WPCNR COMMON COUNCIL CHRONICLE-EXAMINER. By John F. Bailey, July 28, 2003:  Common Council President Benjamin Boykin told WPCNR Friday that the Common Council would routinely refer out the New York Presbyterian Hospital request for renewal of its biomedical-proton accelerator site plan permit to city departments for review. The original site plan was approved August 4, 2003 and has to be renewed in order for the hospital to proceed with the project. Boykin said the council would subject the review to its usual routine scrutiny, as the council always does in matters of site plan renewal. He would not say that the Council was considering new conditions for site plan renewal, nor would he rule setting new conditions out.

When asked if the council would discuss new conditions with the hospital in return for the site plan renewal, Boykin repeated his statement that the council would examine the present state of the project, its  for profit or not for profit nature, who the hospital's partners were, and did not say whether the council was discussing possible new conditions of renewal, or would consider adding conditions.

Boykin said he stood by his statement in June when he noted publically that the new partner  with the hospital, the Center for Neuron Science, appeared to be a for profit operation, that appeared not in the spirit of the original approval. Mayor Joseph Delfino in a statement one month ago accused the Common Council of "amnesia," noting that partnerships with for-profit corporations were within the parameters of the approval, and quoted Common Council minutes quoting Mr. Boykin to that effect.

Boykin said he expected the site plan renewal to be voted upon in September, at which time he also expected the public would be allowed to comment on the site plan renewal.

Hospital Blames CCOS Lawsuit for Delay, Site Clearing Soon.

The New York Presbyterian Hospital released an update on where their research complex project stands. The statement is a restatement of a New York Presbyterian Hospital in a formal letter to the Common Council from Robert Volland, which complains about the delays caused by the Concerned Citizens for Open Space Article 78 lawsuit that Judge Richard Mollea has been considering for three months since all final motions were received at the end of April, (according to Edward Dunphy, city Corporation Counsel). Here is the text of the Hospital's statement, released Friday by the hospital's spokesperson, Geoffrey Thompson:

Since receiving the City’s approval of its project last August, NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital has been working diligently towards the commencement of construction of the medical and research facility it will build on its Westchester Division campus in White Plains.  A wide array of program planning, development and site work that is necessary prior to the start of construction is now largely complete, and the Hospital is extremely pleased with the project’s progress.

The special permit approved by the City last August expires on its anniversary.  As is typical with construction projects authorized by a special permit, the Hospital has requested a one-year extension of the permit for the City.  This request was formally made in a letter to the Mayor and Common Council dated July 18, which detailed the Hospital’s project achievements to date.  Such extensions are routinely given in the normal course of construction projects in White Plains.  In fact, over the last decade, City records indicate that there has not been a denial of a first-year extension request of any owner under similar circumstances.    

Since the adoption of the City’s comprehensive and detailed resolution approving the facility by the White Plains Common Council in August, 2002, the Hospital has invested over $1 million conducting extensive studies pertaining to the new building, the site, and myriad related issues.  Additionally, as required under the resolution, the Hospital has submitted various additional documentation and information required under the resolution for City agency approval, which approval was recently obtained after more than six months of City staff consideration.

Concurrently, the Hospital conducted a thorough review and evaluation of potential construction and financial partners.  A leading firm specializing in the development of health sciences facilities has now been selected and will be announced in the coming weeks, once it completes its due diligence process.

This process has continued despite the fact that both the Hospital and the City are challenging the lawsuit brought by CCOS and several neighbors that seeks to overturn the Common Council’s approval of the project.  While this lawsuit has resulted in considerable lost time, diverted resources and delays in finalizing relationships with participants in the project, the Hospital has nevertheless been able to proceed with its overall planning.

With regard to the building site, the Hospital has received a site-clearing permit from the City Building Department, and earlier this month commenced a variety of exploratory tests, borings and other geotechnical studies that are the required precursors to the start of construction.  This work is nearing completion, and the Hospital is awaiting the results of these findings to start design of the foundation.

While all of this work has been underway, over the last 11 months the Hospital has also explored a broad range of programming and operational opportunities for the new facility.  The Hospital is creating a center of excellence in translational medicine which will bring direct medical benefits to patients suffering a wide range of debilitating diseases through the advancement of medical knowledge, creation of new medical treatments, and application of the most advanced clinical techniques.  These medical advances will have direct health benefits to all people seeking treatment for serious illnesses, including the people of the community and neighborhood of White Plains.

The interest and support the Hospital has received for this project is tremendous.  In his January, 2003, State of the State address, Gov. George Pataki announced his intention to designate the NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital project in White Plains as a State Center of Excellence.  The Hospital strongly believes that there is a clear need for a facility of this kind, and that placing it on the White Plains campus and having it fully-integrated with Hospital programs and services makes total sense.  The approval from the City enabled the Hospital to test the concept, and affirmations of support from prominent individuals, the medical schools and funding sources has gone well beyond initial expectations.  The potential medical benefits of the project to patients everyone, including White Plains, more than validates the importance and value of moving forward as rapidly as possible.