Planning board gives Vassar Brothers Hospital six‑to‑twelve month window for building-plan revisions

The Poughkeepsie City Planning Board approved an extension May 28 to allow Vassar Brothers Medical Center to modify building permit drawings and satisfy outstanding city engineering comments related to the inpatient pavilion project at 45 Reed Place.

Christopher Lapine of LaBella Associates and Mike Zolnick of Vassar Brothers Hospital said the hospital originally sought a six-month extension to revise plans that had been approved last year and then revised in April to convert a former ICU into 29 post‑recovery rooms. Lapine said the hospital had met repeatedly with city engineering and had resubmitted drawings; he told the board they had already addressed two outstanding comments and were waiting for the city to sign a modified easement agreement.

Why it matters: The extension preserves the hospital’s ability to proceed with the approved conversion while staff and the city finalize easement and stormwater‑inspection details; the hospital said clarifications to city utility and easement records are part of the outstanding work.

At the meeting board members noted that the hospital asked for six months but accepted a one‑year extension when board members suggested the longer interval is more consistent with past practice. LaBella’s Lapine said the team expects to need less than six months but would accept a year if that is the normal procedure.

Board member Shane Egan moved to grant a one‑year extension; the motion was seconded and carried by voice vote. Staff advised applicants to continue coordinating with city engineering and to file the modified easement once finalized.