New York Construction Report staff writer
A Science Park and Research Campus (SPARC) will be built at Kips Bay, the first-of-its-kind in the state. The project is expected to create more than 8,000 construction jobs.
Through a partnership with The City University of New York (CUNY), SPARC Kips Bay will generate approximately $25 billion in economic impact and transform Hunter College’s Brookdale Campus on East 25th Street and First Avenue into new teaching and commercial facilities.
Construction, a public-private partnership, will transform an entire city block — over 1.5 million square feet and rebuild an accessible pedestrian bridge on East 25th street connecting to the East River and Manhattan Waterfront Greenway.
Over the next year, the city and NYCEDC — working alongside the state and CUNY — will lead a master planning process that will result in a conceptual site plan that will identify the site’s infrastructure needs, open space and urban design, and potential zoning and other entitlement changes needed to implement the project.
The planning process will be informed by community engagement and subject matter experts, and supported by the architectural, urban planning, and engineering firm Skidmore, Owings & Merrill.
SPARC Kips Bay is expected to cost $1.6 billion and will be funded jointly by the city and state with additional investment from the private sector in life sciences. SPARC Kips Bay is expected to break ground in 2026 and be completed by the end of 2031.
“SPARC Kips Bay will transform an entire city block into a state-of-the-art destination for the life sciences industry and be a place where workforce development, economic opportunity, and public health come together seamlessly — attracting businesses and uplifting New Yorkers to bring our city back stronger than ever with $25 billion in new economic activity for our city over the next three decades,” said Mayor Eric Adams.
SPARC Kips Bay will cultivate the next generation of the scientific research and health care workforce, creating a single campus with space for the New York City Department of Education (DOE), CUNY, health and biotech companies, and public health institutions.
“This ambitious project is another example of cross-agency cooperation spearheaded by Mayor Adams and Governor Hochul that will transform the Kips Bay neighborhood for generations to come,” said New York City School Construction Authority President and CEO Nina Kubota.
“Including a new state-of-the-art school as part of this life sciences and public health campus will provide new, exciting opportunities for students interested in pursuing careers in these growing industries.”
The hub will also feature:
- An H+H/Bellevue ambulatory care center
- An H+H simulation training center
- A DOE high school
- A new Office of Chief Medical Examiner (OCME) Forensic Pathology Center
- A new commercial office and wet lab development for the life sciences industry
“The Waterside Tenants Association is very pleased to learn of the redevelopment plans for the Hunter Brookdale Campus, which will bring a new high school and professional training program to the community and high-quality jobs,” said Janet Handal, president, Waterside Tenants Association.
“We are especially pleased that a new ADA-compliant footbridge connecting Waterside to 25th Street will be built as part of the project. We look forward to working with NYCEDC on the community planning process to ensure the concerns and needs of the community are incorporated into the master plan.”
