Settlement Ends Park Slopers' Fight Against Hospital Expansion

After a protracted battle against the expansion of New York Methodist Hospital, Park Slopers have reached a settlement with the institution, meaning that the project will finally move forward. Last summer, the group Preserve Park Slope filed a lawsuit against the hospital, challenging the expansion plan's approval by the Board of Standards and Appeals. The settlement ends the litigation, and it seems that Slopers got a little bit of what they wanted.

The new building will be built on hospital-owned land directly across the street from its current building, on property bound by Fifth Street, Eighth Avenue, and Sixth Street. The seventh story will be eliminated, lowering the rooftop by 14 feet—Preserve Park Slope wanted it 45 feet lower—and a pedestrian entrance will be moved from Eighth Avenue to Sixth Street. The side along Eighth Avenue will now be landscaped. A traffic management plan will be put in place, and a handful of task forces will be formed to keep the community update on demolition, the new building's design, and construction. The hospital will also maintain a website with information about the development.

The hospital's plans for expansion were first revealed in June 2013, and Park Slopers opposed it almost immediately, creating a many-months-long battle that the hospital probably never saw coming. After all, it's not like they wanted to build a condo tower or demolish anything in the historic district.
· New York Methodist Hospital and Preserve Park Slope Announce Settlement [PPS]
· All New York Methodist Hospital coverage [Curbed]