SUNY Downstate Hospital $1.1B Project
Advances with WBE-Firm for Demo Work
New York State announced last week that the next major phase of the $1.1-billion investment to modernize facilities at the State University of New York Downstate Health Sciences University (SUNY Downstate) Hospital in Brooklyn can move forward with the approval of a construction contract for the demolition of a condemned, out-of-service parking garage.
The contract with Russo Development Enterprises of Lawrence, NY will allow for the clearing and readying of the site for the future hospital annex, which will include a state-of-the-art ambulatory surgery center to expand services in cardiology and oncology, following demolition of the garage.
The demolition contract approval follows the December 2025 announcement marking the beginning of the design phases for the two major projects to modernize facilities at SUNY Downstate’s Hospital. The project will repair and upgrade infrastructure, modernize inpatient rooms, and expand the emergency department, in addition to constructing the new hospital annex, which will be located on the current condemned garage site.
Russo Development Enterprises, Inc., is a Woman-Owned Business Enterprise and was selected through a competitive procurement to lead the demolition of the condemned parking garage to allow for the future construction of SUNY Downstate’s new hospital annex. The project will be constructed with a Project Labor Agreement in place.
The state announced in December that two design contracts were awarded in connection with the project. WJL Architecture & Engineering DPC DBA Ewing Cole will lead the design work on the renovation project for the existing hospital. Perkins Eastman Architects, DPC will lead the design work on the project to build a new hospital annex that will include an ambulatory surgery center specializing in cardiology and oncology.
The Downstate Community Advisory Board (DCAB) advanced recommendations of a more than $1 billion reinvestment into SUNY Downstate’s hospital, which was announced in June 2025. State lawmakers approved $750 million in capital funding for SUNY Downstate’s hospital in the FY 2024-2025 and 2025-2026 Enacted State Budgets, and SUNY will dedicate its anticipated $50 million annual capital allocations for SUNY Downstate’s hospital over the project’s duration.
The initiative reflects two concurrent projects. The first project will conduct prioritized renovations to modernize the existing hospital and convert all double occupancy rooms to private rooms with showers, expand the emergency department, and rehabilitate mechanical, electrical, and plumbing infrastructure issues. The second project will construct a new hospital annex, including a state-of-the-art ambulatory surgery center specializing in cardiology and oncology.
Published: February 25, 2026