Montefiore’s scaled back plan fails to impress Riverdalians

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After months of opposition from residents and elected officials, Montefiore Medical Center unveiled the latest version of its plans for a new facility on Riverdale Avenue on Monday night.

Hundreds of residents turned up to voice their continued opposition to the project, although a Montefiore official and an architect promised it would be significantly smaller than the original plan that sparked outrage last fall.

“While there has been a lot of concern raised about this project, some of it due to our own initial failure to communicate effectively with the community board, elected officials and local residents at the beginning of this process, Montefiore has over a century of service to its community,” said Montefiore’s Senior Vice President Lynne Richmond. “This final project design is the ultimate reflection of the concerns raised by you and the community.”

Architect Brian Newman — hired by Simone Development Companies, the group developing the project for Montefiore — went on to present plans for a six-story building with a ground floor, three levels of parking for an estimated 100 cars and two floors for medical services on top.

The new proposal marks a significant reduction from the original plans calling for an 11-story, 95,000-square-foot structure, which residents said would warp the character of the community and create major traffic problems. Ms. Richmond said the facility would now include 25 doctors and 40 to 50 support staff providing pediatric care, cardiology treatment and a range of other services — but no emergency room, urgent care or drug or mental health treatment.

Review in question

However, Monday night’s meeting of Community Board (CB) 8’s Land Use Committee brought a new point of contention to the forefront: whether or not the plans are subject to review by the State Department of Health (SDOH).

Montefiore Medical Center, Shant Shahrigian
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