For construction professionals tracking healthcare projects in Western New York, Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center has become one of the most consistently active development clients in the region. Over a roughly three-year window, the Buffalo-based cancer research and treatment institution has completed, launched, or announced a series of construction projects that collectively represent hundreds of millions of dollars in new facilities — and an explicit strategy to expand access to care well beyond the main campus on Elm Street.

The GEM Facility: New York's First Cell and Gene Therapy Hub

The most complex recent project to reach completion is the Roswell Park GMP Engineering and Cell Manufacturing (GEM) Facility, which opened in December 2024 at a cost of $98 million. Governor Hochul celebrated the opening as the establishment of New York's first cell and gene therapy hub, noting that Empire State Development invested $30 million to expand Roswell's Therapeutic Cell Production Facility from six to 20 specialized clean rooms — making it the largest academic cell and gene therapy research and manufacturing facility in the United States.

The FDA Good Manufacturing Practice-compliant facility allows Roswell Park to conduct the full cycle of cell therapy development — from research to production — within a single integrated setting. It is designed to accelerate the path from laboratory discovery to clinical treatment, positioning Roswell as a national resource for cell therapy innovation. The project is part of a statewide strategy that also includes the $430 million New York BioGenesis Park on Long Island, representing a combined half-billion-dollar investment in cell and gene therapy infrastructure across New York State.

Scott Bieler Amherst Center: First Off-Campus New Build

Earlier, in fall 2023, Roswell Park opened the Scott Bieler Amherst Center at 203 Park Club Lane in Williamsville — its first entirely new building constructed outside the main Buffalo campus. The $23 million, 30,000-square-foot two-story facility was developed by Ciminelli Real Estate Corp. and designed by LaBella Associates. It brings chemotherapy infusion, imaging, pharmacy, lab services, and clinical trials to patients in Buffalo's northern suburbs, where more than two of every five Roswell patients live. The project was honored with a 2024 CoStar Impact Award in the Commercial Development of the Year category.

The Scott Bieler Center is not standing still. In September 2025, Buffalo Business First reported that Roswell Park is planning a $20 million expansion of the Amherst campus adjacent to the existing building, adding significant square footage to bring additional services to the Northtowns hub. That project is moving through design and financing, with bond proceeds supported by DASNY, New York State's primary bond issuer for institutional capital projects, set to help fund the work.

Main Campus Infrastructure: Parking and Systems

A 2025 DASNY bond financing for Roswell Park also covers a main campus property acquisition and construction project: the acquisition of approximately 2.74 acres adjacent to the Elm Street campus, demolition of two existing structures totaling roughly 78,300 square feet, and construction of a surface parking lot adding approximately 172 parking spaces. The property acquisition was expected to close by end of 2025, with demolition and construction running through approximately August 2027. Bond proceeds are also supporting equipment upgrades, elevator replacements, air handling unit improvements, and roof and window replacements across the main campus.

The HOPE Center: Community Outreach in the Fruit Belt

On the other end of the scale, Roswell Park is also expanding a community-facing facility in one of Buffalo's most historically underserved neighborhoods. In February 2026, State Senator April Baskin and Assembly Majority Leader Crystal Peoples-Stokes announced $3 million in state funding for a new 4,000-square-foot addition — the HOPE (Health, Outreach and Prevention Excellence) Center — at Roswell Park's Community Outreach & Engagement Center at 907 Michigan Avenue in the Fruit Belt neighborhood, adjacent to the main campus. The total project cost is $4 million. Construction is slated to begin in fall 2026. The new wing will be dedicated to cancer prevention, early detection, employment programming, housing stability support for cancer patients, and expanded bilingual outreach.

The 907 Michigan location opened in October 2023 through the adaptive reuse of a historic 1878 home, transformed by Young + Wright Architectural into a modern outreach center with a glass addition and outdoor plaza. The HOPE Center adds a dedicated new structure to that growing campus.

A Regional Construction Pattern

Taken together, Roswell Park's construction activity over the 2022–2028 period spans new ground-up buildings in Williamsville, infrastructure and parking expansion on the main Buffalo campus, a new community facility in the Fruit Belt, and the specialized clean-room manufacturing environment of the GEM facility. The projects involve diverse disciplines: medical office construction, adaptive reuse, laboratory fit-out, clean manufacturing, site work, and community health space. For contractors in Western New York who work in the healthcare sector, Roswell's ongoing investment cycle represents one of the most consistent institutional construction clients in the market.

Sources

• Roswell Park – GEM Facility opening, New York's first cell and gene therapy hub (December 2024)
• Ciminelli Real Estate – Scott Bieler Amherst Center nears opening (2023)
• Buffalo Business First – Roswell Park plans $20M expansion in Amherst (September 2025)
• Roswell Park – $3 million state funding for HOPE Center expansion (February 2026)
• Buffalo Rising – Roswell HOPE Center expansion announced (February 2026)
• DASNY – Roswell Park 2025 bond financing environmental review (July 2025)