City Council Approves SPARC Kips Bay, Innovation East Life Sciences Facilities In Kips Bay, Manhattan

 

On February 13, the New York City Council voted in approval of SPARC Kips Bay and Innovation East, two new developments located in Kips Bay, Manhattan. Led by the New York City Economic Development Corporation (NYCEDC), the projects will introduce more than 2.5 million square feet of research, education, and healthcare facilities to Manhattan’s East Side. SPARC Kips Bay will serve as a hub for innovation, career development, and public health, and is projected to generate $42 billion in economic impact over 30 years and create 15,000 jobs. Innovation East will replace the outdated Public Health Lab with a modern life sciences center, adding another 1,000 jobs to the city’s biotech ecosystem. The site is located on Hunter College’s Brookdale Campus at First Avenue and East 25th Street.

Rendering of SPARC Kips Bay with Innovation East at right, looking south from Bellevue Hospital on First Avenue near 27th Street, via edc.nyc

SPARC Kips Bay will concert the campus into a research and workforce development hub with new academic spaces for CUNY institutions, a public health-focused high school, life sciences research labs, and outpatient healthcare facilities. The facilities will aim to establish direct pathways from local schools and universities into high-paying jobs in biotech and healthcare.

Work will also include the construction of a new pedestrian bridge over FDR Drive and accessible green spaces. Groundbreaking is expected by the end of 2025, with completion anticipated in 2031.

Innovation East, located at 455 First Avenue, will revitalize the former Public Health Lab site into a 500,000-square-foot life sciences facility. It plans to provide hands-on educational programs for students, workforce training opportunities, and career pathways in healthcare and biotech. Similar to SPARC Kips Bay, the project plans to collaborate with local schools and universities in an effort to help prepare New Yorkers for emerging careers in the life sciences industry. Demolition of the existing structure is scheduled for 2026, with construction beginning in 2027.