MacArthur Airport expansion plans update: Islip focusing on developer that wants to build north terminal

Islip has zeroed in on a developer that wants to build a terminal on the north side of Long Island MacArthur Airport, after a yearlong competition for the town contract, town officials said. But ongoing disagreements among local leaders and stalled planning efforts for nearby development threaten to derail the project before it takes shape.

Islip Town began searching for companies to take on the airport overhaul in the spring of last year. The core goals are to create an upgraded terminal that can allow for additional flights, as well as to connect the airport with the Ronkonkoma Long Island Rail Road station to its north.

The town required developers to pitch a plan based on one of two project options: either build a new terminal on the airport’s north side, or revamp the existing terminal. 

The selected developer, which the town has yet to name, opted for the new north terminal option, according to Supervisor Angie Carpenter and Councilman John Lorenzo, whose district includes the airport. That company was picked last month by a separate town committee specifically created to field bids, but the finalist will need approval from Islip’s five-member town board before it can move forward.

The town will not reveal the name of the selected developer until board members vote on the proposal, according to town spokeswoman Caroline Smith. The next board meeting is on Tuesday, but an agenda for that meeting wasn't immediately available.

Not all in agreement

The north terminal option has been championed by Carpenter, who contends it’s the most practical way to connect the airport and LIRR via a direct physical link, such as a monorail or enclosed walkway. That option is opposed by Lorenzo and  Councilman Michael McElwee. Both have questioned the necessity of such a large-scale overhaul. 

Neither McElwee nor Councilwoman DawnMarie Kuhn responded to requests for comment for this story. Councilman Jorge Guadrón expressed support for the north terminal plan. 

“It has always been questioned as to why that terminal wasn’t built next to the train station to begin with,” Carpenter said. “We need to move forward as quickly as we can because time is money and every day that goes by, it’s only going to cost more.”

MacArthur saw its number of passengers increase by about 35,000 over the past six years, to about 1.58 million, Newsday reported last month.

The project’s expected air service and economic impacts are unclear, as are its cost and construction timeline. The town has said it would be entirely funded by the private developer, which would operate the terminal and collect the associated revenues for at least 40 years.

Eyes on county plans

Lorenzo remains opposed to moving forward with a new north terminal. He wants a future airport overhaul to happen alongside the development of more than 40 acres of Suffolk County-owned land that sits between the airport and the LIRR station, but that property wasn't part of the town's request for developer pitches last year, and its role in the future redevelopment of the area remains uncertain.

Since at least 2019, local leaders have envisioned an anchor development there — such as a convention center or a sports stadium — that would give people a reason to travel to the area using the new north terminal and LIRR station.

Suffolk County hired a company to develop that land in 2018. The project, eventually dubbed Midway Crossing, went through multiple iterations before county Executive Edward P. Romaine pulled the plug on it early last year because progress had stalled, Newsday has reported.

Today, plans for development on that county land are largely nonexistent, according to Suffolk County Legis. Anthony Piccirillo (R-Holtsville), who told Newsday, "there is no project. There’s no architectural [plan], there’s no application."

Romaine, at an event in Woodbury on Friday, said a new request for proposals for the area would be issued soon. "Despite some opposition, we’re going to go forward,” he told an audience at the Vision Long Island Smart Growth Awards ceremony.

Lorenzo said he won't back Islip's selected north terminal developer until the county's project is ready to progress alongside the town's.

"We need to talk together as a community — as a county and a town — we have to get on the same page,” Lorenzo said. “We have to get the proper plan going, development-wise, before we even talk about any north terminal move.”

Guadrón, the only Democrat on Islip's board, told Newsday via text that he supports the airport "expansion project in its majority."

"It's unfortunate that other council members don't want to adopt the vision I have," Guadrón continued. "We'll see when voting on the project comes."

Newsday's Carl MacGowan and James T. Madore contributed to this story.