NEWYORK: New York City Mayor Eric Adams, New York Governor Kathy Hochul, New York City Economic Development Corporation (NYCEDC) President and CEO Andrew Kimball, and The City University of New York (CUNY) Chancellor Félix V. Matos Rodríguez today celebrated progress on the Science Park and Research Campus (SPARC) Kids Bay project, a first-of-its-kind life sciences innovation, career, and education hub they have been working in partnership to make a reality since year one of the Adams administration.
Deconstruction of the current campus on the site is expected to begin in February 2026, with construction of the new SPARC campus expected to begin in 2027.
The announcement is yet another example of the successful city-state partnership Mayor Adams and Governor Hochul have achieved for the last four years, working together to address the affordability crises, create new housing, lower taxes, advance bold infrastructure projects, and make the city safer.
“SPARC Kips Bay will transform an entire New York City block into a state-of-the-art destination for the life sciences and healthy industry. It will create 15,000 good-paying jobs and generate over $42 billion in economic impact for our city. We thank our partners, NYCEDC, CUNY, and, especially, Governor Hochul for her steadfast support and leadership,” said Mayor Adams.
“From day one, Governor Hochul has been a real partner in ‘Getting Stuff Done’ for our city and working people. Over the past four years, we have worked together to make our city more affordable, delivered the ‘City of Yes for Housing Opportunity,’ expanded the New York City Earned Income Tax Credit for the first time in nearly two decades, and eliminated the personal income tax for over 582,000 New Yorkers through our ‘Axe the Tax for Working-Class’ plan. We have worked in partnership to get big, visionary projects planned, approved, and built, including the reimaging of the Kingsbridge Armory and our historic plan to turn the Brooklyn Marine Terminal into a modern maritime port. Together, we have invested in a bold vision for the five boroughs that has made New York City safer, more affordable, and the best place to live and raise a family.”
“The new SPARC campus will drive innovation and research for New York’s nation-leading life sciences ecosystem, ensuring that groundbreaking medical advances are done right here in this city,” said Governor Hochul.
“Over the past four years, Mayor Adams and I have made bold strides to uplift New York City’s economy, create good-paying jobs for New Yorkers, address the affordable housing crisis head-on, and forge ahead with critical infrastructure projects — showcasing what can be accomplished through state and city partnership.”
“SPARC Kips Bay will expand pathways into public health careers for our students and provide state-of-the-art facilities for our faculty who are conducting research for the public good,” said CUNY Chancellor Matos Rodríguez.
“I’m pleased to mark this milestone and grateful to Governor Hochul and Mayor Adams for their leadership and support of this transformational project, which will strengthen our city and university.”
“The groundbreaking of SPARC Kips Bay marks a major step forward in strengthening our health care and life sciences infrastructure while creating thousands of good-paying jobs and long-term career opportunities for working-class people,” said Gary LaBarbera, president, Building and Construction Trades Council of Greater New York.
“By transforming Kips Bay into a state-of-the-art public health and education hub, this project will help solidify New York City as a leader in life sciences and provide accessible middle-class career paths to hard-working New Yorkers. We applaud Mayor Adams and Governor Hochul for their continued commitment to advancing projects that grow our economy, support our workforce, and improve the lives of all New Yorkers.”
“SPARC Kips Bay is a transformative project that represents a path-breaking approach to economic development in New York City — transforming an entire city block into a world-class hub that bridges together economic opportunity, cutting-edge innovation, and research, while creating strong, accessible career pathways for New Yorkers of all backgrounds into the innovative sectors of today and tomorrow,” said NYCEDC President and CEO Kimball.
“As we officially mobilize for deconstruction, NYCEDC is thrilled to add SPARC Kips Bay to the list of major milestones accomplished with our city and state partners, and to celebrate advancing a project that will shape the region’s innovation ecosystem for generations to come. From unlocking long-stalled projects like Kingsbridge Armory to advancing city-shaping projects such as the Brooklyn Marine Terminal and SPARC Kips Bay, we are laying the foundation for inclusive, long-term growth across all five boroughs.”
“The SPARC Kips Bay project heralds a new era for our agency and the neighborhood we have called home for more than a century,” said New York Chief Medical Examiner Dr. Jason Graham.
“With the groundbreaking today, we take a concrete step toward the vision of a state-of-the-art forensic pathology center that will serve New Yorkers 24/7 and educate the next generation of leaders in forensic science and medicine. This transformation in progress testifies to what strong partnerships across the city and state can achieve for our community, and the Office of Chief Medical Examiner is proud to be part of this development.”
“This is a significant moment for our school,” said Dr. Ayman El-Mohandes, dean, CUNY Graduate School of Public Health and Health Policy.
“We’ve experienced tremendous growth in the 10 years that we’ve been an independent school, and we’ve now outgrown our current space. The new SPARC Kips Bay campus will give us the room we need with modern classrooms where our students can learn, proper lab facilities where they can get hands-on experience, and, for the first time, wet lab space where our faculty can conduct the kind of research that’s essential to a public health institution. This move isn’t just about more square footage; it’s about finally having the infrastructure to match our ambitions for training future public health professionals and advancing research that matters to communities across New York.”
