Developer to move ahead with C. Islip project

The developer of a proposed $20-million sports complex on town-owned property in Central Islip will move forward on the project despite missing the Dec. 31 deadline for federal stimulus bonds, his attorney said Tuesday.

The developer, Andy Borgia of Yaphank, instead will rely on conventional financing for the 205,000-square-foot Ultimate Game Sports Complex, his attorney, Tim Shea of Hauppauge, said. The complex is designed to include private indoor and outdoor fields for baseball, soccer, lacrosse and football.

"The financing is not going to be an issue," Shea said Tuesday. "The bonds were never an integral part of this development project."

Islip Town officials had expedited the review process to help Borgia meet the application deadline for $19 million in tax-exempt bonds offered through the federal stimulus program.

But the tight time frame to make the project shovel-ready - less than a year from when he first approached the town - and the difficulty in finding investors for the bonds, which were not federally insured or guaranteed, hampered his efforts.

Shea said he expects the project to create 75 to 85 permanent jobs, for which preference would be given to Central Islip residents.

Islip Town officials had scrambled to help the developer meet the deadline, even calling a special town board meeting in September to approve a lease for 36 acres on Carleton Avenue. On Dec. 1, the town board approved zoning changes for the site. And on Dec. 14, at its last meeting of the year, the town board granted the site an exemption from the town's so-called "dark sky" rules, allowing the complex to use tall ballfield lights that would otherwise be prohibited.

The town also helped negotiate new playing fields for the Central Islip Little League, which are to be displaced by the sports complex. Borgia has agreed to build a new home for the Little League on nearby Eastview Drive.

The town's planning department was prepared to issue site plan approval by Dec. 31 but couldn't because it did not receive the final paperwork from Borgia, assistant town planning director Jeanmarie Brennan said.

"We got it all done in a matter of 3 1/2 months," she said, when seven to nine months is typical.

Town officials said they are disappointed Borgia was not able to take advantage of the bonds - which could have cut his interest by 1.5 to 2 percentage points - but hopeful that he will be able to secure financing on the open market.