Q&A
Special permit for life sciences use and laboratory space
1:04:25
ยท
121 sec
Council Member Powers inquires about the special permit for life sciences use and how it differs from as-of-right laboratory space. Julieanne Herskowitz from NYC Economic Development Corporation explains that the special permit allows for potential production-based activities, preparing for future growth in the rapidly evolving life sciences industry.
- The special permit provides flexibility for early-stage development of medicines, cell and gene therapies, vaccines, and biologics.
- It allows for the entire building to be utilized for production if desired by a future anchor tenant.
- The goal is to prepare for industry changes and growth by 2030 and beyond.
Keith Powers
1:04:25
Thank you.
1:04:25
And that's a good jumping in point for me because I have some questions on the special permit.
1:04:30
Thank you for the testimony.
1:04:31
Thank you to, Chair Riley for those, questions, helpful to the to the some of the questions I was gonna ask.
1:04:38
There has been just some discussion around the site and the uses around life sciences.
1:04:44
The site across the street, I know they had so they had as of right laboratory, space based on our zoning.
1:04:50
Am I correct to say that you can do lab what what is the difference between what's the as of right uses when it comes to laboratory space and what you're asking for when it comes to a special permit?
Nicole
1:05:00
Sure.
Julieanne Herskowitz
1:05:01
Thank you for the question, council member.
1:05:03
So as Cecilia just noted, we are, you know, working with a rapidly evolving industry, one in which we don't know how it will continue to change and grow, but we wanna prepare for that growth.
1:05:16
And specifically, the special permit, what it allows for is the potential for production based activities, which although we understand may not be happening at a large scale within New York City, we see real opportunity at a smaller scale, especially when it comes to, you know, early stage development, whether that's of medicines, cell and gene therapies, vaccines, and bio biologics.
1:05:38
So we wanna prepare for that, and that's why we are actively seeking this special permit for life sciences use.
Keith Powers
1:05:44
Got it.
1:05:45
And as you're noting, it's in a rapidly evolving area with a lot to still be seen by 2030 plus where this is all headed.
1:05:58
We could be in a totally new world based on how rapidly we're evolving right now.
1:06:04
Can you what what is the purse like, what what is the anticipated perception of those those those properties around the life sciences, buildings to be used for that type of manufacturing capacity?
1:06:17
Yeah.
1:06:17
I think you might have said it might be a smaller footprint in there.
1:06:20
What's the percentage that we anticipate might be, allocated towards that usage?