A $1.6-billion life sciences complex billed as a first-of-its kind job and education hub is coming to Kips Bay, Governor Kathy Hochul and Mayor Eric Adams announced last week.

The Science Park and Research Campus Kips Bay, or SPARC, is planned through a partnership with The City University of New York City (CUNY). According to a news release by the New York Economic Development Corporation, the complex will transform Hunter College's Brookdale Campus at East 25th Street and First Avenue with 1.5 million square feet of new academic, public health, and life sciences space. The full project, when completed, is expected to generate $25 billion in economic impact over 30 years, creating 10,000 total jobs and 2,000 permanent positions.

“This much-needed new facility will allow CUNY to expand our programs in health care and workforce development, connect students to internships and jobs in these growing industries, and expand our robust and growing life sciences research capacity,” said CUNY Board of Trustees Chairperson William C. Thompson Jr. in a news release. “I’m grateful to Governor Hochul and Mayor Adams for making CUNY an anchor for this new, vibrant development that will be critical to the future success of our city.”

Map of the Kips Bay Science District, including the SPARC Kips Bay campus. NYEDC

The new facilities at SPARC will include space for a combined 4,500 students at 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. Additionally, plans call for:

  • an NYC Health + Hospitals/Bellevue ambulatory care center;
  • an NYC Health + Hospital simulation training center to allow students to simulate patient scenarios, including operating rooms and labor and delivery;
  • a high school offering focused on careers in healthcare and science;
  • a new Office of Chief Medical Examiner forensic pathology center; and
  • a new commercial office and wet lab development.

The project is expected to undergo a master planning process over the coming year to address issues including infrastructure, open space, urban design, and zoning. Skidmore, Owings & Merrill has been tapped to lead the process.

Officials expect that SPARC Kips Bay will break ground in 2026 and be completed by 2031.