The Long Island College Hospital To Become Market-Rate Condos, Despite Bill de Blasio's Activist Involvement

Mayor Bill de Blasio can’t seem to catch a break when it comes to his affordable housing plans.

The Long Island College Hospital in Cobble Hill—which de Blasio fought to keep open during his 2013 campaign and then sought to convert into a mixed-use site with affordable housing—is now on a path to become a luxury residential development.

Site owner Fortis Property Group announced it won’t seek rezoning and is moving forward with an as-of-right development plan with market-rate condos and no affordable units, as it’s the most profitable considering the timing, location and demand for community facility space. Plans are still being finalized, Politico reports.

The hospital was a major boon for de Blasio during his 2013 campaign, when he protested the hospital’s closing (pictured) and was even arrested at one demonstration. The hospital is now being investigated by the US Attorney's office as part of the probe into the mayor and his fundraising.

De Blasio wanted to add greater density and below-market-rate housing to the tower while shifting it closer to the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway, but City Councilman Brad Lander feared the rezoning would bring too much development to the predominantly brownstone neighborhood. Lander said he stopped negotiations with Fortis earlier this year, and has been waiting on Fortis’ decision in the meantime.

The councilman called the developer's decision to not engage with the community a “disappointing” continuation of “a pattern of disrespect that made it difficult to trust them in negotiations from the beginning.” He also said he would consider legal action to block development if Fortis pursued it.

The site currently houses a stand-alone facility for medical emergencies and other services, operated by NYU Langone. [Politico]