On Aug. 27, the Brookhaven Planning Board unanimously approved NYU Langone’s new 270,000-square-foot, seven-story tower, which could hold 144 beds, on the east side of the former Brookhaven Hospital. This expansion is part of Langone’s $650 million investment to expand and improve the hospital after the two merged in March of 2025.
For decades, Brookhaven Hospital had its share of challenges, including low ratings from regulatory organizations and numerous citations from facility inspections. The 2025 merger made Brookhaven its seventh and easternmost hospital within NYU Langone’s health system. The infusion of investment and the revamp of hospital management have been met with support from the government and the community.
“The proposed pavilion is approximately 270,000 square feet in area; the project will only add 52 beds to the current 203-bed hospital, totaling 255 beds,” said Angela Laino of VHB Engineering when speaking at the Planning Board hearing. “The space will allow for conversion to single-bed patient rooms and will allow the applicant to accommodate state-of-the-art technology to improve patient care. The proposed pavilion will be situated on the south side of the existing hospital building and be set back approximately 98 feet from Hospital Road.”
Laino’s presentation included maps and renderings of VHB’s vision of the expanded facility.
“The main entrance to the hospital will be relocated from the west side of the existing building to the south side of the pavilion,” she continued. “The drop-off driveway will be demolished, creating more landscaping along Hospital Road, along the hospital road frontage. All traffic on the southern portion of the site will be directed to exit at the signal at the Sills Road entrance, which currently serves the hospital. With regard to parking, there are currently 1,058 spaces active on the campus. The project, by code, is required to provide 1,097 spaces, and at the end of the day, the project will provide 1,200 spaces, exceeding the code.”
After the presentation, no one in the audience spoke against the project, but a few people spoke in support.
“I just wanted to come before you and offer words of support for this major expansion project,” said New York State Senator Dean Murray. “In a short time, NYU Langone Health has truly become a partner and valued part of our community. Their outreach and community involvement have been fantastic. On countless occasions, my office has teamed with them for special outreach programs, from coat drives to blood drives, and even our big community trick-or-treat celebration.”
“In addition to investing time in the community, NYU Langone Health has also invested millions in bringing state-of-the-art health services to the area—from robotic surgery to another state-of-the-art facility on Main Street in Patchogue—demonstrating time and again that they want to invest in our community and be long-term partners, delivering top-notch healthcare services. This proposed expansion is another step in the right direction. In addition to hundreds of construction jobs, this project will also create more healthcare jobs and, most importantly, provide more healthcare services for our community. I urge approval of the exciting expansion project.”
Vincent Alu, business manager and secretary-treasurer of Laborers’ Local 66, was the next person to speak in support of the project.
“Many of the projects that come before you, we probably won’t get anywhere near a touch,” Alu said. “This one, however, I feel we probably will. Everything from demolition in the existing hospital, through the foundation work, and everything up and through a new facility. And, you know, when we’ve had medical emergencies in my house, I found myself in the middle of the night driving to Stonybrook, or Manhasset. But having a state-of-the-art facility like this, literally minutes from the house, is good, and the neighborhood deserves it.”
Following approval of the proposal, Town Supervisor Dan Panico said: “The community deserves this, the community needs it. This is the hospital in which I was born, quite some time ago, in 1978. When I was brought up, people feared that if something happened, you almost second-guessed going to that hospital. I agree; the infusion of capital and human capital, as well as this facility, is going to serve the residents of Brookhaven.”
