggested the hospital consider building as-of-right, which would minimize the building's massing along Eight Avenue and move the bulk of the building height to the center of the Sixth Avenue. Though taller, the building would be thinner as a result.

Methodist's proposed structure would be a broader facility, which developers said is preferable as medical facilities require wide working spaces. To build its preferred structure, which will sit in zoning footprints R7B, R6B and R6, the hospital will request zoning variances from the NYC Board of Standards and Appeals.  

To make room for the Center, the hospital will tear down more than a dozen existing structures it owns, including brownstones considered to be the archetypal Park Slope home. Residents displaced by the demolition are aware that their homes will be torn down and will be offered comparable housing, hospital officials said. The buildings that will be knocked down are not landmarked and are not part of the neighborhood's historic district, but in a 2009, the hospital ensured future structures would complement Park Slope's aesthetic.

Neighbors were severely disappointed that the brownstones would be knocked down, and many asked if it would be possible to incorporate the existing structures into the new building. Officials said the hospital explored that possibility, but the existing structures are not large enough to meet the hospital's needs. Hill also said the hospital will look into the possibility of donating the details of the buildings to whomever wants them. 

Residents were highly concerned with parking and traffic in the area, noting the gridlock that can occur in the area and how difficult it currently is to find parking. School drop-off and pick-ups also add to the traffic in the area, and concerned neighbors asked if that was taken into account in the hospital's planning. 

Cavaluzzi said a covered, one-way "street" will be constructed in the middle of the building to allow for cars to drop off and pick up patients. The street will also lead to a parking structure, which will have as many parkings spots as zoning requires, estimated to be between 400 and 500 in total. The current parking lot on the corner of Sixth Street and Eight Avenue holds 107 spots. 

Officials said construction will being late 2014 or early 2015 and take approximately three years to complete. Demolition will take between four and five months, including excavation for the parking garage.   

An official building design will likely be presented by September and will be made available online, officials said. Hill noted community members can offer input, comments and ask questions by emailing build@nym.org.