A rendering of the proposed $2.8 billion Midway Crossing development in...

A rendering of the proposed $2.8 billion Midway Crossing development in Ronkonkoma. Credit: JLL/Crawford Architects

It's been seven years since Suffolk County officials chose Chicago-based Jones Lang LaSalle to develop 179 acres of valuable county land south of Ronkonkoma's Long Island Rail Road station and north of MacArthur Airport. In that time, even as a private developer built hundreds of units of housing north of the LIRR station, there's been little progress to the south on the effort known as Midway Crossing.

Now, as a different county administration starts over, there are lessons to learn from past mistakes so residents don't have to tolerate more vacant lots and empty promises. 

This was a frustrating mess from the start. There have been big ideas for the land — a 17,500-seat arena, a convention center, a life sciences research complex. But big ideas mean little on their own. Jones Lang LaSalle is primarily a commercial real estate and investment firm, not a local developer. JLL lacked knowledge of Long Island and brought on a problematic investment partnership whose troubled track record quickly came under fire. Even after that partnership was removed from the project, there was never anyone ready to make the needed investment.

Now, Suffolk County Executive Ed Romaine has cut ties with JLL and plans to issue a new request for "expressions of interest and qualifications" — a bureaucratic mouthful that means the county is looking for new developers and new ideas.

That's a necessary next step. But Romaine will need to navigate carefully. That means working with Islip Town as the county's partner in whatever development moves forward. Islip officials, who have zoning power, should be clear on their vision for the site and the MacArthur terminal's location, which they control. The town previously said it didn't want housing. Is that still true?

The county has its own interests. Suffolk already earmarked part of its recently increased hotel/motel tax toward an infrastructure fund meant to bolster a convention center at the site. Whether the county and new developers want to proceed with that plan remains to be seen. There are other layers of nuance from other federal, state and local agencies. State funding, particularly from the Long Island Investment Fund, and federal dollars from the infrastructure pot, could help the right project move forward. Support from the Federal Aviation Administration, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority and Amtrak, all of which are involved, will be necessary.

Most importantly, the county has to find the right private partner: a committed development team that understands Long Island and can navigate the bureaucratic labyrinth ahead, and with the financial backing to build what it promises and handle the challenges of developing in Suffolk.

Romaine has the experience and skills to get this right. If he doesn't, Midway Crossing will be just another example of Long Island's inability to transform valuable land from barren asphalt into a vibrant economic win. If he does, it could finally turn Ronkonkoma into a true regional star.

MEMBERS OF THE EDITORIAL BOARD are experienced journalists who offer reasoned opinions, based on facts, to encourage informed debate about the issues facing our community.

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