Lawrence Aviation deal can still happen, with effort

A once-in-a-generation opportunity should not be felled by politics, artificial deadlines or shortsighted decision-making.

Everyone involved in the effort to transform the former Lawrence Aviation Industries property into a Long Island Rail Road yard — an enormous step toward electrifying the Port Jefferson Branch and moving the Port Jefferson train station — knows that.

But a deal to allow the Metropolitan Transportation Authority to purchase the land for a mere $10 from the Suffolk County Landbank lately has been on shaky ground, thanks mostly to a lack of communication, leadership and big-picture thinking.

That has to change now.

To be clear: The deal has not collapsed. A variety of state, county and local officials have told the editorial board they’re all still committed to making it happen.

They just need to get out of their own way and get this back on track.

Unfortunately, they haven’t been able to do that on their own.

We’ve never been closer to getting the rail yard, the new, modern station and even the potential for electrification. At the end of their session, Albany lawmakers passed legislation, sponsored by Assemb. Rebecca Kassay and State Sens. Monica Martinez and Anthony Palumbo, that helped, by protecting the Setauket-Port Jefferson Station Greenway that cuts through the property, and allowing it to move to make way for the rail yard. But even that wasn’t enough, because the state Department of Transportation still has control over part of the land, making it impossible, the MTA says, for the authority to build there.

Gov. Kathy Hochul must take the lead here and resolve any outstanding disputes. That starts with the DOT and the MTA — two agencies that fall under her control. Hochul must get them in a room now, and keep them there until all questions over the land are resolved. That could mean instructing DOT officials to release their hold on their portion, directing the MTA to sign a revised deal, or amending the legislation as needed. Then, Hochul has to sign the Greenway legislation to move the deal toward closing.

A Hochul spokesman says she is “actively working with all parties,” with “tangible progress” expected this summer. That’s a start.

Suffolk officials also must do their part. Suffolk has until the end of this year to spend pandemic-era American Rescue Plan Act funds, including $2.1 million that’s been earmarked for the Lawrence Aviation site. That’s a real deadline. But county officials have instituted their own artificial deadlines for this month. There’s no reason to let a critical project of monumental import fail because of a pretend cutoff date. Hochul has a good relationship with Suffolk County Executive Edward P. Romaine; together, they can prioritize this.

Lawrence Aviation has been stuck in a tired, dormant past for decades. With the right leadership, and an end to the bickering, residents and riders can start looking ahead to an electrified future.