Source: Blood Center transaction mentions DOI

2021-11-24 03:22:21 By : Mr. Tong Stephen

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The flag outside has faded. Some parts of the building's facade have faded. For more than 50 years, the New York Blood Center has been operating outside a white brick building on East 67th Street.

They want to update.

"This project is critical to New York City's vision of becoming the world's public health capital," Mayor Bill de Blasio said on Monday.

But for weeks, there has been controversy surrounding plans to develop a new space for the New York Blood Center, which provides 90% of the city's blood supply.

At the core of the problem, local lawmakers opposed it. 

City councillor Ben Kallos said: “In this case, the applicant, the developer, has been dishonest from the beginning. People have been voting, but they don’t know what they are voting for.”

In other words, the city council will vote on the proposal on Tuesday, breaking the long-standing tradition of delaying local representatives on projects in its districts. 

"Everything we get from the government is dishonest, and every step we get from the developer is dishonest," Carlos told NY1 on Monday afternoon. "They refused to meet with the community committee. They refused to meet with the mayor of the borough." They refused to meet with me. They would rather spend millions of dollars lobbying others. "

The project will greatly expand the building, rising to approximately 233 feet. About one-third of it will be used in blood centers. The rest will be dedicated spaces for life science companies. It may be eligible for a tax deduction of $100 million. 

As part of an agreement with the city council, the center pledged to donate US$500,000 to local community groups working to fight sickle cell disease. Sources told NY1 that some of the groups being considered for funding are not in Manhattan, but in Brooklyn and southeastern Queens, including the area where Congressman Daneek Miller is located. He is the co-chair of the committee's black, Latino and Asian core groups. 

This group provides important support to the center of the council. 

A source told NY1 that part of the transaction has been submitted to the investigation department.

A spokesperson for the center told NY1 that it was not aware of any enquiries. But it sent the following statement to NY1: 

"No specific funding agreement has been reached, and it is implied that this is not a good faith commitment made as part of the board’s negotiations last week. This is yet another baseless slander for a project that is critical to the health of New Yorkers supporting life-saving research. Attempts to ensure the provision of a safe blood supply to urban hospitals for diseases such as HIV and sickle cell disease, create thousands of employment opportunities, and provide employment opportunities for local students."

A spokesperson for the committee also fought back in a statement: "These desperate attempts will not distract the committee from building a new world-class research space for the New York Blood Center, and will help strengthen New York City's status as a medical center. Biomedical research."

A spokesperson for the investigation department said it was aware of the matter, but declined to comment further.

Miller did not respond to NY1, but his core group co-chair, Congresswoman Adrienne Adams (Adrienne Adams) sent a statement to NY1 stating that the project will advance the life sciences industry and advance life-saving research.

"In particular," she said, "the research on sickle cell disease that affects African Americans disproportionately has historically lacked the funding and resources it deserves. My support for this project is based on these key factors."

Most importantly, residents of the Upper East Side filed a lawsuit on Monday in an attempt to disrupt the city council’s vote. A judge did not approve their request for a temporary restraining order, and the vote of the council will continue.