New York CIty Council Member Ben Kallos

GREG DAVID

The City Blood Center Expansion Taps Vein of Opposition as Project Heads for Vote by GREG DAVID

Blood Center Expansion Taps Vein of Opposition as Project Heads for Vote

The Coalition to Stop the Tower includes numerous neighborhood and preservation groups like Civitas NYC. In addition to Kallos, U.S. Rep. Carolyn Maloney has joined the opposition.

In an interview with THE CITY last week, Kallos, who is term-limited and leaves the Council at the end of the year, said the Blood Center has rejected a series of options he had suggested. He contends what the zoning deal would give the Center, in essence, amounts to a large subsidy he disparaged as “minting money.”

He defended his stance, noting he does not accept campaign contributions from real estate interests.