New MSK complex gets Manhattan Borough OK

The 1.15 million-square-foot MSK-Hunter College medical complex/educational center that has sparked controversy on the Upper East Side has officially received a go-ahead from the Manhattan Borough Board.

The complex will take up most of E. 73rd and 74th streets along the FDR Drive. Concerns have been raised by the community about traffic, congestion and pollution once the project begins construction.

The project will include a 336,000-square-foot science and nursing facility in addition to the 750,000 square-foot cancer research center powered by Memorial Sloan Kettering. Construction is expected to begin on the center in 2014, and would be completed by 2018.

"This project, a unique partnership between Memorial Sloan Kettering and CUNY/Hunter College, will provide MSK with a new cancer treatment facility that will increase access to cancer care for New Yorkers at a time when additional outpatient treatment services will be critically needed," said Craig Thompson, MSK President and CEO.