[NYguy]

https://www.crainsnewyork.com/health...proposed-tower

Memorial Sloan Kettering lowers height of proposed tower months after rezoning


ETHAN GERINGER-SAMETH
June 4, 2025

Memorial Sloan Kettering’s new tower on East 67th Street will be 76 feet shorter than previously planned, the cancer center said, even after winning the approval of the Council to build higher last year. The move follows ongoing negotiations with the local City Council member and community board, who wanted a lower profile, even after endorsing the higher design.

Previously conceived as a 557-foot specialty hospital, the new project will be 481 feet with a shorter frame more in line with the wishes of outspoken residents, including members of Community Board 8 and Council Member Julie Menin. The reduced height will not mean a reduction in bed count and will offer the same level of services, the health system said in a statement.

The system looked for new ways to reduce the height following a request from Menin, despite already receiving her support for the project. The reduction will mitigate the impact of construction on the neighborhood while lowering the building’s environmental impact, she said in a statement. When she approved the rezoning, which allowed for as much as 598 feet, it was understood that the health system would continue to explore ways to lower the height without sacrificing services, Menin told Crain’s.

“If this had been affordable housing it would be the same thing,” said Menin, who is facing a primary challenger this year and is widely expected to run to be Council Speaker next year. “The last thing I want to do is tell the developer to cut the building height in half. Then we would have a miniscule amount of affordable housing being built in our community. It is possible to do two contrary things at the same time.”

The height is unlikely to change again, according to Menin. “This is it,” she said.

The downscaling comes as many hospital systems brace for reductions in the face of economic headwinds and looming funding cuts from the Trump administration and Republicans in Congress. Multiple hospitals and academic institutions, including New York-Presbyterian, Columbia University and Catholic Health, have announced layoffs to mitigate the impact of the current climate. The price of steel, a critical component of construction, and other materials is expected to rise in response to President Donald Trump’s tariffs, including a 25-50% hike on tariffs on steel imports announced Friday.