A city-owned former parking lot along the East River at East 34th Street in Kips Bay, Manhattan will be transformed into a temporary public open space, according to an announcement by the NYC Economic Development Corporation (NYCEDC), NYC Parks, and Councilmember Keith Powers. The site is jointly owned by NYCEDC and the NYC Department of Small Business Services and will be revitalized to include ADA-accessible fitness equipment, new seating, and community gathering areas. Completion is targeted for spring 2026.
The new open space is part of broader public realm investments tied to SPARC Kips Bay and Innovation East, two interconnected projects led by NYCEDC, which were approved in February. Together, the developments will introduce more than 2.5 million square feet of new research, education, and healthcare facilities on Manhattan’s East Side. SPARC Kips Bay, located on the Hunter College Brookdale Campus at First Avenue and East 25th Street, will become a hub for life sciences innovation, workforce development, and public health, while Innovation East, at 455 First Avenue, will transform the former Public Health Lab site into a 500,000-square-foot life sciences facility.
Aerial rendering of SPARC Kips Bay, via NYC EDC.
In addition to the East 34th Street site, the City and NYCEDC are investing in more than 1.5 acres of improvements, including a new ADA-accessible pedestrian bridge over the FDR Drive at East 25th Street.
“NYCEDC knows how much New Yorkers value high-quality open space, which is why we are thrilled to transform this site into an accessible community amenity for residents, workers, and visitors alike,” said NYCEDC president and CEO Andrew Kimball. “Leveraging city-owned assets for community benefit is at the heart of our work, and it is longstanding collaboration with partners like Councilmember Powers, Community Board 6, and the greater Kips Bay community that helps bring these visions to life.”
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This is idiotic . This is where middle income housing should be built.,
Normally I’d agree, but this site is perfect for a sciences hub. It is quite literally surrounded by existing health and science facilities – Bellevue, NYU Langone, NYU Dentistry College, NYU Nursing College, the VA Hospital, NYC DOH Public Health Labs, Alexandria Life Science, and more, all within a 5 block radius – and the site itself is CUNY’s Nursing school. I cannot think of a better site for this.
The Stuyvesant Cove project that was abandoned in the 90s should be revived. You could probably add 5000 or more middle income units on landfill between 18th and 23rd.
Rp, it’s a temporary public space, not permanent. If you took the time to read better, you would’ve learned that before sounding idiotic.
lol!
dude, you have never been to this location. This lot isn’t for such a facility
Too bad the current administration has killed scientific research especially public health. Will this ever be built?
$cience only belongs to corporations, moving backward.
“a new ADA-accessible pedestrian bridge over the FDR Drive at East 25th Street” – this is what I’m excited about. It get crazy tight trying to ride a bike through this. I wonder how they’re going to build this?