Gilbane is developing lasting partnerships with public clients by offering innovative and flexible finance, construction, and long-term operations and maintenance solutions. Additionally, our in-house turnkey design-build-finance-operate-maintain (“DBFOM”) model and capabilities as a vertically integrated developer and builder, combined with key relationships with project partners, have led to several new partnerships in 2022.
Gilbane’s financial strength and stability, access to resources, and creativity in offering flexible solutions allowed for key P3 partnerships to progress, despite the increasingly difficult conditions in the markets during 2022.
Highlights during 2022 include:
Eastern Michigan University (“EMU”) On-Campus Student Housing Program, Ypsilanti, MI
As part of the University’s Welcome Home 2025 Plan, EMU selected Gilbane in late 2021 to lead a transformative three-year, $212 million campus housing initiative which transitioned Gilbane into the University’s master developer and property management partner for all of EMU’s on-campus housing. This comprehensive program will result in capital improvements, including renovations of 2,025 existing beds, 700 new apartment-style beds, and the demolition of five obsolete residence halls.
The team worked tirelessly throughout 2022 on design, including collaborative input from thousands of touch points with students, faculty, and staff. This extensive community engagement mission included multiple surveys, focus groups, and meetings to prioritize resources, with over 312 engagement meetings held over an 8.5-month period (1/1/22 – 9/21/22).
Recent project highlights include:
- September 2022: Gilbane arranged for short-term interim construction funding which allowed for the project to break ground on time and remain on schedule while pursuing a permanent financing closing.
- September 2022: Gilbane Development Company launched its on-campus property management platform and assumed onsite management for EMU’s entire student housing portfolio. The new business unit, with a current team of 26 hires, has established exclusively housing-focused staff, office, and work order protocols providing service levels beyond those formerly offered by EMU’s decentralized facility management model.
- October 2022: A groundbreaking was held on 10/20 to kick off construction commencement. In attendance were EMU President James Smith, Student Body President Auryon Azar, EMU Board of Regents Chair Eunice Jeffries, and many members of the Gilbane team.
- November 2022: The project closed on financing on 11/17 with the sale of $212,210,000 in revenue bonds by the Public Finance Authority, a Wisconsin-based entity authorized to issue tax-exempt, taxable, and tax credit conduit bonds for public and private entities throughout all 50 states.
The project team includes Gilbane Development Company as developer with Gilbane Building Company, Michigan-based Clark Construction Company, and AVB, Inc. as design-builders. Progressive AE and Mackey Mitchell Architects are serving as architects of record, with minority-owned Moody Nolan as associate design architect. Progressive is also serving as engineer for the new construction projects, with IMEG as engineer of record for renovation projects. Rieth Jones Advisors is providing advisory services to the University.
University of South Carolina (USC) Health Sciences Campus School of Medicine relocation, Columbia, SC
The University of South Carolina announced in mid-December that it had selected Gilbane as its partner to lead the planning, design, development, construction, and operations of the University’s health sciences campus in the BullStreet District in downtown Columbia, South Carolina.
The University’s health sciences campus is expected to have a transformational impact on health science research and health care delivery in the state of South Carolina. The campus will provide state-of-the-art space for clinical education and bring together eminent researchers to help meet South Carolina’s health challenges. The initial stage of the health sciences campus will include a new medical education building to house the School of Medicine Columbia and a new multidisciplinary research building. Together, the two buildings will provide an estimated 292,000 gross square feet. Current plans call for construction to begin in 2025 and be completed in 2027.
In addition to Gilbane Development Company and Gilbane Building Company, key project team members include lead designer, BOUDREAUX, collaborating with The S/L/A/M Collaborative, construction manager Cummings, operations & maintenance provider Honeywell, construction manager and minority business Brownstone Construction Group, and development consultant and minority- and women-owned business Restoration 52.
Overall, the health sciences campus represents a $300 million investment.
John Carroll University (JCU) On-Campus Student Housing and Mixed-Use Project, University Heights, OH
John Carroll University has selected Gilbane to design, build, finance, and operate/maintain a new residential mixed-use “Gateway” Project located at the front door of its historic 62-acre campus in University Heights, Ohio. The multi-phased project – the largest in John Carroll University’s history – will amplify the University’s southern “gateway” entrance with new buildings along John Carroll Boulevard and Milford Road on Fairmount Circle. The project will provide modern new student housing units (~700 beds), community amenities, retail/shopping, parking, and outdoor green space for recreation and gathering.
The multiphase JCU Gateway Project kicked off in Fall 2022 with a 100-Day Plan that includes structured engagement with JCU students, faculty, and staff to become involved in planning the development’s design and operations. Construction is expected to begin in late 2023, with a Phase 1 completion in Fall 2025.
The development team includes Gilbane Development Company as developer; Gilbane Building Company as design-builder; Ohio-based Moody Nolan as design architect; and Ohio-based Vocon as architect of record. Osborn Engineering will provide structural, mechanical, electrical, and plumbing engineering services; Langan will perform civil engineering; and Strategic Facility Partners will serve as 501(c)(3) nonprofit that works with private higher education institutions to create student housing. Key Bank and RBC will serve as co-underwriters for the project.
Ohlone College On-Campus Student Housing Program, Newark, CA
In September 2022, the Ohlone Community College District (“OCCD”) announced its selection of Gilbane for a partnership to help address the affordable housing needs of their students with ~400 beds in both single student and family living configurations. Gilbane will provide development and construction management services related to the planning, programming, designing, permitting, construction, maintenance, management, operation, and overall development of the College’s first residential student housing project. PBK and Mogavero Architects will serve as architects.
The project will be located on the District’s Newark Campus and will focus on solving a Basic Needs housing crisis within the State of California. The objective will be to provide residential spaces for the District’s single and family students to find comfortable, safe, and affordable on-campus.
Prince George’s County Public Schools (PGCPS) “Blueprint Schools”, Prince George’s County, MD
As of November 2022, Gilbane reached 50% construction completion on 5 of the 6 Phase 1 Prince George’s County “Blueprint Schools.” Gilbane is serving as a joint venture developer and design-builder for this innovative 30+ year public-private partnership to design, build, finance, and maintain five new middle schools and a new K-8 school.
The pioneering “Blueprint Schools” program was specifically designed to address aging and overcrowded facilities, ultimately serving 8,000 students by July 2023, a mere 2 ½ years after reaching financial close.
Highlights from 2022 include:
- Team members accepted the project award for Social Infrastructure Project of the Year at the P3 Awards ceremony held in March in New York, New York.
- Local and MBE Subcontractor Opportunities: Phase 1 is on target to achieve 30% MBE Participation and is expected to reach a total spend for MBE/CBB equaling $132 MM by the conclusion of the Design-Build Period. To date, the program has conducted 10 outreach events that have attracted over 800 attendees and over 763 distinct MBE/CBB/CBSBs, including four matchmaking events that connected 136 MBE/CBB/CBSBs with over 160 companies expressing interest in bidding on packages.
- Commitment to Community Investment: The project is accelerating contracting opportunities for minority and community-based businesses, providing jobs, internships, and apprenticeships for residents, and launching a community asset initiative that includes the delivery of programs and/or collaborative projects designed by and uniquely made for each school’s community.
- Community service events included donations to the Fort Washington Food Pantry, the 6th Annual Hyattsville Zombie Run sponsorship, and a “Christmas in April” event to provide improvements to a local home.
- Scholarship and educational opportunities included partnering with Prince George’s Community College to contribute $60,000 in scholarships to 30 students; and creating a $1M endowed fund to support students and educators, along with student internships, mentoring opportunities, and apprenticeships.
William H. Gray III 30th Street Station Redevelopment Project, Philadelphia, PA (Amtrak)
Gilbane is a key team member serving as the design-build leader for the redevelopment of Amtrak’s William H. Gray III 30th Street Station in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The multiphase project will address both interior and exterior improvements to the historic facility. With enhanced functionality and customer experience for Amtrak, SEPTA, and NJ TRANSIT customers, the project will also reimage the Market Street Plaza and bring the facility up to a State of Good Repair. 
Gilbane will renovate Amtrak’s 5-story corporate headquarters during the project and expand and modernize the main station and SEPTA level with new food, beverage, and retail options. The latter will include a new Food Hall modernization, upgrades of selected building infrastructure, and public amenities and landscaping to beautify and improve Market Street Plaza. SOM serves as the lead architect.
Highlights from 2022 include:
- Navigated owner scope change as Amtrak reimagined its workspace post-COVID. Advanced a comprehensive security overview and program development for the facility.
- Completed offsite enabling work to house Amtrak’s corporate office spaces during the renovations at 30th Street.
- Completed a full-scale existing conditions survey and documentation, including the 3D scanning of nearly all 600,000 SF of the existing building.
- Kicked off the Diversity and Inclusion program in partnership with team, with HIRE30th semi-annual communication and outreach events, and rollout of the pre-apprenticeship programing partnering initiatives.
Morgan State University Thurgood Marshall Hall, Baltimore, MD
Gilbane, in association with WarrenBuilds, is providing construction management services for two new student resident halls at Morgan State University (“MSU”). Phase I, completed in August 2022, is a $88M, 235,000 SF student housing and dining complex. Named for the nation’s first African American Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall, the 10-story, 670-bed tower includes a 40,000 SF traditional dining hall and food court, retail, and student support services on the first floor. Given the successful delivery of Phase I, Gilbane began construction in December 2022 on a new 12-story 168,000 SF residence hall totaling 600 beds valued at $75M
. The project, which is funded through a combination of tax-exempt lease revenue bonds and Historically Black Colleges and University (HBCU) funding sources, is being financed, designed, constructed, and operated through an alternative delivery model managed by the Maryland Economic Development Corporation.
Click here to view our 2022 P3 project highlight video:
