Makeover begins at MacArthur Airport sites

The first phase is under way of redevelopment that will turn blighted postwar buildings on the west side of Long Island MacArthur Airport into modern, 21st-century facilities for three aviation-related companies.

In exchange for a 40-year lease on the land from Islip Town, general aviation-support company Sheltair has committed $20 million in investment for a seven-year refurbishment plan on 25 of 36 acres the company manages at MacArthur.

Islip, which oversees the airport, has also signed a 40-year lease with ExcelAire, which has committed to complete $4.5 million in upgrades of its facilities by the end of 2013.

Located off Smithtown Avenue, both companies offer ground services, maintenance and hangar facilities for corporate aircraft at the Ronkonkoma airport.

A third MacArthur-based operator, Mid Island Air Service, on nearby Hering Drive, is close to completing a lease-refurbishment deal that will round off the redevelopment, officials said.

When completed, the Sheltair refurbishment, the most advanced, is expected to result in 164,000 square feet of new hangar space and 29,000 square feet of office space, said William McShane, the company's senior vice president.

Demolition of 52,000 square feet of concrete block, wood and steel buildings -- "a mishmash, maze of additions added on to a structure built some time around the late 1950s," according to McShane -- began last month on part of the site Sheltair leases. Construction is scheduled to begin on the 3.7 acres in spring, with occupancy set for the first quarter of 2013.

Airport commissioner Teresa Rizzuto said buildings targeted for demolition on 45 acres were an eyesore. "[Islip] Supervisor [Phil] Nolan and I made this a priority when I first got here," she said, explaining the many meetings, careful planning and negotiations over the past three years that led to the deals.

"We wanted to change a blighted view as you round Lakeland Avenue to a delightful, state-of-the-art one," said Nolan, who hopes the private investment brings in more business and development.

"What's there is so outdated, you can't compete and attract more industry with infrastructure like that. We had to work with the private sector to move the west side of the airport into the 21st century," Nolan said.

He noted the visual picture around the airport was about to change markedly, with plans advancing for a new county-supported sewer treatment plant north of the airport -- which will enable greater density and development around the airport corridor -- together with development proposals for the Ronkonkoma hub and multitier parking at the nearby LIRR station.

"I'm hoping we can attract still more aviation sector-based industry which brings good-paying, solid jobs that are the part of our future in this town and county and region," Nolan said.

McShane said his company would not have been able to justify the investment without the long-term lease. "That's what enabled this deal," he said.

Rizzuto said she is proud the multimillion-dollar investment is progressing, especially in a tough economy. "We've closed two of the three deals that will complete a comprehensive development plan for the West Side, and I'm confident we'll bring the third online shortly."