Size Of New Facility, Traffic Management & More Addressed In Agreement Between Methodist & Preserve Park Slope

Following a legal challenge by neighborhood group Preserve Park Slope, New York Methodist Hospital’s proposed new Center for Community Health will be built, but will be significantly different than planned.

This morning the two parties announced the settlement of litigation brought on by Preserve Park Slope following the approval of variances by New York City’s Board of Standards and Appeals last summer. According to the settlement, which was approved by the New York State Supreme Court, the new out-patient facility will still be built on the hospital-owned property on 5th Street, across from the current hospital, but Methodist has agreed to significant changes in the size of the building, as well as plans that will hopefully mitigate traffic concerns.

Here are some of the key changes to the previous plan:

• The seventh floor has been eliminated, reducing the size by about 28,000 square feet and the height of the building by about 14 feet.

• An entrance for pedestrians has been moved from the corner of 8th Avenue and 6th Street to 6th Street, off of 8th Avenue.

• They’ll add landscaping to the part of the new building that fronts 8th Avenue.

• Methodist will pay to have a traffic engineer, who’ll be selected by Methodist and Preserve Park Slope, to develop a comprehensive operational traffic management plan and work with the community to make that plan happen.

You can see all the details of the settlement here.

The BSA and the New York City Department of Transportation will still need to approve parts of this plan, but it seems that both parties are pleased with the outcome of the litigation.

“We are delighted that we have been able to resolve the litigation over the zoning variances in an amicable manner,” Lyn Hill, vice president for communication and external affairs at Methodist, said, in a statement. “The settlement will allow us to move forward to construct the new outpatient healthcare facility which is very much needed by the entire Brooklyn community.”

With this settlement, Preserve Park Slope has agreed to cease any further opposition of any approvals or permits relating to construction and operation of the new building.

“We are pleased that we have reached this agreement, which will help to address the community’s concerns regarding the height of the new building, the impact of increased traffic especially on pedestrian safety, and the effect of the new building on the neighborhood character,” Andrea Stewart, a member of the Preserve Park Slope executive committee, said in a statement. “We will continue to work with New York Methodist Hospital to ensure that community input is incorporated into the site’s development.”

The agreement also requires that people from Methodist and Preserve Park Slope meet twice a year during demolition and construction to “trouble-shoot any problems.”

Councilmember Brad Lander, who had expressed support for previous iterations of Methodist’s plan, issued a statement saying he’ll work with all parties down the road, as well.

“I am pleased that Methodist Hospital and Preserve Park Slope have reached a settlement that enables the expansion project to move forward and responds to community concerns by lowering the height, allowing for more community involvement, and working with my office to address the traffic issues that have been raised by the proposal,” he said. “The expansion of Methodist Hospital is an important part of preserving quality health care in the neighborhood, especially in the midst of a shifting health care landscape, and I look forward to working with the hospital and the neighborhood to ensure the highest level of care for our residents.”

As part of the agreement, Methodist will be setting up a portion of its website to regularly update the community about the status of construction, so be sure to bookmark that — we’ll let you know once it’s up.

Construction is expected to begin in March.