Community Objections to St. Vincent's Campus Redevelopment Project

Below are some of the objections filed with the New York City Planning Commission in opposition to the Rudin Organization's plan to build 450 luxury condominiums at the site of the former St. Vincent's Hospital in Manhattan.

Included are the objections from the Coalition for a New Village Hospital, Community Board 2, and Democracy for New York City.


Community Objections to the St. Vincent's Campus Redevelopment Project

Coalition for a New Village Hospital Submits 3,500 Petition Signatures, Comments in Opposition to Rudin Condo Plan

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

CONTACT:

Yetta G. Kurland, Esq.

Kurland, Bonica & Associates, P.C.

(212) 253-6911

Coalition for a New Village Hospital Submits 3,500 Petition Signatures, Comments in Opposition to Rudin Condo Plan

West Village, NY. July 12, 2011. The Coalition for a New Village Hospital submitted 3,500 signatures to the New York City Planning Commission yesterday along with an 11 page position paper in opposition to the Rudin’s plan to develop St. Vincent’s Hospital into luxury condominiums. They petition called upon the CPC to deny the Rudin Organization’s plan alleging that it would violate law, deny lower Manhattan with desperately needed health care and overtax the current infrastructure in the area with the additional 450 luxury units the plan proposes.

The petition, viewable online at: http://www.change.org/petitions/a-hospital-not-condos-for-nyc, highlights that the Rudin application “does not include a hospital. As such, it does not comply with the requirements of the 2009 LPC ‘judicial hardship’ approval. Nor does it comply with the provisions of 501(c)3 of the Internal Revenue Code in that this sale and the proposed Rudin plan does not continue the charitable mission of SVCMC as it is required to, namely to provide a full service hospital.”

Online signatories (the majority of signatures were gathered on paper) had the opportunity to comment as well. Many of the comments spoke to resident’s personal experiences at St. Vincent’s, and more recently in the absence of a hospital.

Fred Hersch wrote: “St. Vincent's saved my life three times. It should be there for others.”

Rosemary Rowley said: “What we need is health care, not more upscale housing to burden all ready overburdened services.”

The petition was supplemented by formal comments from the Coalition for a New Village Hospital’s attorney, Yetta Kurland.

Those comments, viewable at http://demandahospital.blogspot.com/2011/07/comments-on-coalitions-petition-to-cpc.html, focus on the various land use, zoning, public health and nonprofit law deficiencies in the Rudin’s application, and called upon the City Planning Commission to reject the application.

In a statement, Ms Kurland said, “The Rudin Condo plan does not comply with the law, and it does not comply with common sense. This location is clearly well suited for hospital use – and has been for 160 years. There can be no doubt that the interests and public health of the City of New York would be irrevocably damaged if this flawed, illegal plan is permitted to proceed.”

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Comments on the Coalition's Petition to the CPC

View below the powerful comments from our community on the coalition's petition to the City Planning Commission.


Comments on CNVH Petition to NYC CPC Opposing the Rudin Condo Plan for St. Vincent's

CB2 Landmarks/St. Vincent's Meeting tonight!

Community Board Two's St. Vincent's Omnibus and Landmarks committees are having a joint meeting tonight to discuss the Rudin/LIJ plan's changes to the landmarked O'Toole building. This is integral to their plan. Please attend, and ask them not to allow the Rudin's to change the exterior of the O'Toole building until they guarantee a hospital across the Street.

TONIGHT, Tues., 7/5 @ 6:30 PM– NYU Silver Building, 32 Waverly Pl. Room 208

1. *30 Seventh Avenue (O’Toole Building)-Application for façade changes and new entrances. For more information go to: http://bit.ly/iNUSWj

Hope to see you there. Thanks.

What happened at that City Planning Commission meeting?

Well, it was a packed house, and the Coalition for a New Village Hospital spoke loud and clearly. Every speaker except one supported the Coalition position that there should be no condo development in the absence of a full service hospital.

The Coalition also delivered over 2,500 petition signatures to the CPC from community members who couldn't make the midday meeting. (Speaking of which, please join us tomorrow to get more signatures...).

It was a very encouraging meeting, and the commissioners seemed engaged. For a fantastic, thorough write-up of the meeting, check out Perry Street Palace's post.

Hospital struggle continues in the courts, and the streets…

The Coalition for a New Village Hospital has not dropped it’s lawsuit

You may have read this week about a lawsuit relating to the former St. Vincent’s Hospital being dropped. The suit in question was brought by allies of the Coalition, who lacked the resources to pursue it further.

We assure you that the Coalition for a New Village Hospital has not dropped our challenges to the Rudin Condo plan in the courts, in the streets in City Hall or at the NYC Planning Commission.

In fact, at this week’s City Planning Commission scoping meeting, community members filled the halls speaking passionately in opposition to the Rudin Condo plan and of the need for a full service hospital. The tone of the discussion and the parameters of the debate were set by our voices. The Coalition delivered over 2,500 signatures on our petition to the Planning Commission, gathered in only a few days.

Please take a moment to sign the online petition now: http://www.change.org/petitions/a-hospital-not-condos-for-nyc. Or just click the petition widget to the right.

Then, join us the rest of the Coalition for a New Village Hospital

at our big street petitioning drive tomorrow

Tomorrow, Saturday, July 2, 2011

12:00 PM– 4:00 PM

Meet at Tea & Sympathy

108-110 Greenwich Avenue

between Jane and Horatio Streets (MAP)

New Petition Drive: Tell CPC to Deny Condo application

The Rudin's Plan is not a done deal, and it is at a crucial phase. We need you to raise your voice as the Rudins try to sneak their condo plan by.

The Rudins have submitted their illegal plan to convert the site of the old St. Vincent’s Hospital to 450 Condominiums to the NYC City Planning Commission. The plan lacks a Certificate of Appropriateness, lacks relevant lawful permission to proceed and does not include adequate resources for the health and welfare of New York City’s population.

Tell the City Planning Commission to deny the Rudin’s Condo application by signing this online petition right now: http://www.change.org/petitions/a-hospital-not-condos-for-nyc.

Then, join the Coalition for a New Village Hospital

at our big street petitioning drive tomorrow

Tomorrow, Saturday, June 25th

11:00 AM – 4:00 PM

Meet at Tea & Sympathy

108-110 Greenwich Avenue

between Jane and Horatio Streets (MAP)

Then, next Tuesday, please join me and the Coalition as the City Planning Commission begins the review of the Rudin application. This meeting is an essential part of the ULURP, or Uniform Land Use Review Process, to rezone the site of our hospital for condo development. The Planning Commissioners have not yet heard the depth of our community’s opposition to the Rudin plan. It is vital that they begin this process with our voice.

Tuesday, June 28, 2011, 2:00PM

New York City Planning Commission,

Public Comments on Draft Scope of Work

to Prepare a Draft Environmental Impact Statement

for the Saint Vincent’s Campus Redevelopment

Spector Hall, Department of City Planning,

22 Reade Street, Between Broadway and Centre Street (MAP)

June 23rd & 28th - Two important meetings for our hospital

As he Rudins and North Shore/LIJ push ahead with their plan to build 450 condominiums on the site of the old St. Vincent’s, the Coalition for a New Village Hospital needs to be present at every stage. This week there are two important meetings that we need to have a strong showing at.

1)

Thursday, June 23^rd 6:00PM

Community Board 2, Full Board meeting

P.S. 3, 490 Hudson St. between Christopher and Grove Streets (MAP)
The public session begins at 6:00 pm. Speakers' cards will be accepted from 6:00 to 6:30 pm

This meeting will include the report from the St. Vincent’s Omnibus Committee, and discussion of CB 2 response to Draft Scope of Work for Environmental Impact Statement for the proposed St. Vincent's Campus Redevelopment Project. It is important that our community’s voice be heard.

2)

Tuesday, June 28, 2011, 2:00PM

New York City Planning Commission,

Public Comments on Draft Scope of Work

to Prepare a Draft Environmental Impact Statement

for the Saint Vincent’s Campus Redevelopment

Spector Hall, Department of City Planning (NYCDCP),

22 Reade Street, Between Broadway and Centre Street (MAP)

The City Planning Commission is the agency responsible for “the conduct of planning relating to the orderly growth and development of the City, including adequate and appropriate resources for the housing, business, industry, transportation, distribution, recreation, culture, comfort, convenience, health and welfare of its population.” The Rudin/North Shore LIJ plan lacks a Certificate of Appropriateness, lacks relevant lawful permission to proceed does not include adequate resources for the health and welfare of New York City’s population.

This meeting is an essential part of the ULURP, or Uniform Land Use Review Process, to rezone the site of our hospital for condo development. The Planning Commissioners have not yet heard the depth of our community’s opposition to the Rudin/North Shore LIJ plan. It is vital that they begin this process with our voice.

New York Times on Emergency Room Crisis

Roni Caryn Rabin at The New York Times wrote an important article today, on the dire loss of emergency rooms and services, primarily to poor, urban populations. The article, which draws heavily on a new study in in the Journal of the American Medical Association, goes into some detail on the situation at the former St. Vincent's. Coalition for a New Village Hospital steering committee member Dr. David L. Kaufman is quoted in the story on the impact these closures have on patient care.

Below are some key points, but the entire article is worth reading at http://www.nytimes.com/2011/05/18/health/18hospital.html

Fewer Emergency Rooms Available as Need Rises

By Roni Caryn Rabin,

May 17, 2011

Hospital emergency rooms, particularly those serving the urban poor, are closing at an alarming rate even as emergency visits are rising, according to a report published on Tuesday.

Urban and suburban areas have lost a quarter of their hospital emergency departments over the last 20 years, according to the study, in The Journal of the American Medical Association. In 1990, there were 2,446 hospitals with emergency departments in nonrural areas. That number dropped to 1,779 in 2009, even as the total number of emergency room visits nationwide increased by roughly 35 percent.

...

New York City lost three hospital emergency rooms in 2008, two in 2009 and two more last year, when St. Vincent’s Hospital Manhattan in Greenwich Village closed, followed by North General Hospital in Harlem. St. Vincent’s had handled more than 60,000 emergency visits a year, while North General’s E.R. had recorded 36,000 annual visits.

A 24-hour emergency care and ambulatory surgery center, operated by North Shore-Long Island Jewish Health System, is planned for Greenwich Village. Neighborhood advocates have expressed concern that the free-standing emergency room will not be able to deliver adequate care without the backing of a full-service acute-care hospital.

The new study warns of delays in emergency care that are already playing out in the community, said Dr. David L. Kaufman, a member of the Coalition for a New Village Hospital who worked at St. Vincent’s for more than 30 years. Patients who would have sought care at St. Vincent’s, he said, “take longer to get to nearby hospitals in New York City traffic. They’re waiting many, many hours to be seen and managed, and if they require admission, they have to wait another 12 to 24 hours because there are no beds.”

...

So-called safety-net hospitals that serve disproportionate numbers of Medicaid patients and hospitals serving a large share of the poor were 40 percent more likely to close.

Petition To Attorney General Eric T. Schneiderman

Please take a moment and sign this petition calling on our Attorney General to stop this sale and ensure safe and adequate public health for the people of the Lower West Side of Manhattan.

http://www.thepetitionsite.com/1/New-Village-Hospital-Schneiderman/

News broke recently that St. Vincent's Hospital wasted over $25 million paying the people in charge of bankrupting the 160 year old institution instead of simply running a hospital.

In fact, according to a Crain's New York Business, St. Vincent's paid its representatives $8 million to secure a $7 million loan from the state pre-bankruptcy and then almost immediately filed bankruptcy so it didn't have to pay any of it back.

Recently, the Rudin Organization proposed a plan to turn the hospital campus into luxury condominiums. Only a small portion of one of the eight buildings would include a "stand alone" emergency room - a far cry from the hospital our community needs. This scheme violates the obligation to continue St. Vincent's charitable mission. Further, there are serious risks associated with such a facility, which would be the fist of its kind allowed in New York State.

A hospital, properly run, would bring revenues into the state and create thousands of much needed jobs. Yet despite all this, and our community's clear need of a hospital, the same bankruptcy court that allowed the scandalous payouts to St. Vincent's executives and consultants, has given the Rudin's the green light to proceed.

Thankfully there are mechanisms in place for accountability, and many hurdles yet between The Rudin Organization and their condos. The Coalition for a New Village Hospital will be at every one of these steps, demanding a hospital.

In the next step in this process, the Rudin plan must go before our New York State Attorney General Eric T. Schneiderman. Luckily, Eric Schneiderman has made very clear that he supports our community's efforts for a hospital.

But he will not act if we do not ask him to. Please sign the online petition today, post it on Facebook, Tweet it, and forward it around to all you friends and neighbors.

For people who are less digitally inclined, there's a downloadable PDF of the petition below. Please print that out, gather signature, and send it to the Coalition's office at 304 Park Avenue South, Suite 206, New York, NY 10010

CNVH: Petition to New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman