The White Plains Common Council in New York, US, has granted final approval for the White Plains Hospital expansion plans.

Expansion effort includes the construction of a new 475,000ft², ten-storey building, Westfair Business Journal reported.

Granted during the council's meeting held on 5 August, the approval encompasses modifications to the master plan, special permit, and site plan of White Plains Hospital.

White Plains Hospital’s new facility will be erected on the site of the former Davis Avenue garage and adjacent commercial buildings.

The city had previously closed a section of Davis Avenue to facilitate this development.

Site preparation, including demolition and debris clearing, is already nearing completion, and the hospital has also established a temporary parking lot on land located west of S Lexington Avenue.

The expansion will eventually lead to the demolition of the existing medical office, which is anticipated to occur in around two years.

Once developed, the new building is expected to add 144 patient rooms to the hospital, increasing its existing capacity to 436 beds from existing 292 and converting all patient rooms to single occupancy.

An expanded emergency room is also part of the plan.

The current emergency room, designed to accommodate 40,000 patients annually, is now serving approximately 80,000.

Additions will also include new operating rooms and a new main lobby.

The building’s fourth floor will feature mechanical as well as air-handling equipment, situated above the new operating rooms within a 24ft-high area.

Future development plans include a hospital parking garage and more facilities on the property currently serving as an interim parking area, which previously hosted automobile dealerships.

The anticipated opening of the new building is set for 2028.

The report cited White Plains planning commissioner Christopher Gomez indicating that the White Plains Urban Renewal Agency and the city are exploring a new parking garage construction on East Post Road, which would serve both the hospital and emergency room visitors.