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Kips Bay will (relatively) soon be home to a new $1.6 billion, state-of-the-art science campus that, according to an official press release, will provide modern facilities for more than 4,500 students from the Hunter College School of Nursing and School of Health Professions, the CUNY Graduate School of Public Health and Health Policy and the Borough of Manhattan Community College’s healthcare programs. Construction is expected to begin in 2026, with a projected completion date sometime in 2031.
Dubbed Science Park and Research Campus (SPARC) Kips Bay, the beautiful new institution will be funded by the city, the state and private investments—a collaboration said to be aimed at elevating New York’s healthcare and life sciences fields.
In addition to its student-adjacent facilities, the space will also feature an ambulatory care center for screenings, preventative care and same-day procedures; a simulation training center; a new commercial office and wet lab development; a training center for forensic pathologists and a health care and sciences high school.
"Thanks to this agreement with the city, SPARC Kips Bay will give New York’s life sciences sector a major boost, creating thousands of high-paying jobs, investing in education, and making New York the place where miracles are made," said Governor Kathy Hochul in an official statement about the news. "My administration remains laser-focused on saving lives and making New York the home of the transformative fields of the future, and with this project, we will achieve both of these goals at the same time."
Mayor Eric Adams, who revealed the plans alongside Hochul last week, echoed her hopeful sentiments. "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 the politician.
Officially replacing Hunter College's Brookdale Campus, the project will call for the creation of a slew of new jobs, including engineers, business managers, doctors, lawyers and more—which is actually just a small portion of the goals that the state's $620 million Life Science Initiative hopes to accomplish throughout the next few years.