The New York Blood Center secured one of the most controversial rezonings in recent Upper East Side memory nearly four years ago, but has nothing to show for it yet.
No construction permits have been filed for the commercial property planned for 310 East 67th Street, Crain’s reported, despite the rezoning receiving City Council’s blessing in 2021. The rezoning was notable for eschewing the wishes of the local Councilmember, Ben Kallos.
“If the Blood Center was honest from the get-go about how important this was to them and our city’s recovery, shovels would have been in the ground on the day that it passed,” Kallos told the outlet.
The 2021 rezoning put the Blood Center on the path for a $750 million expansion of its facility. Known as Center East, the plan for the property touted expanding the life sciences industry, creating jobs and improving research functionality, local concerns about shadows over nearby St. Catherine’s Park be damned.
The 596,000-square-foot, 233-foot building was set to occupy the first five floors and planned to lease space on the upper floors to several life sciences companies.
The project — spearheaded by Longfellow Real Estate Partners — faced blowback, including a lawsuit by a local condo board. But that proved unsuccessful, leaving even fewer obstacles in the path of the Blood Center.
Yet the project has blown by the anticipated 2022 start date and won’t meet the original 2026 completion date. Inflation and capital market uncertainty have done few favors for the project, according to the Blood Center.
“Our ultimate plans for Center East have not changed,” a spokesperson for the Blood Center said.
But there appear to be more questions than answers for the project. Kallos claimed that there are rumors Longfellow is no longer involved in the project, though it remains on the company website; Longfellow did not respond to the publication’s requests for comment.
— Holden Walter-Warner
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