Renderings via Northwell Health / Lenox Hill Hospital
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A group of Upper East Side residents has taken the city to court in an effort to stop the planned expansion of Northwell Health’s Lenox Hill Hospital, according to a lawsuit filed Tuesday.
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The petition was brought by The Committee to Protect Our Lenox Hill Neighborhood, a local nonprofit that has been organizing opposition to the $2 billion redevelopment. The suit names both City Hall and Northwell Health as respondents, arguing that the project was approved improperly and should be voided altogether.At the center of the dispute is Northwell’s long-range plan to overhaul its Lexington Avenue campus with an eight-year construction schedule and a new tower rising roughly 370 feet. The community group contends that such a project would overwhelm the surrounding blocks and sharply alter the feel of the neighborhood.
In their filing, the petitioners accuse the city of engaging in “illegal spot zoning” — essentially granting a single property zoning allowances that differ from the fabric of the area. They argue that the proposal would significantly harm “community character, urban planning and design, and public safety,” while offering, in their view, “no meaningful public benefit” to local residents.
The lawsuit seeks to have the city’s approval withdrawn and the expansion halted.
We reached out to Northwell Health and received this statement:
As per policy, Northwell does not comment on active litigation. However, we stand firmly by our proposal for the modernization and redevelopment of Lenox Hill Hospital. The project underwent an exhaustive, years-long public review process that included extensive engagement with the community, elected officials and city agencies. The approved plan represents a responsible and necessary investment to modernize a 160-year-old hospital campus to ensure it can continue to provide quality care for New Yorkers for generations to come.
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