The planned redevelopment of the St. Vincent's Hospital site took a large step forward yesterday after the City Planning Commission approved the proposal by Rudin Management, the Village Voice reports.
The plan is to build a mixed-use development on 7th Avenue between 11th and 12th streets, containing approximately 450 residential units, 10,000 square feet of retail space, 20,000 square feet of medical-use offices and 17,000 square feet of public open space.
The public open space has been the target of opponents of Rudin's plan.
The New York City AIDS Memorial Park Campaign has called for a memorial on the triangular space, pointing out that more AIDS-related deaths have occurred in New York City than anywhere else in the country, yet there's no memorial.
City Planning Commissioner Amanda Burden has asked Rudin Management to keep the AIDS Memorial Campaign in mind and feels "confident" they will work with the community.
Last October, Community Board 2 voted 40-1 against Rudin's plan for St. Vincent's, concerned over the probable jump in population in the area and increased traffic. However, Manhattan Borough President Scott Stringer issued a statement of conditional support for the project last November, saying that the plan would preserve neighborhood character, create new open space and help the economy.
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