Mayor Adams, Governor Hochul Announce Groundbreaking for First-of-Its-Kind Jobs and Education Hub, Celebrate Four Years of Delivering Housing, Jobs, and Tax Relief for Working-Class New Yorkers

NEW YORK – 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) Kips 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. Today’s 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 crisis, 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.”

Next Steps for SPARC

The transformation of SPARC will bring over 2 million square feet of academic, public health, and life sciences space to the community. First announced by Mayor Adams, Governor Hochul, NYCEDC, and CUNY in October 2022, the historic project is expected to create more than 15,000 total jobs, generate $42 billion in economic impact over the next 30 years, and establish a pipeline from New York City’s public schools and public universities to future-forward and family-supporting careers in the life sciences and health care sectors.

The Innovation East development — located at 455 First Avenue in Manhattan — will replace the former and obsolete Public Health Lab with a new state-of-the-art life science hub. The Public Health Lab will relocate to a new, modern facility in Harlem to continue its critical work, which is expected to be complete in 2026. Demolition of the existing 455 First Avenue building is anticipated to occur once the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene vacates, which is expected in 2026. SPARC Kips Bay passed Uniform Land Use Review Procedure (ULRUP) and received New York City Council approval in February 2025.

The SPARC Kips Bay and Innovation East projects are key initiatives to advance the LifeSci NYC with the goal of creating and attracting accessible jobs in life sciences, health care, and public health; and cementing New York City as a global leader in the sector.

Addressing New York City’s Affordability Crisis

Last year, Mayor Adams and Governor Hochul worked together to pass “City of Yes for Housing Opportunity,” the most pro-housing zoning proposal in New York City history. The citywide rezoning plan will enable the creation of 80,000 new homes over the next 15 years and invest $5 billion — including $1 billion from the state — towards critical infrastructure updates and housing. Additionally, in 2024, Mayor Adams and Governor Hochul worked with the New York state Legislature to pass a comprehensive housing agreement as part of the Fiscal Year 2025 budget. That agreement — which included new tools to encourage more affordable housing, convert offices into homes, allow more density in housing, and create safe basement apartments — is already delivering more housing for New Yorkers across the city.

Further, Mayor Adams and Governor Hochul worked together to establish the New York City Public Housing Preservation Trust, paving the way for the overdue repair, rehabilitation, and modernization of 25,000 apartments under control of the New York City Housing Authority.

Over the last four years, under Mayor Adams and Governor Hochul’s leadership, the city and state worked together to deliver hundreds of millions of dollars in tax relief for working-class New Yorkers, including the first expansion of the New York City Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) in nearly two decades and Mayor Adams’ “Axe the Tax for the Working-Class” proposal to eliminate and lower city personal income taxes for nearly 500,000 New Yorkers and their dependents. When combined, both Axe the Tax for the Working Class and the new, enhanced NYC EITC is putting more than a collective $408 million back into the pockets of 2 million New Yorkers.

Delivering on Big, Bold Infrastructure and Economic Development Projects

Since 2022, Mayor Adams and Governor Hochul have worked together to advance bold economic development and infrastructure projects that had previously languished for decades and bring new housing, jobs, and public space to New York City.

Mayor Adams and Governor Hochul — as well as local elected officials and community leaders — helped pass a historic vision plan to turn the Brooklyn Marine Terminal into a vibrant, mixed-use community. Backed by $418 million in city, state, and federal investments, the ambitious plan will transform the dilapidated marine terminal into a 60-acre, all-electric maritime port, as well as create 6,000 new homes, 28 acres of public space, 37,000 construction jobs, and 275,000 square feet of commercial space along the Brooklyn waterfront.

Additionally, Mayor Adams and Governor Hochul helped pass a historic plan to transform the Kingsbridge Armory in the Bronx into a thriving, community-centered hub. With a state-of-the-art venue space for entertainment, new cultural and commercial space, light industrial manufacturing space, over 25,000 square feet of dedicated community space, and approximately 500 permanently-affordable homes, the new Kingsbridge Armory will deliver a more affordable Bronx for working-class New Yorkers.

Along with the “New” New York initiative to ensure an equitable economic recovery after the pandemic; a joint planning effort for the future of Roosevelt Island; an agreement to replace and expand the Port Authority Bus Terminal in Midtown Manhattan; a $500 million investment from the Battery Park City Authority’s Joint Purpose Fund into affordable housing; new incentive programs to encourage businesses to maintain offices in or move to New York City; and more, the Adams and Hochul administrations have consistently delivered a productive partnership and real results year after year.

###