Landmarks Commission Approves St. Vincent's New Design

The Landmarks Preservation Commission voted 8 to 3 yesterday to approve St. Vincent's designs for an $800 million hospital tower on the site currently occupied by the landmark O'Toole building in Greenwich Village. The vote came just a day after preservationists announced their lawsuit against St. Vincent's; some community groups have been trying, unsuccessfully so far, to stop the hospital from razing the 44-year-old building. The commission had previously rejected plans for a 329-foot hospital tower, but ultimately approved it at a height of 278 feet. But hospital officials still need the commission to approve their proposal for a 350-unit condo across the street; St. Vincent's plans to use money they raise from the apartments to build the hospital. Looking ahead to a surely prosperous future, developer William Rudin optimistically tells NY1, "Hopefully the economic situation we are in will have alleviated itself. And the economic stimulus would have kicked in and we'll see positive things happening in the economy and we think four to five years from now."