[NYguy]

http://www.brooklynpaper.com/stories...-bk_37_18.html

Would-be LICH developer faces May 4 deadline





BY MEGAN RIESZ
The Brooklyn Paper

Long Island College Hospital could be handed over to a developer that has no plans to keep it a hospital if the company currently on tap to take over does not get its finances in order by May 4.

Brooklyn Health Partners, a group created to bid for the 156-year-old Cobble Hill institution, beat out eight other developer–medical company partnerships that applied to buy the hospital and turn it into some combination of housing and medical facilities.

The company must put down $25 million of the $250 million it said it would pony up for the medical complex by May 4, or else the State University of New York will call off the deal and begin negotiating with the Peebles Corporation, the bidder that scored second-highest in a court-mandated process that was supposed to give extra weight to proposals that retained a hospital on the site. The Peebles plan calls for dismantling the hospital and replacing it with an unspecified amount of housing along with an ambulatory surgery center and doctors offices, while three other pitches called for hospitals.

Peebles head Don Peebles has political ties to State University of New York chairman H. Carl McCall, Crain’s New York Business first reported.

If the Peebles deal also fell apart, the medical campus would go to Fortis Property Group, a developer which also called for shuttering the hospital and building housing in its place, and which also has ties to Long Island College Hospital’s current management.

A Fortis Property Group founder and his uncle, who does not work for the company, donated $17,500 to the re-election campaign of Gov. Cuomo, who controls the State University of New York.

In addition to the $25 million Brooklyn Health Partners must pay by next week, the developer must have its purchase agreement with the state approved by the Department of Buildings and the state attorney general and comptroller, according to Walden.

The developer plans to establish a temporary, 150-bed hospital while it builds a new 300–400-bed facility on the medical campus along with 1,000 apartments, which, according to Crain’s, could be housed in 50-story towers.

And this response to the article shows how people feel about any development, regardless of any hospital remaining open, which was the primary concern:

hell no! from Cobble Hill says:

Care far less about a hospital than a 50 STORY TOWER!!!

Let's stop fussing about hospital and get to the real business of "Limited Height". The rest of Cobble Hill has LH and the hospital zone MUST get included ASAP before we have the next war.

More happy quotes following the Brownstoner piece...


http://www.brownstoner.com/blog/2014...n-cobble-hill/

LICH Developer Plans Two 50-Story Towers in Cobble Hill to Offset Cost of Hospital





April 28, 2014
by Cate

The firm chosen to develop the Long Island College Hospital in Cobble Hill is planning to build two 50-story residential towers to offset the cost of keeping a full-service hospital there, according to a report in Crain’s. The height would certainly be taller than anything seen before in the neighborhood, where LICH buildings currently rise to about 12 stories.

The report was based on documents and emails from a financial advisor to the project, said Crain’s. Brooklyn Health Partners downplayed but did not deny the report, saying that it is not yet “focused” on the residential part of the development. ”BHP’s sole focus is closing with the State University of New York so it can begin to provide medical services to the citizens of Brooklyn, as promised,” said a spokeswoman. “When the time is appropriate, we will sit with the various community stakeholders and discuss how we will build a 21st-century collaborative product that all of New York can be proud of.”

Some mixed response:

JoeBushwick
April 28, 2014 at 9:59 am
I can only assume that by proposing something as ridiculous as a 50 story tower, the developers are hoping to stir up the neighborhood and then as a compromise they will propose something more reasonable. Then they will tell the community that the’ll be happy to build at a lower density but there won’t be enough juice in the deal to keep the hospital open.


Tower18
April 28, 2014 at 10:26 am
I actually don’t have any problem with a high rise development in this particular spot. Of all of Cobble Hill/Brooklyn Heights, it’s got to be one of the best spots for an out of context development (because what context is right there? The BQE?)
But 50 stories seems a bit much for this spot, ~half a mile from the nearest subway. I agree that this is much like fare/toll hikes, where an astronomical proposal is trotted out, with no intention of EVER coming to fruition, just so they can reduce it to 20 stories later, and everyone looks like they compromised…but 20 stories was the plan all along, they just can’t come out and say that first.


mrshankly
April 28, 2014 at 10:46 am
What’s wrong with 50 stories here? Housing density is a good thing, and its greener. The same folks in this neighborhood who are for these things will just should NIMBY.


brklynmind
April 28, 2014 at 11:19 am
Actually not a great spot for density as it isnt really all that close to mass transit; but I do admire the strategy of dividing and conquering the never happy activists……You want your Hospital, you get density, you dont want density you dont get the hospital – brilliant!


miss718
April 28, 2014 at 11:23 am
In other words: “We have no intention of keeping the hospital open”. I cannot imagine that 50 story towers are going to get the green light. And the poor developer just can’t justify keeping the hospital going without them, so….