Conklin Street housing is something to build on

Too often, Long Island housing advocates find themselves lamenting opportunities lost, and an ever-growing housing need unmet.

With a development underway on 13 acres on Conklin Street in East Farmingdale, however, Long Island can declare a clear victory. It's a model for the region, as long as state and local officials see it to completion.

Once the site of a bustling aircraft parts manufacturing plant, the state-owned land near Stew Leonard's, bordered by Conklin to the south, the Long Island Rail Road tracks to the north, and Route 110 to the west, has been vacant and blighted for decades, so much so that it's known as a "mulch pit." 

Now, the state is partnering with developer Heatherwood Communities LLC, which will first clean up any remaining contamination and then build 495 residential units, including more than 100 affordable homes, on the site. It's an ideal plan, especially since the location isn't far from the Farmingdale and Pinelawn Long Island Rail Road stations.

It's also an enormous step forward in Gov. Kathy Hochul's praiseworthy effort to utilize state land for new housing. And it importantly illustrates what can happen when state and local officials work together and find common ground, as both Suffolk County Executive Edward P. Romaine and Babylon Town Supervisor Rich Schaffer support the effort.

There's more to do. Heatherwood, based in Commack, needs state and local approvals. Then Heatherwood has to follow through on its commitment to completely clean up the site before construction can begin. Too often, after an initial deal is celebrated, roadblocks appear and housing development is unfortunately stymied.

Beyond bringing this development to fruition, Hochul must build on this morsel of success. That means thinking through plans for the rest of the Republic Airport property, and working with local officials to tie it together with other efforts along the Route 110 corridor, including the recently finalized overlay zone for the Huntington Quadrangle area in Melville. Exploring public transportation options around Route 110, along with other development opportunities, will allow the entire stretch to blossom. 

It also means using the success in East Farmingdale as a jumping-off point for housing development on state-owned land elsewhere. State officials should assess other potential locations, especially Metropolitan Transportation Authority properties, where such housing is possible near transit. Relationships with local officials like those established with Romaine and Schaffer and public-private partnerships with committed local developers like Heatherwood are key. Such efforts will smooth the way for future housing proposals, in spots that make sense.

Hochul has come a long way from her failed "housing compact" in 2023, which she rolled out without enough local involvement and input, and which spotlighted mandates rather than partnerships. Just two years later, Hochul's plans for the Conklin Street land show what can happen with a more thoughtful, coordinated approach. Now, she should build on it — and see that success through in Babylon and beyond.