New medical facility being proposed for Co-op City

New medical facility being proposed for Co-op City|New medical facility being proposed for Co-op City
Schneps Media / Patrick Rocchio|Schneps Media / Patrick Rocchio

A parking matter was discussed in a preliminary presentation by developers concerning a new proposed six-story medical building in Co-op City before Community Board 10’s Housing and Zoning Committee on Wednesday, April 10.

The developer, Simone Development, is seeking a NYC Board of Standards and Appeal permit to reduce the number of required parking spaces.

The building would include three floors of parking and three of medical offices dedicated to primary and pediatric care.

The first floor parking lot would be utilized by a neighboring nursing home that shares the same zoning lot at 801 Co-op City, according to the community board presentation.

Montefiore will operate the medical facility.

At issue during the CB 10 meeting was the number of new parking spaces that would be allocated to the medical facility and just how many would be needed.

According to the developer’s presentation, the new garage would feature 104 new spaces on the ground level that would be used by the adjacent Bay Park Center for Nursing and Rehabilitation, with preliminary plans calling for an additional 89 spaces on the second floor and 84 spaces on the third for the medical facility.

A Montefiore spokesperson said that the medical care provider is constantly scouting new opportunities to address the borough’s health care needs.

“We have been serving the Co-op City community for decades and we are looking to improve the experience of care for patients there,” the spokesperson stated.

She added: “We are excited to work with Simone Healthcare Development to bring additional pediatric and adult primary care services from Montefiore to this location, in a larger, state-of-the-art space.”

Joseph Kelleher, Simone Metro Properties president, said Montefiore approached the developer because its Dreiser Loop clinic needed major upgrades, so they decided to entirely replace that facility instead.

The developer will be filing an application with the BSA to reduce the parking requirement for the lot, he said.

“In accordance with the architect’s calculations, Montefiore has deemed the reduced amount of parking as adequate for the facility,” said Kelleher.

The project will be sent back to the community board for further review after it is calendared at the BSA, said board member Bob Bieder, who said he didn’t feel ready to vote until more specifics as to the amount of patients and cars the medical facility would attract are clarified.

Co-op City resident and community leader, Linda Collins, asked Kelleher if Montefiore would be open to allowing co-op residents to use spaces in the garage at night. Kelleher pledged to relay the message.

Noel Ellison, Co-op City’s Riverbay Corporation general manager said he supported new medical facilities in Co-op City, but that planning should be done in a holistic way.

The total size of the proposed facility is about 54,000 square feet.

Reach Reporter Patrick Rocchio at (718) 260–4597. E-mail him at procchio@cnglocal.com. Follow him on Twitter @patrickfrocchio.
This is a view of the area near the proposed new Montefiore medical facility at 801 Co-op City Boulevard. The developer came before the community board.
Schneps Media / Patrick Rocchio