This drama is reaching its climax.<\/p>\n
NYU Langone is defiantly refusing to back down when it comes to taking over the Kips Bay AMC site to expand its medical empire, even as Manhattan Borough President Brad Hoylman-Sigal is vowing to block the plan.<\/p>\n
The healthcare behemoth argued to The Post that the soon-to-be-shuttered cinema had already been considering dropping the curtain on itself years before NYU Langone set its sights on the property. <\/p>\n
The site of the beloved Kips Bay AMC 15 is slated to become medical offices. Getty Images<\/p>\n
NYU Langone also claimed that the consortium of owners of the Second Avenue property in Manhattan sought out the medical university to take over the site. <\/a><\/p>\n \u201cAs we have said, the owner of the Second Avenue property originally approached us regarding a potential sale, and we recognized that the site\u2019s proximity to our hospital could help support these long-term community healthcare needs,\u201d said Steve Ritea of NYU Langone Health.<\/p>\n \u201cYears before our involvement, AMC expressed interest in leaving,\u201d Ritea said. \u201cThey worked with the landlord to reach an agreement that substantially reduced AMC\u2019s rent in exchange for a mutual right for either party to terminate at any time, reflecting the flexibility that both the landlord and AMC wanted going forward.\u201d<\/p>\n AMC did not respond to a request for comment, while representatives for the property landlord refused to answer questions by The Post.<\/p>\n NYU Langone is under contract to develop the theater side for its own uses. Education Images\/Universal Images Group via Getty Images<\/p>\n The healthcare giant\u2019s purchase of the site remains under contract and is not expected to close until early next year, but it is on track to be completed \u2014 with both NYU and the seller contractually obligated to see the deal through.<\/p>\n Yet neither the imminent deal nor AMC\u2019s apparent desire to vacate has stopped local elected officials and the community from desperately trying to save the iconic movie site.<\/p>\n Earlier this week, Hoylman-Sigal pledged to try to block any prospective rezoning<\/a> of the location if its plans didn\u2019t include a \u201ccinema.\u201d<\/p>\n He argued that the property is governed by an outdated zoning district established in 1961 \u2014 which he notes is the same year the film classic \u201cBreakfast at Tiffany\u2019s\u201d was released \u2014 that no longer reflects the neighborhood\u2019s needs.<\/p>\n Manhattan Borough President Brad Hoylman-Sigal pledges to block any rezoning plans for the site if they do not include a \u201ccinema.\u201d Hans Pennink<\/p>\n \u201cUpdating the zoning at this location could facilitate a higher-density mixed-use development that includes medical offices, affordable housing, a grocery store and a movie theater,\u201d Hoylman-Sigal said.<\/p>\n