Stony Brook University has begun procurement for a large mixed-use housing development on its Long Island campus, seeking a private partner to design, build, finance, operate and maintain new student housing and infrastructure support under a public-private partnership.
The Stony Brook Housing Development Corp. issued a request for ratings on Jan. 21 outlining a design-build-finance-operate-maintain delivery model supported by availability payments, an approach that assigns long-term performance, operations and life-cycle responsibilities to the selected private team. Responses are due February 20, and up to four teams are expected to be shortlisted for a subsequent RFP stage.
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The initial phase of the project aims to deliver 800 to 850 beds of apartment-style student housing at the university’s West Campus on Long Island’s North Shore, about 55 miles east of New York City. Employment is planned for the fall semester of 2029.
According to the RFQ, the housing would consist primarily of one-bedroom units in three- and four-bedroom apartments with full kitchens and air conditioning. Also included in the first phase are ground-floor retail and dining space totaling about 25,000 square feet and about 280 surface parking spaces, along with the enabling infrastructure needed to support the development.
Housing Demand, Market Pressure Project
The project is moving forward amid a tight regional rental market. Data from the U.S. Census Bureau’s American Community Survey shows Suffolk County’s rental vacancy rates in the low single digits, well below the national average. Market data from major apartment listing services indicate that average monthly rents in the Brookhaven and Stony Brook area generally range from the low $2,000s to the upper $2,000s, with higher rents common for larger units and properties closer to the North Shore.
University officials describe the hiring as the first step in a long-term effort to address persistent housing shortages for both students and employees while creating a new gateway to the campus with a college town feel. The RFQ estimates unmet demand for student housing at approximately 800 to 850 beds and notes that limited on-campus supply has restricted enrollment growth and pushed students into an already tight off-campus housing market.
An aerial view highlights the proposed development site on Stony Brook University’s West Campus, where the university has issued an RFQ for a public-private partnership for mixed-use housing and energy.
Map courtesy of Stony Brook University
Beyond student housing, the plan calls for a second phase that could include workforce housing for medical residents, faculty and staff. This component can be delivered simultaneously or in subsequent phases at the university’s discretion, but planning, site design and infrastructure are required to accommodate both uses on the same site.
A prominent feature of the acquisition is the explicit integration of energy systems and sustainability requirements into the core scope of the project. The RFQ requires compliance with New York State Executive Order 22 and the Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act, which mandates all-electric, low-carbon solutions aligned with state decarbonization goals.
Stony Brook’s existing thermal energy systems are operating near capacity, and the project is expected to incorporate new, scalable energy infrastructure capable of supporting both housing development and potential future campus growth. The university indicated openness to high-performance building approaches, including passive houses or equivalent standards, to reduce energy use intensity and long-term operating costs. Electrical interconnection capacity is described as sufficient, although grid electricity costs on Long Island are comparatively high, reinforcing the emphasis on energy-efficient design and on-site generation where feasible.
Under the availability-payment structure, income from housing and, to a lesser extent, retail is expected to support payments to the developer over the life of the contract. The RFQ describes a projected affordability-based rental price cap for student housing in the range of $1,900 to $2,075 per bed per month in 2029 dollars, applied over a nine-month academic year, with an assumed average annual escalation rate of 2.8%. The project is intended to be financially self-sufficient, with minimal support from the university.
The Stony Brook Housing Development Corp., a university-affiliated 501(c)(3) entity, serves as the hiring and hiring authority. The project site encompasses approximately 16.7 acres on West Campus and may require early permitting work, including relocation of an existing track and field, to support construction sequencing and site access.
The procurement is supported by Brailsford & Dunlavey as program advisor, KPMG as financial advisor and Orrick as legal advisor. All work will be subject to prevailing wage requirements and a project labor agreement in accordance with New York labor law.
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After reviewing the statements of qualifications, the housing development corporation expects to select no more than four teams by the end of April 2026. These teams will be invited to submit detailed technical, commercial and financial proposals during the RFP phase, with the aim of executing a pre-development agreement and advancing the project to commercial and financial close.
For contractors, designers, and infrastructure companies active in higher education, the Stony Brook procurement reflects a broader shift by public universities toward bundled DBFOM delivery models that combine housing delivery, energy performance, and long-term operations into a single contractual framework.
