Compared To Other Construction Projects, Are We Lucky With Methodist?

At a time when historical preservation is often going head to head with Brooklyn’s booming expansion, is Park Slope fortunate, in a way, in its dealings with New York Methodist Hospital?

Since NYM let neighbors know about preliminary expansion plans in June, they’ve held several public meetings, and have taken residents’ concerns into account for their revised plans. Celia Weintrob, publisher of The Brooklyn Paper, compares that to similar construction projects in a recent opinion piece:

I recall all too well the community meetings set up for Barclay’s Center and Brooklyn Bridge Park, which were truly an insult to attend. Mere charades during which no input was suffered, and naturally, none represented in the final products. Given that trend, it is all the more surprising that New York Methodist officials chose to work with Park Slopers to find compromises, when they could simply have done whatever they wanted with their property.

Taking into account the “dust, noise, inconvenience, and unpleasantness” that construction will bring to adjacent neighbors, she highlights the changes NYM has made to fit better with the character of the area, adding that expansion will bring many more benefits than downsides, especially as we seem to be losing more hospitals around the city.

A reminder that one of the many ways NYM has been open to neighbors’ comments is through email. If you’ve got something to say, contact build@nym.org.

So what do you think? Are you satisfied with how NYM has been working with the neighborhood so far? If not, how could they improve?