2. Plans Were Approved for a New Rockefeller University Building on the FDR Drive

In May 2014, the New York City Council approved plans for Rockefeller University to acquire a new laboratory building using air rights that the university owns. The school proposed a two-story, 160,000 square foot building to be built from 64th and 65th Streets to 68th Street. Other parts of the lab project include $8 million repairs to the East River Esplanade adjacent to the Rockefeller University campus and $1 million endowment to maintain the esplanade in perpetuity. The plans for the building awaited final approval by the mayor, but there has been no recent news or developments on the laboratory.