Bonds OK'd to buy property in Wyandanch

The Town of Babylon has authorized issuing $3.5 million in bonds toward property acquisitions as part of its Wyandanch redevelopment.

The $3.5 million is part of the $25 million in bonding the town has included in its capital plan for property acquisition, said town spokesman Tim Ruggeri. So far, the town has made 28 property purchases and eight condemnations on properties acquired through eminent domain, he said.

The acquisitions are part of the town's massive Wyandanch downtown redevelopment called Wyandanch Rising, which will include transit-oriented development around the Long Island Rail Road station and a variety of housing types, commercial properties and public green spaces. Last month the town announced that three companies will apply to be master developer of the project. The town will make a final selection in June, Ruggeri said.

The town has also extended contracts with two consultants involved with the redevelopment, Torti Gallas and Partners, of Silver Spring, Md., and National Development Council of Manhattan.

Torti Gallas, which previously had a $750,000 contract with the town to create a design for the redevelopment, has a consulting contract for $61,185 to assist with the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certification of the development, Ruggeri said.

National Development Council will offer technical assistance with the Brownfield Opportunity Area (BOA) program through a consulting contract for $75,000, which will be paid for through a BOA grant, he said.

In 2009, Wyandanch was named one of three "spotlight" communities for a new statewide initiative to support redevelopment of brownfield sites.

This summer the town is poised to break ground for a sewer line through the downtown.

In October the town was approved for $14.7 million in federal low-interest financing to help build the line, which would consist of two parts: one running to the downtown and another to the town's ashfill.

In December Bove Industries of East Setauket was chosen for a $10.8-million contract to build the sewer line, while Posillico Civil Inc. of Farmingdale was chosen to perform work on pump stations for $2.4 million.