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CUNY tells committee only 25% of facilities are in 'good repair,' seeks multiyear funding for upgrades
Summary
CUNY officials said about one quarter of their facilities are in good repair and estimated multi‑year capital needs of roughly $400 million per year for senior colleges and $200 million for community colleges, with additional annual energy conservation needs.
Mohammed Atallah, CUNY vice chancellor for Facility Planning, Construction and Management, testified that CUNY manages approximately 26,900,000 square feet across all five boroughs and has been conducting a comprehensive facilities assessment since 2023. "Currently, about 25% of the university's facilities components are in a state of good repair," Atallah said, and the university's goal is to increase that share to roughly 55% by 2030.
Atallah gave CUNY's near‑term capital estimates: approximately $400,000,000 per year for senior colleges’ building infrastructure (a five‑year, $2.0 billion planning horizon was described) and an additional $200,000,000 per year for community college facilities. He said energy conservation and decarbonization projects were estimated at roughly $170,000,000 per year for senior colleges and $90,000,000 for community colleges (a combined $260,000,000 per year estimate for energy projects over a five‑year horizon).
Committee members asked about Hostos Community College’s Allied Health facility and whether a city cost share had been secured. Atallah said CUNY is still working with the City of New York to finalize the city portion and that the project remains a capital priority in CUNY’s plan.
Atallah and others explained that, like SUNY, CUNY relies primarily on state capital support, with the City of New York contributing for some community college projects. On deferred maintenance, Atallah reported a system estimate of about $6,900,000,000 based on visual inspections and professional observation and said the number is best regarded as an estimate rather than an exact accounting.
The panel described steps to prioritize imminent system replacements (10–15% of systems were characterized as needing replacement soon) and said CUNY would provide more detailed project timing and cost information to lawmakers.
Ending: CUNY committed to follow up on council requests (detailed deferred maintenance lists, projected operating savings tied to energy upgrades, and Hostos funding status) to inform the committee’s budget work.
