DANBURY – For the first time in its 8-year trek to build a cancer-fighting proton therapy on a vacant site on Wooster Heights, Danbury Proton could start construction on a 20,000-square-foot facility, according to Drew Crandall, the nonprofit’s director of community engagement.
On March 3, the City Council voted, 17-2, to approve a resolution for the city to become Danbury Proton’s conduit issuer for the sale of $130 million in revenue bonds. The sale is due to be held in April with a closing date in May, according to Crandall.
“We’re delighted to have the City Council approve the bonding,” Crandall said. “We’re going through final steps with the city. Construction could start in late spring and take about 18 months to complete.”
Mayor Roberto Alves in his most recent newsletter praised the City Council for pushing the Danbury Proton project forward. As a conduit bond issuer, the developer will have access to the funding, while the city assumes no financial liability for bond repayment, Alves said.
“With this approval, Danbury is poised to become a regional destination for advanced cancer treatment, creating jobs and expanding access to cutting-edge care for our community,” Alves said.
Second proton center in state
The therapy center by Danbury Proton, a 501c3 nonprofit organization, would be the second such center to open in Connecticut by 2028. Yale New Haven Health System and Hartford HealthCare are first in line to build one by the end of this year.
In addition to the funding, Danbury Proton received a state certificate of need (CON) in January 2025, which is necessary to do business in the state. The CON was issued after a settlement with the Office of Health Strategy. That settlement allowed Danbury Proton to establish a $72 million proton therapy center in Danbury (the cost is now up to $96 million-$130 million). The settlement also allows the opening and operation of only a single treatment room.
In addition to the state approval, the company was granted a building permit extension by the city Planning & Zoning Commission.
Crandall explained the need for building such a high-tech cancer treatment center since the closest similar treatment to Connecticut is in Boston and New York City. “People were getting turned away because there was no space for them,” he said.
Project design
The project design is being led by Boston based proton concept design firm SCI.X Science Studio in cooperation with East Hartford-based architectural and engineering firm Russell & Dawson. Principals in the two firms have collaborated on projects since the 1990s. SCI.X, led by Principal Stephen Courtney, has provided concept designs for over 27 proton therapy facilities assisting in the development of such facilities throughout the U.S. and on several international projects including Singapore, Canada, Malaysia, Hong Kong, Thailand and most recently Cairo.
How it works
The medical equipment that the Danbury operation will use is from Mevion Medical Systems of Littleton, Mass. Mevion’s S250i with Hyperscan and Adaptive Aperture delivers high quality, pencil beam scanning for intensity modulated proton therapy. The benefits of the tools and procedures is that it pinpoints the radiation to the tumor at any spot or depth. Also, it eliminates dose uncertainty and less radiation to healthy tissues, according to Danbury Proton literature.
“Within the world of radiation, 99.9% (of therapy) has been (applied) through X-rays,” Crandall said. “You can’t control them. They threaten other vital tissue and organs.”
He mentioned that Mevion’s technology comes from Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
“They take the protons out of the nuclei of the atoms,” he said. “And they aim those protons at the tumor.”
The Danbury Proton facility
Danbury Proton will be an outpatient clinic that will be led by a seasoned team of professionals, including 32 full-time employees. They will include radiation oncologists, medical physicists, radiation therapists, medical support and administrative staff. Additionally, the construction will lead to 100 jobs over a two-year period.
The team leaders include
- Radiation oncologist Leslie Yonemoto, MD. BS, MBA, a Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine trained physician and a radiation oncologist who has trained physicians for over 20 years at proton therapy centers including Loma Linda University, Procure Oklahoma, Reinecker Proton Therapy Center and Hampton University.
- Physics Director Michael Moyers. B.S., B.A., M.S., Ph.D., D.A.B.M.P., head and senior physicist, Division of Radiation Physics at the Shanghai Proton & Heavy Ion Center, China.
- Finance Director Don Melson, who has served five years as vice president and CFO of Mevion Medical Systems.
Danbury Proton will be a futuristic, clean, eco-friendly facility deriving virtually all of its power from on-site geothermal wells. The facility will be located on a mixed-use development property adjacent to Route 7 and Danbury Municipal Airport, close to I-84 and 3 miles from Danbury Hospital.
