A group of Upper East Side residents scored a symbolic victory Wednesday night after Community Board 8 voted against a proposal by Northwell Health to overhaul and expand Lenox Hill Hospital — a $2 billion redevelopment plan that has drawn sharp criticism from some in the community.

The board voted 23-15 to reject zoning changes needed for the project, which includes the construction of a 400-foot hospital tower and a multi-year renovation of the existing facility.

What You Need To Know

  • Locals scored a symbolic victory Wednesday night after Community Board 8 voted against a proposal by Northwell Health to overhaul and expand Lenox Hill Hospital

  • While the board’s vote carries no binding authority, it marks an early challenge in the lengthy approval process

  • Northwell’s proposal calls for a nine-year construction timeline, a sticking point for some who say the scope of the work would upend the neighborhood for nearly a decade

The outcome followed a protest outside the board meeting earlier in the evening, where residents voiced concerns about the project’s scale and the potential disruptions to daily life.

Northwell’s proposal calls for a nine-year construction timeline, a sticking point for some who say the scope of the work would upend the neighborhood for nearly a decade. 

Critics also questioned the necessity of such an expansion at a time when other parts of the city are seeing hospitals shutter. Mount Sinai Beth Israel officially closed Wednesday after a New York appeals court rejected a community group’s last-ditch bid to keep it open.

While the board’s vote carries no binding authority, it marks an early challenge in the lengthy approval process. The final decision on the zoning changes rests with the City Planning Commission.

Northwell officials contend the project is critical to modernizing the hospital — which was established in 1857 and is situated on East 77th Street between Park and Lexington avenues. They also say it will help address the city’s evolving health care demands.

“We need to really redevelop and modernize our own facilities to make sure we're able to provide clinical care to hundreds of thousands of New Yorkers every year, as we've done for many years,” said Daniel Baker, president of Lenox Hill Hospital. “It's a commitment to the future. It's a commitment to innovation. It's a commitment to getting a bit better tomorrow than we are today.”

The next stop for the proposal is the Manhattan borough president’s office, which will issue its own advisory opinion before the plan proceeds to the City Planning Commission and City Council for final review.